The Arctic is the fastest-warming place on Earth, resulting in hugely detrimental effects that extend far beyond the polar region. Temperature increase is causing the permanently frozen ground, known as permafrost, to thaw, releasing locked-up greenhouse gases such as carbon and methane. But as more soil becomes available and temperatures increase, so, too, does vegetation, in what is known as Arctic greening. “Over time, we can clearly see a development to a greener tundra,” says Simone Lang, an Arctic terrestrial biologist at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), who looks after part of a 22-year-old research project called the International Tundra Experiment that explores the impacts of greening in Svalbard, as well as other Arctic vegetation projects.
But the picture is complicated, she says. In the short term, increased vegetation has an insulating effect that could buffer the effects of warming and protect the permafrost. This, Lang argues, needs to be modelled so we can understand and predict the future more accurately. But with the Arctic warming almost four times faster than other places, this process ultimately “cannot counteract the amplification and warming that we’re experiencing today”, she says.
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