Gradient of Soil Fertilization Helps Tundra Shrubs Expand Across the Arctic

Scientists at the Arctic LTER find that different points along a gradient of soil fertility aid ectomycorrhizal and ericaceous tundra shrubs. Their findings hint at the potential for those two types of shrubs to co-expand over the Arctic—a previously unconsidered scenario that could have vast implications for the future of the northern tundra

Arctic LTER: Fertilization, fire and plant community change

The Arctic tundra ecosystem has naturally low biodiversity and is experiencing changes due to the influences of climate change. Over the past 30+  years, researchers at the Arctic LTER site have developed a suite of experiments to study the effects of expected climate changes on the ecosystem as well as conducting continued monitoring of ecosystem… Read more »

Stop giving early and late Arctic seasons the ‘cold shoulder’, say LTER scientists

Streams LTER Research Assistant Frances Iannucci (a coauthor on the study) recording dissolved oxygen in a watershed associated with the Arctic LTER.

Climate change is hitting Arctic ecosystems hard – permafrost is rapidly thawing, releasing previously-frozen organic matter into the surrounding environment. Knowing not only how, but when, dissolved organic matter (DOM) and other nutrient concentrations are changing is important for predicting effects of climate change, but the picture is currently incomplete.  A new paper from Arctic… Read more »

LTER Road Trip: Tundra roots may hold the secret to predicting a future Arctic

By Haley Dunleavy It’s a beautiful August day in the Arctic. The sun, now finally rising and setting after months of circling the sky, warms my face; neon yellows, pinks, reds, and greens of fall foliage speckle across the tundra, and most importantly, the previously incessant mosquitos have died off. I’m standing on a single-planked… Read more »

A Silver Lining in Arctic Permafrost Thaw

Climate change is already impacting polar habitats such as the Arctic tundra, where increasing temperatures are causing permafrost to thaw and exposing soil and organic matter that have been buried for thousands of years. Many scientists predicted that this soil, once exposed, would release a massive amount of sequestered carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to… Read more »