Arctic Ecology Laboratory

Small-Scale Decadal Change in Land Cover Near Barrow, Alaska

Introduction & Relevance:

Fig. 1 - Polygonized tundra between thaw lakes near Barrow, Alaska, 71^º 15'N, 156^º 45'W.

• Climate change at high northern latitudes is occurring faster than in regions near the equator. Land cover at these high latitudes is important to global carbon and energy balance and are changing with climate change1.

• Most forecasts of tundra land cover change due to climate change are derived from paleoecological studies, manipulative experiments, and modelling. These largely remain unverified since few studies have documented observed changes in marked plots in these regions.

• Research sites established 25-30 years ago offer a virtually untapped source from which decadal land cover change in Arctic tundra can be examined.

• This study examines land cover change in a small gridded-plot (1 x 34 meters) that was established in 1973 and re-sampled in 2000. The grid is located in an area of polygonized tundra (Fig 1) and is marked with wooden pegs that have remained intact since the grid was established.

1. Beginning
2. Introduction & Relevance
3. Polygonized Tundra
4. Methods
5. Results
6. Summary
7. References