Greening of Svalbard in the twentieth century driven by sea ice loss and glaciers retreat
Abstract The greening of previously barren landscapes in the Arctic is one of the most relevant responses of terrestrial ecosystem to climate change. Analyses of satellite data (available since ~1980) have revealed a widespread tundra advance consistent with recent global warming, but the length is...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-01994-y |
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| author | Gianmarco Ingrosso Chiara Ceccarelli Federico Giglio Patrizia Giordano Jens Hefter Leonardo Langone Stefano Miserocchi Gesine Mollenhauer Alessio Nogarotto Mathia Sabino Tommaso Tesi |
| author_facet | Gianmarco Ingrosso Chiara Ceccarelli Federico Giglio Patrizia Giordano Jens Hefter Leonardo Langone Stefano Miserocchi Gesine Mollenhauer Alessio Nogarotto Mathia Sabino Tommaso Tesi |
| author_sort | Gianmarco Ingrosso |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The greening of previously barren landscapes in the Arctic is one of the most relevant responses of terrestrial ecosystem to climate change. Analyses of satellite data (available since ~1980) have revealed a widespread tundra advance consistent with recent global warming, but the length is insufficient to resolve the long-term variability and the precise timing of the greening onset. Here, we measured plant-derived biomarkers from an Arctic fjord sediment core as proxies for reconstructing past changes in tundra vegetation during the transition from the Little Ice Age to modern warming. Our findings revealed a rapid expansion of the tundra since the beginning of the twentieth century, largely coinciding with the decline of summer sea ice extent and glacier retreat. The greening trend inferred from biomarker analysis peaked significantly in the late 1990s, along with a shift in the tundra community towards a more mature successional stage. Most of these signals were consistent with the biomolecular fingerprints of vascular plant species that are more adapted to warmer conditions and have widely expanded in proglacial areas during recent decades. Our results suggest that the greening of Arctic fjords may have occurred earlier than previously thought, improving our mechanistic understanding of vegetation-climate-cryosphere interactions that will shape tundra vegetation under future warming projections. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-969a9303de504461b6d2025781a95d9d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-969a9303de504461b6d2025781a95d9d2025-01-19T12:40:08ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-01-016111310.1038/s43247-025-01994-yGreening of Svalbard in the twentieth century driven by sea ice loss and glaciers retreatGianmarco Ingrosso0Chiara Ceccarelli1Federico Giglio2Patrizia Giordano3Jens Hefter4Leonardo Langone5Stefano Miserocchi6Gesine Mollenhauer7Alessio Nogarotto8Mathia Sabino9Tommaso Tesi10Institute of Polar Sciences (ISP), National Research Council (CNR)Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of BolognaInstitute of Polar Sciences (ISP), National Research Council (CNR)Institute of Polar Sciences (ISP), National Research Council (CNR)Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine ResearchInstitute of Polar Sciences (ISP), National Research Council (CNR)Institute of Polar Sciences (ISP), National Research Council (CNR)Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine ResearchInstitute of Polar Sciences (ISP), National Research Council (CNR)Institute of Polar Sciences (ISP), National Research Council (CNR)Institute of Polar Sciences (ISP), National Research Council (CNR)Abstract The greening of previously barren landscapes in the Arctic is one of the most relevant responses of terrestrial ecosystem to climate change. Analyses of satellite data (available since ~1980) have revealed a widespread tundra advance consistent with recent global warming, but the length is insufficient to resolve the long-term variability and the precise timing of the greening onset. Here, we measured plant-derived biomarkers from an Arctic fjord sediment core as proxies for reconstructing past changes in tundra vegetation during the transition from the Little Ice Age to modern warming. Our findings revealed a rapid expansion of the tundra since the beginning of the twentieth century, largely coinciding with the decline of summer sea ice extent and glacier retreat. The greening trend inferred from biomarker analysis peaked significantly in the late 1990s, along with a shift in the tundra community towards a more mature successional stage. Most of these signals were consistent with the biomolecular fingerprints of vascular plant species that are more adapted to warmer conditions and have widely expanded in proglacial areas during recent decades. Our results suggest that the greening of Arctic fjords may have occurred earlier than previously thought, improving our mechanistic understanding of vegetation-climate-cryosphere interactions that will shape tundra vegetation under future warming projections.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-01994-y |
| spellingShingle | Gianmarco Ingrosso Chiara Ceccarelli Federico Giglio Patrizia Giordano Jens Hefter Leonardo Langone Stefano Miserocchi Gesine Mollenhauer Alessio Nogarotto Mathia Sabino Tommaso Tesi Greening of Svalbard in the twentieth century driven by sea ice loss and glaciers retreat Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Greening of Svalbard in the twentieth century driven by sea ice loss and glaciers retreat |
| title_full | Greening of Svalbard in the twentieth century driven by sea ice loss and glaciers retreat |
| title_fullStr | Greening of Svalbard in the twentieth century driven by sea ice loss and glaciers retreat |
| title_full_unstemmed | Greening of Svalbard in the twentieth century driven by sea ice loss and glaciers retreat |
| title_short | Greening of Svalbard in the twentieth century driven by sea ice loss and glaciers retreat |
| title_sort | greening of svalbard in the twentieth century driven by sea ice loss and glaciers retreat |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-01994-y |
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