EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Tundra in Transition

Moss-Lichen Tundra, Adventdalen
Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway

Explanation:  It is the end of summer in the vast glacial valleys of the high Arctic.  We are 650 miles from the North Pole, on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, in the archipelago of Svalbard.  

Our view is across the vast moss-lichen tundra of, in Norwegian, Adventdalen (roughly translated as "Arrival Valley").  Meltwaters from the icefields and glaciers that feed this valley eventually work their down to Adventfjorden ("Arrival Fjord") and out into the broad Isfjorden ("Ice Fjord") along the western margin of Spitsbergen island.  

These moss-lichen tundra environments are key habitats for grazing Svalbard reindeer, pink-footed geese, Svalbard rock ptarmigan, and other wildlife.  

But change is happening here.  

A number of pressures are changing these moss-lichen environments into grass-forb tundra.  And this has implications for loss of habitat for some of these iconic species.  We will explore more of this in a future episode, so stay tuned ... 

Acknowledgments:
     My gratitude to the Government of Norway, Ministry of Climate and Environment, Norwegian Polar Institute, for hosting my visit to help model habitats and changes.  And my thanks particularly to Dag Vongraven, Senior Advisor at Norwegian Polar Institute, for arranging my travels, and offering the best example of international collaboration and friendship.