Authors
Howard E Epstein, Martha K Raynolds, Donald A Walker, Uma S Bhatt, Compton J Tucker, Jorge E Pinzon
Publication date
2012/1/18
Journal
Environmental Research Letters
Volume
7
Issue
1
Pages
015506
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Description
Numerous studies have evaluated the dynamics of Arctic tundra vegetation throughout the past few decades, using remotely sensed proxies of vegetation, such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). While extremely useful, these coarse-scale satellite-derived measurements give us minimal information with regard to how these changes are being expressed on the ground, in terms of tundra structure and function. In this analysis, we used a strong regression model between NDVI and aboveground tundra phytomass, developed from extensive field-harvested measurements of vegetation biomass, to estimate the biomass dynamics of the circumpolar Arctic tundra over the period of continuous satellite records (1982–2010). We found that the southernmost tundra subzones (C–E) dominate the increases in biomass, ranging from 20 to 26%, although there was a high degree of heterogeneity across …
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