Current global warming will drive a northward expansion of more competitive species adapted to a warmer climate. This means that Arctic species may eventually be marginalised to Arctic islands, as they may have been during previous warming events.
This summer, researchers will initiate a long-term monitoring program at the Abisko Scientific Research Station to evaluate the impacts of climate change on terrestrial Arctic ecosystems and compare to Arctic islands. The researchers will monitor plant, invertebrate, bird and mammal communities through a series of sample stations.
This year’s expedition is a continuation of studies that began in 2015 in Hall Land and Washington Land, Greenland, and on Ellesmere Island, Canada.
Principal investigator
Anders Angerbjörn
Department of Zoology, Stockholm University