Effect of simulated disturbance by geese on soil temperature and active layer thickness over one growing season
The Arctic is an area predicted to be strongly affected by climate change, and the extent of permafrost is expected to decrease. The insulating capacity of bryophytes is central in permafrost preservation. In High-Arctic Svalbard, disturbance by geese through grubbing may damage and remove parts of...
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UiT Norges arktiske universitet
2022
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ftunivtroemsoe:oai:munin.uit.no:10037/29207 2023-06-11T04:02:55+02:00 Effect of simulated disturbance by geese on soil temperature and active layer thickness over one growing season Holm, Hildur Søndergaard 2022-05-13 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/29207 eng eng UiT Norges arktiske universitet UiT The Arctic University of Norway https://hdl.handle.net/10037/29207 openAccess Copyright 2022 The Author(s) VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Økologi: 488 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Ecology: 488 BIO-3950 Master thesis Mastergradsoppgave 2022 ftunivtroemsoe 2023-05-17T23:06:11Z The Arctic is an area predicted to be strongly affected by climate change, and the extent of permafrost is expected to decrease. The insulating capacity of bryophytes is central in permafrost preservation. In High-Arctic Svalbard, disturbance by geese through grubbing may damage and remove parts of the bryophyte layer in moss tundra. The disruption is expected to lead to increased soil temperatures and shift the vegetation from being dominated by bryophytes to graminoids. This study focuses on how simulated grubbing affects soil temperature and active layer thickness (ALT) over one growing season. The data were collected in central Adventdalen, Svalbard, in a landscape dominated by ice-wedge polygons. Each polygon was characterized by a wet bryophyte-covered centre encircled by a transitional middle part and a dry rim dominated by vascular plants. Plots were established in each part of six polygons and goose grubbing applied manually to each plot in three polygons after snowmelt, while three polygons were left as controls. Organic and moss layer thickness, soil moisture, soil temperature and ALT from each plot were sampled over the season. The plots exposed to simulated grubbing were expected to show an increase in soil temperature and deepening of ALT compared to the control plots. The effect was expected to be stronger earlier in the season and mitigated by a deeper organic and bryophyte layer. No significant effect of grubbing was registered on soil temperature nor ALT, but the plots covered by a deeper layer of bryophytes and organic soil had lower soil temperature and ALT than the other plots. Future research should investigate disturbance at a larger scale over multiple years. Master Thesis Active layer thickness Adventdalen Arctic Climate change Ice permafrost Svalbard Tundra wedge* University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive Adventdalen ENVELOPE(16.264,16.264,78.181,78.181) Arctic Svalbard |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtroemsoe |
language |
English |
topic |
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Økologi: 488 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Ecology: 488 BIO-3950 |
spellingShingle |
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Økologi: 488 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Ecology: 488 BIO-3950 Holm, Hildur Søndergaard Effect of simulated disturbance by geese on soil temperature and active layer thickness over one growing season |
topic_facet |
VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Økologi: 488 VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Ecology: 488 BIO-3950 |
description |
The Arctic is an area predicted to be strongly affected by climate change, and the extent of permafrost is expected to decrease. The insulating capacity of bryophytes is central in permafrost preservation. In High-Arctic Svalbard, disturbance by geese through grubbing may damage and remove parts of the bryophyte layer in moss tundra. The disruption is expected to lead to increased soil temperatures and shift the vegetation from being dominated by bryophytes to graminoids. This study focuses on how simulated grubbing affects soil temperature and active layer thickness (ALT) over one growing season. The data were collected in central Adventdalen, Svalbard, in a landscape dominated by ice-wedge polygons. Each polygon was characterized by a wet bryophyte-covered centre encircled by a transitional middle part and a dry rim dominated by vascular plants. Plots were established in each part of six polygons and goose grubbing applied manually to each plot in three polygons after snowmelt, while three polygons were left as controls. Organic and moss layer thickness, soil moisture, soil temperature and ALT from each plot were sampled over the season. The plots exposed to simulated grubbing were expected to show an increase in soil temperature and deepening of ALT compared to the control plots. The effect was expected to be stronger earlier in the season and mitigated by a deeper organic and bryophyte layer. No significant effect of grubbing was registered on soil temperature nor ALT, but the plots covered by a deeper layer of bryophytes and organic soil had lower soil temperature and ALT than the other plots. Future research should investigate disturbance at a larger scale over multiple years. |
format |
Master Thesis |
author |
Holm, Hildur Søndergaard |
author_facet |
Holm, Hildur Søndergaard |
author_sort |
Holm, Hildur Søndergaard |
title |
Effect of simulated disturbance by geese on soil temperature and active layer thickness over one growing season |
title_short |
Effect of simulated disturbance by geese on soil temperature and active layer thickness over one growing season |
title_full |
Effect of simulated disturbance by geese on soil temperature and active layer thickness over one growing season |
title_fullStr |
Effect of simulated disturbance by geese on soil temperature and active layer thickness over one growing season |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effect of simulated disturbance by geese on soil temperature and active layer thickness over one growing season |
title_sort |
effect of simulated disturbance by geese on soil temperature and active layer thickness over one growing season |
publisher |
UiT Norges arktiske universitet |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/29207 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(16.264,16.264,78.181,78.181) |
geographic |
Adventdalen Arctic Svalbard |
geographic_facet |
Adventdalen Arctic Svalbard |
genre |
Active layer thickness Adventdalen Arctic Climate change Ice permafrost Svalbard Tundra wedge* |
genre_facet |
Active layer thickness Adventdalen Arctic Climate change Ice permafrost Svalbard Tundra wedge* |
op_relation |
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/29207 |
op_rights |
openAccess Copyright 2022 The Author(s) |
_version_ |
1768383449181192192 |