Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2571
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2571
18 Sep 2024
 | 18 Sep 2024

Bio-climatic factors drive spectral vegetation changes in Greenland

Tiago Silva, Brandon Samuel Whitley, Elisabeth Machteld Biersma, Jakob Abermann, Katrine Raundrup, Natasha de Vere, Toke Thomas Høye, and Wolfgang Schöner

Abstract. The terrestrial Greenland ecosystem (ice-free area) has undergone significant changes over the past decades, affecting biodiversity. Changes in air-temperature and precipitation have modified the duration and conditions of snowpack during the cold season, altering ecosystem interactions and functioning. In this study, we statistically aggregated the Copernicus Arctic regional reanalysis (CARRA) and remotely-sensed spectral vegetation data from 1991 to 2023 by using principal component analysis (PCA), in order to I. examine key sub-surface and above-surface bio-climatic factors influencing ecological and phenological processes preceding and during the thermal growing season in tundra ecosystems; II. interpret spatio-temporal interactions among bio-climatic factors on vegetation across Greenland; III. investigate bio-climatic changes dependent on location and elevation in Greenland; IV. identify regions of ongoing changes in vegetation distribution.

Consistent with other studies, PCA effectively clustered bio-climatic indicators that co-vary with summer spectral vegetation, demonstrating the potential of CARRA for biogeographic studies. The duration of the thermal growing season (GrowDays) emerged as the pivotal factor across all ecoregions (with increases up to 10 days per decade), interacting with other bio-climatic indicators to promote vegetation growth. Regions with significant snow height decrease occur along with an earlier snowmelt period (up to 20 days per decade), which triggers the onset of GrowDays earlier. In most regions, we find that shallower snowpacks tend to melt slower. We hypothesise that slow snowmelt rates foster microbial activity, enriching the soil with nutrients. The combined effect of soil nutrients and the resulting warming in spring (up to 1.5 ºC per decade), promotes early plant development. These bio-climatic changes, in the cold and summer season, have led to northward and upward vegetation expansion. The distribution of vegetation has expanded in Northeast Greenland by 22.5 % increase with respect to 2008–2023, leading to new vegetated areas. We report little to no change in the length and onset of the GrowDays along the coast in Northeast Greenland, in contrast with more pronounced changes inland and at higher elevations, hence showing an elevation-dependent response (increases up to 5 days per decade per km elevation). Our study determines a set of bio-climatic indicators relevant for understanding vegetation. These insights provide a basis to validate bio-climatic indicators from climate models to assess future vegetation changes across Greenland under a changing climate.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this paper. While Copernicus Publications makes every effort to include appropriate place names, the final responsibility lies with the authors. Views expressed in the text are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.
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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

12 Sep 2025
Bio-climatic factors drive spectral vegetation changes in Greenland
Tiago Silva, Brandon Samuel Whitley, Elisabeth Machteld Biersma, Jakob Abermann, Katrine Raundrup, Natasha de Vere, Toke Thomas Høye, Verena Haring, and Wolfgang Schöner
Biogeosciences, 22, 4601–4626, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4601-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4601-2025, 2025
Short summary
Tiago Silva, Brandon Samuel Whitley, Elisabeth Machteld Biersma, Jakob Abermann, Katrine Raundrup, Natasha de Vere, Toke Thomas Høye, and Wolfgang Schöner

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2571', Rúna Magnússon, 20 Oct 2024
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Tiago Silva, 28 Nov 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2571', Anonymous Referee #2, 21 Oct 2024
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Tiago Silva, 28 Nov 2024

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2571', Rúna Magnússon, 20 Oct 2024
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Tiago Silva, 28 Nov 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2571', Anonymous Referee #2, 21 Oct 2024
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Tiago Silva, 28 Nov 2024

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
ED: Reconsider after major revisions (14 Dec 2024) by Paul Stoy
AR by Tiago Silva on behalf of the Authors (15 Feb 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (17 Feb 2025) by Paul Stoy
RR by Rúna Magnússon (20 Feb 2025)
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (02 Mar 2025)
ED: Reconsider after major revisions (03 Mar 2025) by Paul Stoy
AR by Tiago Silva on behalf of the Authors (07 Apr 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (08 Apr 2025) by Paul Stoy
RR by Rúna Magnússon (22 Apr 2025)
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (26 Apr 2025) by Paul Stoy
AR by Tiago Silva on behalf of the Authors (16 May 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (26 May 2025) by Paul Stoy
AR by Tiago Silva on behalf of the Authors (06 Jun 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish as is (14 Jun 2025) by Paul Stoy
AR by Tiago Silva on behalf of the Authors (16 Jun 2025)

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

12 Sep 2025
Bio-climatic factors drive spectral vegetation changes in Greenland
Tiago Silva, Brandon Samuel Whitley, Elisabeth Machteld Biersma, Jakob Abermann, Katrine Raundrup, Natasha de Vere, Toke Thomas Høye, Verena Haring, and Wolfgang Schöner
Biogeosciences, 22, 4601–4626, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4601-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4601-2025, 2025
Short summary
Tiago Silva, Brandon Samuel Whitley, Elisabeth Machteld Biersma, Jakob Abermann, Katrine Raundrup, Natasha de Vere, Toke Thomas Høye, and Wolfgang Schöner
Tiago Silva, Brandon Samuel Whitley, Elisabeth Machteld Biersma, Jakob Abermann, Katrine Raundrup, Natasha de Vere, Toke Thomas Høye, and Wolfgang Schöner

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Short summary
Ecosystems in Greenland have experienced significant changes over recent decades. Here, we show the consistency of a high-resolution polar-adapted reanalysis product to represent bio-climatic factors influencing ecological processes. Our results describe the interaction between snowmelt and soil water availability before the growing season onset, infer how changes in the growing season relate to changes in spectral greenness and identify regions of ongoing changes in vegetation distribution.
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