Arctic


Human Geography

Comparison of land cover between 1968 Corona and 2006 Quickbird images is shown. The upper pair indicates increased tree extent and density (e.g. outlined in green) in undisturbed areas, reflecting positive response of vegetation to climate warming. The lower pair highlights the changes in thermokarst lakes between 1968 (a) and 2006 (b) without much human activity associated disturbance, indicating thawing permafrost that leads to underground drainage.Comparison of land cover between 1968 Corona and 2006 Quickbird images is shown. The upper pair indicates increased tree extent and density (e.g. outlined in green) in undisturbed areas, reflecting positive response of vegetation to climate warming. The lower pair highlights the changes in thermokarst lakes between 1968 (a) and 2006 (b) without much human activity associated disturbance, indicating thawing permafrost that leads to underground drainage. From Yu, Q., Epstein, H. E., Engstrom, R., Shiklomanov, N., & Strelestskiy, D. (2015).

Changes in Arctic Environments

Using remote sensing, a team of researchers is studying the fragile arctic environments of Northwest Siberia and how resource extraction and a warming climate affect vegetation, permafrost, and energy budgets.