Aarhus University Seal

Immediate and carry-over effects of insect outbreaks on vegetation growth in West Greenland assessed from cells to satellite

New publication by Angela Luisa Prendin, Marco Carrer, Mojtaba Karami, Jørgen Hollesen, Nanna Bjerregaard Pedersen, Mario Pividori, Urs A. Treier, Andreas Westergaard‐Nielsen, Bo Elberling, Signe Normand

Abstract:

Tundra ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change, and climate–growth responses of Arctic shrubs are variable and altered by microsite environmental conditions and biotic factors. With warming and drought during the growing season, insect‐driven defoliation is expected to increase in frequency and severity with potential broad‐scale impacts on tundra ecosystem functioning. Here we provide the first broad‐scale reconstruction of spatio‐temporal dynamics of past insect outbreaks by assessing their effects on shrub growth along a typical Greenlandic fjord climate gradient from the inland ice to the sea.

https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13644