Vegetation Biomass, NDVI, and LAI along the Eurasian Arctic Transect Howard E. Epstein, Donald A. Walker, Gerald V. Frost, Martha K. Raynolds, and Uma S. Bhatt ICOP 216 - Potsdam, Germany (Photo H.E. Epstein)
Spatial Patterns of Tundra Vegetation IGBP High-Latitude Transects - Few data points - Data don t go very high McGuire et al. 22 (Journal of Vegetation Science)
Presentation Topics 1) Field observations of vegetation biomass, NDVI, and LAI along the Yamal Peninsula, Siberia and beyond (the EAT) 2) Satellite remote sensing of vegetation trends along the EAT 3) Satellite remote sensing of vegetation trends throughout Eurasia The Arctic Tundra Biome Walker, D. A., 25. The Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map. Journal of Vegetation Science.
Raynolds et al. (212), Walker et al. (212)
Eurasian Arctic Transect Subzone A Subzone B Subzone C Subzone D Subzone E (Photos D.A. Walker and H.E. Epstein)
Eurasian Arctic Transect Location Data
Field Data Collection - six locations, with 2-3 sites at each location with varying soil textures - 5 x 5 m sampling grid and five 5 m transects at each site - NDVI (ASD PSII) at 1-m intervals along the transects - LAI (Li-Cor LAI-2) at 1-m intervals along the transects - five aboveground biomass harvests - five soil samples (top 1 cm)
NDVI Biomass (g m -2 ) LAI Biomass (g m -2 ) LAI Overstory Biomass 1.2 4 1.8 35 3 25.6 2.4.2 y =.129x 1.415 r² =.8991 15 1 5 y = 17.216x.7247 r² =.914 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 NDVI Total Live Biomass.7 12.65 1.6 8 6.55.5 y =.4322x.949 r² =.857 4 2 y = 19.636x + 4.341 r² =.857.45 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Nadym-1 Nadym-2a Nadym-2b Laborovaya-1 Laborovaya-2 Vaskiny- Vaskiny- Vaskiny- Kharasavey-1 Kharasavey-2a Kharasavey- Ostrov- Ostrov-Belyy-2 Krenkel-1 Krenkel-2 Biomass g/m² Aboveground biomass by plant functional type (Walker et al. 212) Total live biomass excluding trees and cryptogamic crusts 12 1 8 6 4 Deciduous shrub Evergreen shrub Forb Graminoid Lichen Moss 2 SOUTH NORTH
( C months) 5. 45. 4. 35. 3. 25. 2. 15. 1. 5.. - High Arctic (Subzones C and B) sites on the Yamal are warmer than comparable subzonal sites in North America
Biomass (g m -2 ) Biomass (g m -2 ) Biomass (g m -2 ) Biomass (g m -2 ) 5 4 3 2 1 Moss Biomass y = -.664x 2 + 3.822x - 3.676 r² =.8616 1 2 3 4 5 8 6 4 2 Non-Vascular Biomass y = 24.893x.8586 r² =.8826 2 4 6 8 6 4 2 Lichen Biomass y = 11.144x.8478 r² =.7839 1 2 3 4 5 5 4 3 2 1 y =.26x 3.177 r² =.9386 Shrub Biomass 1 2 3 4 5
Depth (cm) Depth (cm) % Carbon %Nitrogen C:N SOILS 3 2.5 2 1.5 1.5 %C y = -.65x + 2.615 r² =.428 1 2 3 4 5 5 4 3 2 1 C:N y =.6389x + 11.586 r² =.6977 1 2 3 4 5.16.14.12.1.8.6.4.2 %N y = -.19ln(x) +.1392 r² =.282 1 2 3 4 5 16 14 12 1 8 6 4 2 Organic Layer Depth y =.199x r² =.626 1 2 3 4 5 16 14 12 1 8 6 4 2 Active Layer Depth y = 24.339x.3857 r² =.843 1 2 3 4 5
Temporal Dynamics of Temperature () and NDVI for the Eurasian Arctic Transect - TI (temporally integrated) NDVI is an indicator of cumulative growing season productivity - The Eurasian Arctic Transect has experienced substantive warming further north and generally slight cooling on the Yamal Peninsula from 1982-215 - The Eurasian Arctic Transect has exhibited slight greening in the southern part of the Yamal Peninsula and browning in the northern part of the Peninsula
- Again, substantive warming in Subzones A and B with slight cooling in Subzones C-E on the Yamal Peninsula from 1982-215 - Field sites within each subzone do not always exhibit the same trends compared to the subzone as a whole (e.g. Kharasavey)
