Complexity revealed in the greening of the Arctic

• Published in: Arctic Science
• Main Authors: Myers-Smith, Isla H, Kerby, Jeffrey T, Phoenix, Gareth K, Bjerke, Jarle W, Epstein, Howard E, Assmann, Jakob J, John, Christian, Andreu-Hayles, Laia, Angers-Blondin, Sandra, Beck, Pieter S A, Berner, Logan T, Bhatt, Uma S, Bjorkman, Anne D, Blok, Daan, Bryn, Anders, Christiansen, Casper T, Cornelissen, J Hans C, Cunliffe, Andrew M, Elmendorf, Sarah C, Forbes, Bruce C, Goetz, Scott J, Hollister, Robert D, de Jong, Rogier, Loranty, Michael M, Macias-Fauria, Marc, Maseyk, Kadmiel, Normand, Signe, Olofsson, Johan, Parker, Thomas C, Parmentier, Frans-Jan W, Schaepman-Strub, Gabriela
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Publishing Group 2020
• Subjects: Institute of Geography; Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; Global Change and Biodiversity; 910 Geography & travel; Social Sciences (miscellaneous); Environmental Science (miscellaneous); Arctic; Browning; Arctic Greening; Climate change
• Online Access: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/188831/

As the Arctic warms, vegetation is responding, and satellite measures indicate widespread greening at high latitudes. This ‘greening of the Arctic’ is among the world’s most important large-scale ecological responses to global climate change. However, a consensus is emerging that the underlying causes and future dynamics of so-called Arctic greening and browning trends are more complex, variable and inherently scale-dependent than previously thought. Here we summarize the complexities of observing and interpreting high-latitude greening to identify priorities for future research. Incorporating satellite and proximal remote sensing with in-situ data, while accounting for uncertainties and scale issues, will advance the study of past, present and future Arctic vegetation change.