TY - JOUR

T1 - Multi-decadal changes in tundra environments and ecosystems: Synthesis of the International Polar Year-Back to the Future Project (IPY-BTF)

A1 - Callaghan,Terry V.

A1 - Tweedie,Craig E.

A1 - Åkerman,Jonas

A1 - Andrews,Christopher

A1 - Bergstedt,Johan

A1 - Butler,Malcolm G.

A1 - Christensen,Torben R.

A1 - Cooley,Dorothy

A1 - Dahlberg,Ulrika

A1 - Danby,Ryan K.

A1 - Daniёls,Fred J. A.

A1 - Molenaar,Johannes G. de

A1 - Dick,Jan

A1 - Mortensen,Christian Ebbe

A1 - Ebert-May,Diane

A1 - Emanuelsson,Urban

A1 - Eriksson,Håkan

A1 - Hedenås,Henrik

A1 - Henry,Greg. H. R.

A1 - Hik,David S.

A1 - Hobbie,John E.

A1 - Jantze,Elin J.

A1 - Jaspers,Cornelia

A1 - Johansson,Cecilia

A1 - Johansson,Margareta

A1 - Johnson,David R.

A1 - Johnstone,Jill F.

A1 - Jonasson,Christer

A1 - Kennedy,Catherine

A1 - Kenney,Alice J.

A1 - Keuper,Frida

A1 - Koh,Saewan

A1 - Krebs,Charles J.

A1 - Lantuit,Hugues

A1 - Lara,Mark J.

A1 - Lin,David

A1 - Lougheed,Vanessa L.

A1 - Madsen,Jesper

A1 - Matveyeva,Nadya

A1 - McEwen,Daniel C.

A1 - Myers-Smith,Isla H.

A1 - Narozhniy,Yuriy K.

A1 - Olsson,Håkan

A1 - Pohjola,Veijo A.

A1 - Price,Larry W.

A1 - Rigét,Frank

A1 - Rundqvist,Sara

A1 - Sandström,Anneli

A1 - Tamstorf,Mikkel

A1 - Bogaert,Rik Van

A1 - Villarreal,Sandra

A1 - Webber,Patrick J.

A1 - Zemtsov,Valeriy A.

AU - Callaghan,Terry V.

AU - Tweedie,Craig E.

AU - Åkerman,Jonas

AU - Andrews,Christopher

AU - Bergstedt,Johan

AU - Butler,Malcolm G.

AU - Christensen,Torben R.

AU - Cooley,Dorothy

AU - Dahlberg,Ulrika

AU - Danby,Ryan K.

AU - Daniёls,Fred J. A.

AU - Molenaar,Johannes G. de

AU - Dick,Jan

AU - Mortensen,Christian Ebbe

AU - Ebert-May,Diane

AU - Emanuelsson,Urban

AU - Eriksson,Håkan

AU - Hedenås,Henrik

AU - Henry,Greg. H. R.

AU - Hik,David S.

AU - Hobbie,John E.

AU - Jantze,Elin J.

AU - Jaspers,Cornelia

AU - Johansson,Cecilia

AU - Johansson,Margareta

AU - Johnson,David R.

AU - Johnstone,Jill F.

AU - Jonasson,Christer

AU - Kennedy,Catherine

AU - Kenney,Alice J.

AU - Keuper,Frida

AU - Koh,Saewan

AU - Krebs,Charles J.

AU - Lantuit,Hugues

AU - Lara,Mark J.

AU - Lin,David

AU - Lougheed,Vanessa L.

AU - Madsen,Jesper

AU - Matveyeva,Nadya

AU - McEwen,Daniel C.

AU - Myers-Smith,Isla H.

AU - Narozhniy,Yuriy K.

AU - Olsson,Håkan

AU - Pohjola,Veijo A.

AU - Price,Larry W.

AU - Rigét,Frank

AU - Rundqvist,Sara

AU - Sandström,Anneli

AU - Tamstorf,Mikkel

AU - Bogaert,Rik Van

AU - Villarreal,Sandra

AU - Webber,Patrick J.

AU - Zemtsov,Valeriy A.

PB - Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien

PY - 2011

Y1 - 2011

N2 - Understanding the responses of tundra systems to global change has global implications. Most tundra regions lack sustained environmental monitoring and one of the only ways to document multi-decadal change is to resample historic research sites. The International Polar Year (IPY) provided a unique opportunity for such research through the Back to the Future (BTF) project (IPY project #512). This article synthesizes the results from 13 papers within this Ambio Special Issue. Abiotic changes include glacial recession in the Altai Mountains, Russia; increased snow depth and hardness, permafrost warming, and increased growing season length in sub-arctic Sweden; drying of ponds in Greenland; increased nutrient availability in Alaskan tundra ponds, and warming at most locations studied. Biotic changes ranged from relatively minor plant community change at two sites in Greenland to moderate change in the Yukon, and to dramatic increases in shrub and tree density on Herschel Island, and in sub-arctic Sweden. The population of geese tripled at one site in northeast Greenland where biomass in non-grazed plots doubled. A model parameterized using results from a BTF study forecasts substantial declines in all snowbeds and increases in shrub tundra on Niwot Ridge, Colorado over the next century. In general, results support and provide improved capacities for validating experimental manipulation, remote sensing, and modeling studies.

AB - Understanding the responses of tundra systems to global change has global implications. Most tundra regions lack sustained environmental monitoring and one of the only ways to document multi-decadal change is to resample historic research sites. The International Polar Year (IPY) provided a unique opportunity for such research through the Back to the Future (BTF) project (IPY project #512). This article synthesizes the results from 13 papers within this Ambio Special Issue. Abiotic changes include glacial recession in the Altai Mountains, Russia; increased snow depth and hardness, permafrost warming, and increased growing season length in sub-arctic Sweden; drying of ponds in Greenland; increased nutrient availability in Alaskan tundra ponds, and warming at most locations studied. Biotic changes ranged from relatively minor plant community change at two sites in Greenland to moderate change in the Yukon, and to dramatic increases in shrub and tree density on Herschel Island, and in sub-arctic Sweden. The population of geese tripled at one site in northeast Greenland where biomass in non-grazed plots doubled. A model parameterized using results from a BTF study forecasts substantial declines in all snowbeds and increases in shrub tundra on Niwot Ridge, Colorado over the next century. In general, results support and provide improved capacities for validating experimental manipulation, remote sensing, and modeling studies.

U2 - 10.1007/s13280-011-0179-8

DO - 10.1007/s13280-011-0179-8

JO - Ambio

JF - Ambio

SN - 0044-7447

IS - 6

VL - 40

SP - 705

EP - 716

ER -