Drivers of heterogeneity in tundra vegetation productivity on the Yamal Peninsula, Siberia, Russia


Contact
birgit.heim [ at ] awi.de

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>The direction and magnitude of tundra vegetation productivity trends inferred from the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) have exhibited spatiotemporal heterogeneity over recent decades. This study examined the spatial and temporal drivers of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Max NDVI (a proxy for peak growing season aboveground biomass) and time-integrated (TI)-NDVI (a proxy for total growing season productivity) on the Yamal Peninsula, Siberia, Russia between 2001 and 2018. A suite of remotely-sensed environmental drivers and machine learning methods were employed to analyze this region with varying climatological conditions, landscapes, and vegetation communities to provide insight into the heterogeneity observed across the Arctic. Summer warmth index, the timing of snowmelt, and physiognomic vegetation unit best explained the spatial distribution of Max and TI-NDVI on the Yamal Peninsula, with the highest mean Max and TI-NDVI occurring where summer temperatures were higher, snowmelt occurred earlier, and erect shrub and wetland vegetation communities were dominant. Max and TI-NDVI temporal trends were positive across the majority of the Peninsula (57.4% [5.0% significant] and 97.6% [13.9% significant], respectively) between 2001 and 2018. Max and TI-NDVI trends had variable relationships with environmental drivers and were primarily influenced by coastal-inland gradients in summer warmth and soil moisture. Both Max and TI-NDVI were negatively impacted by human modification, highlighting how human disturbances are becoming an increasingly important driver of Arctic vegetation dynamics. These findings provide insight into the potential future of Arctic regions experiencing warming, moisture regime shifts, and human modification, and demonstrate the usefulness of considering multiple NDVI metrics to disentangle the effects of individual drivers across heterogeneous landscapes. Further, the spatial heterogeneity in the direction and magnitude of interannual covariation between Max NDVI, TI-NDVI, and climatic drivers highlights the difficulty in generalizing the effects of individual drivers on Arctic vegetation productivity across large regions.</jats:p>



Item Type
Article
Authors
Divisions
Primary Division
Programs
Primary Topic
Publication Status
Published
Eprint ID
58440
DOI 10.1088/2752-664x/ad220f

Cite as
Tassone, M. S. , Epstein, H. E. , Armstrong, A. H. , Bhatt, U. S. , Frost, G. V. , Heim, B. , Raynolds, M. K. and Walker, D. A. (2024): Drivers of heterogeneity in tundra vegetation productivity on the Yamal Peninsula, Siberia, Russia , Environmental Research Ecology, 3 (1), 015003-015003 . doi: 10.1088/2752-664x/ad220f


Download
[thumbnail of Tassone_2024_Environ._Res.__Ecol._3_015003.pdf]
Preview
PDF
Tassone_2024_Environ._Res.__Ecol._3_015003.pdf

Download (3MB) | Preview

Share
Add to AnyAdd to TwitterAdd to FacebookAdd to LinkedinAdd to PinterestAdd to Email


Citation

Research Platforms
N/A


Actions
Edit Item Edit Item