Environmental Monitoring and Research in the Abisko Area—An Overview

Jonasson, Christer; Sonesson, M.; Christensen, Torben R.; Callaghan, Terry V.

doi:10.1007/s13280-012-0301-6

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…With this complexity in mind, our aim here is to compile and analyse multi-decadal changes in a range of terrestrial ecosystems from the subarctic of northern Sweden. This area has an unrivalled history of northern environmental observation over 100 years [19,20]. We show that many and diverse responses of ecosystems to climatic and other changes can be observed in one catchment, that climate acts directly and indirectly on ecosystems, and that past land use and short-lived (hours to weeks) extreme events can also have long-term impacts (annual to decadal) that sometimes override long-term, multi-decadal trends driven by climate change.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Currently (2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011), mean annual temperature is þ0.498C while the seasonal mean temperatures from spring to winter are 20.82, þ10.9, þ1.1 and 29.28C, respectively (ANS data). The ANS has also been the centre of many dispersed observations of climate and ecosystems over the past 50 years or more [19,20]. For example, climate at the mid-alpine Latnjajaure Field Station, one of the satellite stations of the Abisko Station, has been monitored since 1990 (year-round since 1992 [27]).…”

Section: Methods and Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many manipulation studies have been established. They focus on impacts of increased temperature, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and UV-B radiation, as well as snow accumulation [20,65].…”

Section: (E) Ultraviolet-b Radiationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecosystem change and stability over multiple decades in the Swedish subarctic: complex processes and multiple drivers

Callaghan

Jonasson

Thierfelder

et al. 2013

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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146

142

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The subarctic environment of northernmost Sweden has changed over the past century, particularly elements of climate and cryosphere. This paper presents a unique geo-referenced record of environmental and ecosystem observations from the area since 1913. Abiotic changes have been substantial. Vegetation changes include not only increases in growth and range extension but also counterintuitive decreases, and stability: all three possible responses. Changes in species composition within the major plant communities have ranged between almost no changes to almost a 50 per cent increase in the number of species. Changes in plant species abundance also vary with particularly large increases in trees and shrubs (up to 600%). There has been an increase in abundance of aspen and large changes in other plant communities responding to wetland area increases resulting from permafrost thaw. Populations of herbivores have responded to varying management practices and climate regimes, particularly changing snow conditions. While it is difficult to generalize and scale-up the site-specific changes in ecosystems, this very site-specificity, combined with projections of change, is of immediate relevance to local stakeholders who need to adapt to new opportunities and to respond to challenges. Furthermore, the relatively small area and its unique datasets are a microcosm of the complexity of Arctic landscapes in transition that remains to be documented.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Methods and Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecosystem change and stability over multiple decades in the Swedish subarctic: complex processes and multiple drivers

Callaghan

Jonasson

Thierfelder

et al. 2013

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

Self Cite

146

142

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studies have measured CH 4 exchange for specific cover types at high temporal resolution over multiple years [42]. A number of studies have provided cover type classifications related to the changes in permafrost stability and the species compositional response [20,43,44]. Working at Stordalen Mire in Sweden, Johansson et al [2] provided a robust classification scheme that not only relates to CH 4 emissions but provides definitive cover classes that are easily distinguishable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining Subarctic Peatland Vegetation Using an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)

et al. 2018

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Rising global temperatures tied to increases in greenhouse gas emissions are impacting high latitude regions, leading to changes in vegetation composition and feedbacks to climate through increased methane (CH4) emissions. In subarctic peatlands, permafrost collapse has led to shifts in vegetation species on landscape scales with high spatial heterogeneity. Our goal was to provide a baseline for vegetation distribution related to permafrost collapse and changes in biogeochemical processes. We collected unmanned aerial system (UAS) imagery at Stordalen Mire, Abisko, Sweden to classify vegetation cover types. A series of digital image processing routines were used to generate texture attributes within the image for the purpose of characterizing vegetative cover types. An artificial neural network (ANN) was developed to classify the image. The ANN used all texture variables and color bands (three spectral bands and six metrics) to generate a probability map for each of the eight cover classes. We used the highest probability for a class at each pixel to designate the cover type in the final map. Our overall misclassification rate was 32%, while omission and commission error by class ranged from 0% to 50%. We found that within our area of interest, cover classes most indicative of underlying permafrost (hummock and tall shrub) comprised 43.9% percent of the landscape. Our effort showed the capability of an ANN applied to UAS high-resolution imagery to develop a classification that focuses on vegetation types associated with permafrost status and therefore potentially changes in greenhouse gas exchange. We also used a method to examine the multiple probabilities representing cover class prediction at the pixel level to examine model confusion. UAS image collection can be inexpensive and a repeatable avenue to determine vegetation change at high latitudes, which can further be used to estimate and scale corresponding changes in CH4 emissions.

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“…These studies are expensive to carry out in the Arctic with the result that many detailed studies have been relatively short-term (e.g., the IBP Arctic projects in the U.S. and Canada), or have been long-term projects limited in scope (e.g., the Sub-Arctic Stordalen project in Abisko, Sweden; Jonasson et al 2012). Currently, there are but two projects underway that are both long-term and broad in scope: Toolik in the Low Arctic of northern Alaska and Zackenberg in the High Arctic of northeast Greenland (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecosystem responses to climate change at a Low Arctic and a High Arctic long-term research site

Hobbie

Shaver

Rastetter

et al. 2017

Ambio

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Long-term measurements of ecological effects of warming are often not statistically significant because of annual variability or signal noise. These are reduced in indicators that filter or reduce the noise around the signal and allow effects of climate warming to emerge. In this way, certain indicators act as medium pass filters integrating the signal over years-to-decades. In the Alaskan Arctic, the 25-year record of warming of air temperature revealed no significant trend, yet environmental and ecological changes prove that warming is affecting the ecosystem. The useful indicators are deep permafrost temperatures, vegetation and shrub biomass, satellite measures of canopy reflectance (NDVI), and chemical measures of soil weathering. In contrast, the 18-year record in the Greenland Arctic revealed an extremely high summer air-warming of 1.3 °C/decade; the cover of some plant species increased while the cover of others decreased. Useful indicators of change are NDVI and the active layer thickness.

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Environmental Monitoring and Research in the Abisko Area—An Overview

Cited by 12 publications

References 68 publications

Ecosystem change and stability over multiple decades in the Swedish subarctic: complex processes and multiple drivers

Ecosystem change and stability over multiple decades in the Swedish subarctic: complex processes and multiple drivers

Determining Subarctic Peatland Vegetation Using an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)

Ecosystem responses to climate change at a Low Arctic and a High Arctic long-term research site

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