Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Vegetation, climatic changes and net carbon sequestration in a North-Scandinavian subarctic mire over 30 years

Malmer, Nils LU ; Johansson, Torbjörn LU ; Olsrud, Maria LU and Christensen, Torben LU (2005) In Global Change Biology 11(11). p.1895-1909
Abstract
This study deals with changes in the plant cover and its net carbon sequestration over 30 years on a subarctic Sphagnum-mire with permafrost near Abisko, northernmost Sweden, in relation to climatic variations during the same period. Aerial colour infrared images from 1970 and 2000 were compared to reveal changes in surface structure and vegetation over the whole mire, while the plant populations were studied within a smaller, mainly ombrotrophic part. The results demonstrated two processes, namely (1) that wet sites dominated by graminoids expanded while hummock sites dominated by dwarf shrubs receded, and (2) that on the hummocks lichens expanded while evergreen dwarf shrubs and mosses decreased, both processes creating an instability in... (More)
This study deals with changes in the plant cover and its net carbon sequestration over 30 years on a subarctic Sphagnum-mire with permafrost near Abisko, northernmost Sweden, in relation to climatic variations during the same period. Aerial colour infrared images from 1970 and 2000 were compared to reveal changes in surface structure and vegetation over the whole mire, while the plant populations were studied within a smaller, mainly ombrotrophic part. The results demonstrated two processes, namely (1) that wet sites dominated by graminoids expanded while hummock sites dominated by dwarf shrubs receded, and (2) that on the hummocks lichens expanded while evergreen dwarf shrubs and mosses decreased, both processes creating an instability in the surface structure. A successive degradation of the permafrost is the likely reason for the increase in wet areas, while the changes in the hummock vegetation might have resulted from higher spring temperatures giving rise to an intensified snow melt, exposing the vegetation to frost drought. Because of the vegetation changes, the annual litter input of carbon to the mire has increased slightly, by 4 g m2 a1 (7.3%), over these years while an increased erosion has resulted in a loss of 40–80 Mg carbon or 7–17 g m2 a1 for the entire mire over the same period. As the recalcitrant proportion of the litter has decreased, the decay rate in the acrotelm might be expected to increase in the future. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Global Change Biology
volume
11
issue
11
pages
1895 - 1909
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000233434900004
  • scopus:33745200710
ISSN
1354-1013
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.01042.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
57feb7bf-9181-452d-b376-c4b9f69826ef (old id 153035)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:16:29
date last changed
2022-04-21 05:09:41
@article{57feb7bf-9181-452d-b376-c4b9f69826ef,
  abstract     = {{This study deals with changes in the plant cover and its net carbon sequestration over 30 years on a subarctic Sphagnum-mire with permafrost near Abisko, northernmost Sweden, in relation to climatic variations during the same period. Aerial colour infrared images from 1970 and 2000 were compared to reveal changes in surface structure and vegetation over the whole mire, while the plant populations were studied within a smaller, mainly ombrotrophic part. The results demonstrated two processes, namely (1) that wet sites dominated by graminoids expanded while hummock sites dominated by dwarf shrubs receded, and (2) that on the hummocks lichens expanded while evergreen dwarf shrubs and mosses decreased, both processes creating an instability in the surface structure. A successive degradation of the permafrost is the likely reason for the increase in wet areas, while the changes in the hummock vegetation might have resulted from higher spring temperatures giving rise to an intensified snow melt, exposing the vegetation to frost drought. Because of the vegetation changes, the annual litter input of carbon to the mire has increased slightly, by 4 g m2 a1 (7.3%), over these years while an increased erosion has resulted in a loss of 40–80 Mg carbon or 7–17 g m2 a1 for the entire mire over the same period. As the recalcitrant proportion of the litter has decreased, the decay rate in the acrotelm might be expected to increase in the future.}},
  author       = {{Malmer, Nils and Johansson, Torbjörn and Olsrud, Maria and Christensen, Torben}},
  issn         = {{1354-1013}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{11}},
  pages        = {{1895--1909}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Global Change Biology}},
  title        = {{Vegetation, climatic changes and net carbon sequestration in a North-Scandinavian subarctic mire over 30 years}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.01042.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.01042.x}},
  volume       = {{11}},
  year         = {{2005}},
}