Open AccessDivergence of Arctic shrub growth associated with sea ice decline
Author(s) -
Agata Buchwał,
Patrick F. Sullivan,
Marc MaciasFauria,
Eric Post,
Isla H. MyersSmith,
Julienne Stroeve,
Daan Blok,
Ken D. Tape,
Bruce C. Forbes,
Pascale Ropars,
Esther Lévesque,
Bo Elberling,
Sandra AngersBlondin,
Joseph S. Boyle,
Stéphane Boudreau,
Noémie Boulanger-Lapointe,
Cassandra Gamm,
Martin Hallinger,
Grzegorz Rachlewicz,
Amanda B. Young,
Pentti Zetterberg,
Jeffrey M. Welker
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2013311117
Subject(s) - tundra , shrub , arctic , biome , arctic vegetation , sea ice , climate change , arctic ecology , ecology , environmental science , arctic geoengineering , vegetation (pathology) , arctic ice pack , physical geography , climatology , ecosystem , geography , biology , antarctic sea ice , geology , medicine , pathology
Significance Two defining features of climate change in the Arctic are the rapid decline of sea ice and “shrubification” of the tundra. While previous studies have inferred warming-related linkages between the two, these have been limited to a few locations. Our Pan-Arctic analysis of shrub growth chronologies reveals two important insights. Tundra shrub growth dynamics are associated with sea ice decline throughout the Arctic; however, while shrubs from most locations increased their growth, more than one-third showed evidence of declining growth in response to warming and drying associated with sea ice loss. These results highlight pronounced growth response heterogeneity across the tundra biome that will have important implications for tundra productivity and vegetation–climate feedback.