Permafrost thaw induces short-term increase in vegetation productivity in northwestern Canada
Data and Resources
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Creator | E.L. Ogden, S.G. Cumming, S.L. Smith, M.R. Turetsky, J.L. Baltzer |
| Summary | Active layer thickness data from 135 permafrost monitoring sites along a 10° latitudinal transect of the Northwest Territories, Canada, paired with a Landsat time series of normalized difference vegetation index from 1984 to 2019, were used to quantify the impacts of changing permafrost conditions on vegetation productivity. We found that active layer thickness contributed to the observed variation in vegetation productivity in recent decades in the northwestern Arctic–Boreal, with the highest rates of greening occurring at sites where the near-surface permafrost recently had thawed. However, the greening associated with permafrost thaw was not sustained after prolonged periods of thaw and appeared to diminish after the thaw front extended outside the plants' rooting zone. |
| Local Relevance | Research was conducted in the NWT which determined that permafrost thaw induces a short-term increase in vegetation productivity. |
| Notes | |
| Tags | Permafrost,Vegetation,Remote Sensing,Research |
| Geographic Region | NWT |
| Release Date | 2023-06-18 |
| Last Modified Date | 2023-06-18 |
| Funding Program |