Shrub expansion in Alpine Tundra of the Kluane Region

Purpose: With a warming climate, Arctic ecosystems will experience shifting boundaries such as the spread of tall shrubs into tundra communities. Rapid shrub expansion has been documented in Arctic Alaska and north-western Canada using repeated aerial photography, and satellite imagery. Increasing shrubs could alter the soil thermal regime and reflectance of the tundra ecosystem. In the winter, snow trapping can insulate soils, and has been proposed as a positive feedback mechanism for promoting the expansion of shrubs in the Arctic.