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Dendroclimatic Relationships at Treeline in Northern Sweden Indicate Continued Dominance of Mountain Birch

Dendroclimatic Relationships at Treeline in Northern Sweden Indicate Continued Dominance of Mountain Birch
Type: 
Poster
Amanda B Young1, David M Cairns2, Charles W Lafon3, Jon Moen4, Laura E Martin5
1Mount Allison Dendrochronology Lab, Mount Allison University, Deparment of Geography and Environment, Sackville, NB, E4L 1A7, Canada, ayoung [at] mta [dot] ca
2Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA, Phone 979-845-2783, Fax 979-862-4487, cairns [at] tamu [dot] edu
3Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA, clafon [at] geog [dot] tamu [dot] edu
4Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Umeå, -, SE-90187, Sweden, Jon [dot] Moen [at] emg [dot] umu [dot] se
5Ecosystem Science & Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA, lem401 [at] tamu [dot] edu

Changing climate in the Arctic is expected to have significant effects on the pattern and distribution of terrestrial vegetation. Species characteristic of specific zones in the mountains of northern Sweden have been shown to migrate up and downslope with changes in climate over the Holocene. This study evaluates the potential for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) to become a treeline dominant at Fennoscandian treelines replacing mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czeropanovii). Data from paired mountain birch and Scots pine tree-ring chronologies for 8 locations in northern Sweden are used to develop climate tree-ring width index (RWI) relationships. Modeled climate RWI relationships are then used to predict the relative RWI values of the two species under a suite of climate change scenarios using an ensemble of three global climate models. Results indicate that birch and pine RWI are both correlated with summer temperatures, but pine is more likely than birch to be influenced by moisture conditions. Predictions of RWI under future climate conditions indicate that mountain birch is unlikely to be replaced by Scots pine within the next century.

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National Science Foundation | Division of Arctic Sciences
National Science Foundation
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere
International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere
Study of Environmental Arctic Change
Study of Environmental Arctic Change
Arctic System Science Program
Arctic System Science Program
US Arctic Research Commission
US Arctic Research Commission
North Slope Science Initiative
North Slope Science Initiative
International Arctic Science Committee
International Arctic Science Committee
Arctic Ocean Sciences Board
Arctic Ocean Sciences Board
Alaska Ocean Observing System
Alaska Ocean Observing System
Department of Energy
Department of Energy
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
World Wildlife Fund
WWF
Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
International Study of Arctic Change
International Study of Arctic Change
ArcticNet
ArcticNet
DAMOCLES
Developing Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies

This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the ARCUS Cooperative Agreement ARC-0618885. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.