Immediate and carry-over effects of insect outbreaks on vegetation growth in West Greenland assessed from cells to satellite

Aim: Tundra ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change and climate-growth responses of Arctic shrubs are variable and altered by microsite environmental conditions and biotic factors. With warming and drought during the growing season, insect-driven defoliation is expected to increase in frequency and severity with potential broad-scale impacts on tundra ecosystem functioning. Here we provide the first broad-scale reconstruction of spatiotemporal dynamics of past insect outbreaks by assessing their effects on shrub growth along a typical Greenlandic fjord climate gradient from the inland ice to the sea.
Location: Nuuk Fjord (64°30′N/51°23′W) and adjacent areas, West Greenland.
Taxa: Great brocade (Eurois occulta L.) and grey willow (Salix glauca L.).
Methods: We combined dendro-anatomical and remote sensing analyses. Time series of ring width and wood-anatomical traits were obtained from chronologies of > 40 years established from 153 individuals of S. glauca collected at ...