Relative Change Relative Change Relative Change Relative Change Difference between relative change in NDVI and Slope Relative Change Relative Change Relative Change Relative Change Relative Change Relative Change Temporal Dynamics of Temperature () and MaxNDVI (peak season) for Eurasia A 2 1 198 199 2 21-1 1.5 NDVI North America Eurasia 3 2 1 198-1 199 2 21.4.5 -.5 A B C D E B 1.5 -.5 198 199 2 21.2 198 -.2 199 2 21 -.1 -.15 -.2 -.25 -.3 C -1.5.25 198 -.25 199 2 21 -.4.4.2 198 -.2 199 2 21 -.35 Subzone -.5.6 -.4.4 North America Eurasia D.4.2 -.2 198 199 2 21.2 198 199 2 21 -.4.6 -.2.4 E.4.2 198 -.2 199 2 21.2 198 199 2 21 -.2
Average Percent Change in from 1982-213 Average Percent Change in NDVI from 1982-213 Average Change in from 1982-213 Average Change in NDVI from 1982-213 7.12 MaxNDVI 6.1 5.8 4 3 2 NAmer Eurasia.6.4 NAmer Eurasia 1.2-1 A B C D E Subzone -.2 A B C D E Subzone 1 3 8 25 6 2 15 4 2 NAmer Eurasia 1 5 NAmer Eurasia -2 A B C D E Subzone -5-1 A B C D E Subzone
NDVI change NDVI change NDVI change NDVI change Regression slope of and NDVI change from previous year NDVI change NDVI change NDVI change NDVI change NDVI change NDVI change Inter-annual Changes in Temperature () and MaxNDVI (peak season) for Eurasia A North America.3.1-8 -6-4 -2 -.1 2 4 6 Eurasia.3.1-3 -2-1-.1 1 2 3 -.3 change -.3 change.7.6 B.2. -8-6 -4-2 2 4 6 8.7.3 -.1-8 -7-6 -5-4 -3-2 -1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 -.5.5.4.3.2.1 A B C D E Subzone C -.2 change.6.1-9 -7-5 -3-1 1 3 5 7 -.4 change.6 -.9 change.11.7.3 -.1-1 -8-6 -4-2 2 4 6 8 -.5 -.9 change.7 North America Eurasia D.4.4.2..1-11 -9-7 -5-3 -.2-1 1 3 5 7 9 11-1 -8-6 -4 -.2-2 2 4 6 8 -.4 change -.5 change E.3.1-13-11-9 -7-5 -.1-3 -1 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 -.3 change.3.1-1 -8-6 -4 -.1-2 2 4 6 8 -.3 -.5 change
Integration of field and remote sensing data still presents a major challenge - Inherent differences in resolutions and extents of the data - Landscape heterogeneity vs. field sampling scheme (e.g. zonal vegetation) Raynolds et al. (212)
Conclusions - A collection of field locations along a latitudinal gradient in northwestern Siberia, Russia (EAT) was used to evaluate the spatial patterns of vegetation and soils properties along a summer warmth index () gradient - NDVI, LAI, total biomass, shrub biomass, and total non-vascular biomass all increased with increasing ; mosses had their greatest biomass at intermediate values of - C:N ratio (mineral soil), organic layer thickness, and active layer thickness all increased with increasing - With regard to temporal dynamics, the Higher Arctic of the EAT has warmed substantively since 1982, where the mainland Yamal Peninsula has experience a general slight cooling; the northern Yamal has showed browning trends, whereas the southern Yamal has greened - The northernmost subzones in Eurasia have shown substantial warming with minimal vegetation response, whereas the southernmost areas have show the greatest vegetation increases with essentially no warming - Vegetation in Subzone B (along the EAT) is the most response with regard to inter-annual variability in
This work was funded by the NASA Land-Cover Land-Use Change (LCLUC) program, Grant Nos. NNG6GEA, NNX9AK56G, NNX14AD96, and NSF Grant Nos. ARC- 53118 (part of the Synthesis of Arctic System Science initiative - Greening of the Arctic) and ARC-92152 (part of the Changing Seasonality of Arctic Systems initiative)