| Global warming harbinger | |
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Plant and animal range shifts and population changes |
Alaska
Comparison of photographs taken in 1948-50 to those taken in 1999-2000 of the area between the Brooks Range and the Arctic coast show an increase in shrub abundance in tundra areas, and an increase in the extent and density of spruce forest along the treeline. The increased vegetation growth is attributed to increasing air temperatures in Alaska, on average 1.8°F (1°C) per decade over the last three decades.
Reference: Alaska Regional Assessment Group, 1999. Preparing for a changing climate; The potential consequences of climate variability and change: Alaska. Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK.
Sturm, M., C. Racine and K. Tape, 2001. Increasing shrub abundance in the Arctic. Nature, 411: 546-547.
