

Mission of the Arctic Geobotany Center
- Explore and understand Arctic geoecological relationships and dynamics at local to global scales;
- Promote interdisciplinary Arctic science research and collaboration;
- Investigate Arctic land-use and conservation issues through geoecological research;
- Educate and train students in Arctic vegetation science field skills and analysis; and
- Disseminate information about our research to educators, students, scientists and the general public.
Recent AGC Publications
Permafrost & remote-sensing studies: 2022 Field Report for Point Lay Alaska
Connor, B.G, Jones, B.M., Kanevskiy, M., Nicolsky, D.J., Peirce, J.L., Romanovsky, V.E., & Shur, Y.L. Read the report
New Observatory Supports Broader Understanding of Climate-Change and Infrastructure Impacts to Ice-Rich Permafrost Systems.
ARCUS Witness Community Highlights, 30 January 2023
Walker, D.A.
2020-2021 NNA-IRPS Data Report: Observations in ice-rich permafrost systems, Prudhoe Bay Alaska, 2020-21
Walker, D.A., M. Kanevskiy, A.L. Breen, A. Kade, R.P. Daanen, B.M. Jones, D.J. Nicolsky, H. Bergstedt, E. Watson-
Cook & J.L. Peirce. Read the report
Point Lay Permafrost: Infrastructure and Permafrost Degradation in Point Lay, Alaska.
ARCUS Witness Community Highlights, 27 September 2022
Jones, B.M., Peirce, J.L., Connor, B., Kanevskiy, M., Shur, Y., Curry, T., Bolz, P. & Tracey, B.
Cumulative impacts of a gravel road and climate change in an ice-wedge polygon landscape, Prudhoe Bay, AK.
Actic Science, 2 March 2022
doi: 10.1139/as-2021-0014 (Open Access)
Walker, D.A., Raynolds, M.K., Kanevskiy, M.Z., Shur, Y.S., Romanovsky, V.E., Jones, B.M., Buchhorn, M., Jorgenson, M.T. & (...) Peirce, J.L.
70-year retrospective of remote sensing applied to cumulative impact assessments, Prudhoe Bay Oilfield, Alaska. Invited presentation by Skip Walker at the 16th International Circumplar Remote Sensing Sympoisum, Fairbanks, AK, 16-20 May, 2022 | View slides
Landscape impacts of 3D‐seismic surveys in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.
Ecological Applications, published online 25 April 2020
doi: 10.1002/eap.2143 (Open Access)
Raynolds, M.K., Jorgenson, J.C., Jorgenson, M.T., Kanevskiy, M., Liljedahl, A.K., Nolan, M., Sturm, M. & Walker, D.A.
The Raster Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map (Raster CAVM) maps 16 vegetation types, glaciers, saline water, and freshwater at 1-km resolution. It builds on the strengths of the original CAVM, using the same legend, extent and projection, while providing a finer spatial resolution, raster format, and improved mapping of Arctic vegetation. Download map data (zip)
AGC-sponsored Workshops
Upcoming Workshops
Arctic Vegetation Archive / Arctic Vegetation Classification Workshop, ASSW 2023 Vienna & online
18 February (12:30-18:00 CEST, GMT +1)
Rapid Transitions due to Climate and Infrastructure (RATIC) Workshop, ASSW 2023 Vienna & online
20 February (12:30-18:00 CEST, GMT +1) | Draft Agenda
Past Workshops
Rapid Transitions due to Climate and Infrastructure (RATIC) Workshops, 2014-2022
3rd International Arctic Vegetation Archive Workshop, Arkhangelsk, Russia, 21 May 2019
2nd International Arctic Vegetation Archive Workshop, Prague, Czech Republic, 30-31 March, 2017
Land-cover Land-use Change Workshops, 2008-2014
More Publications by AGC Researchers & Colleagues
The shifting mosaic of ice-wedge degradation and stabilization in response to infrastructure and climate change, Prudhoe Bay Oilfield, Alaska
Arctic Science. Just-IN 3 Feb 2022.
doi: doi:10.1139/AS-2021-0024
Kanevskiy, M., Shur, Y., Walker, D.A. (Skip), Jorgenson, T., Raynolds, M.K., Peirce, J.L., Jones, B.M., Buchhorn, M. & (...) Watson-Cook, E.
The Yedoma Permafrost Genesis: Over 150 Years of Mystery and Controversy
Frontiers in Earth Science. 2022.
doi: doi:10.3389/feart.2021.757891
Shur, Y., Fortier, F., Jorgenson, M.T., Kanevskiy, M., Schirrmeister, L., Strauss, J., Vasiliev, A. & Jones, M.W.
Lake and drained lake basin systems in lowland permafrost regions
Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. 2022.
doi: doi:10.1038/s43017-021-00238-9
Jones, B.M., Grosse, G., Pascale, R-L., Veremeeva, A., Kanevskiy, M.Z. & Gaglioti, B.V.
Seasonal and Long-Term Changes to Active-Layer Temperatures after Tall Shrubland Expansion and Succession in Arctic Tundra
Ecosystems. 2018.
doi: 10.1007/s10021-017-0165-5
Frost, G.V., Epstein, H.E., Walker, D.A., Matyshak, G. & Ermokhina, K.
Vegetation on mesic loamy and sandy soils along a 1700-km maritime Euarasia Arctic Transect
Applied Vegetation Science. 2018.
doi: 10.1111/avsc.12401 (open access)
Walker, D.A., Epstein, H.E., Sibik, J., Bhatt, U., Romanovsky, V.E., Breen, A.L., Chasnikova, S., Daanen, R. & (...) Timling, I.
Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Classification
Phytocoenologia 48:181-201. 2017.
doi: 10.1127/phyto/2017/0192 (open access)
Walker, D.A., Daniëls, F.J.A., Matveyeva, N.V., Šibík, J., Walker, M.D., Breen, A.L., Druckenmiller, L.A., Raynolds, M.K. & (...) Wirth, L.M.
Degradation and stabilization of ice wedges: Implications for assessing risk of thermokarst in northern Alaska
Geomorphology 297:20-42. 2017.
doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.09.001
Kanevskiy, M., Shur, Y., Jorgensen, T., Brown, D.R.N., Moskalenko, N., Brown, J., Walker, D.A., Raynolds, M.K. and Buchhorn, M.
The Alaska Arctic Vegetation Archive (AVA-AK). Phytocoenologia 46:221-229. 2016.
doi:10.1127/phyto/2016/0128
Walker, D.A., Breen, A.L., Druckenmiller, L.A., Wirth, L., Fisher, W, Raynolds, M.K, Sibík, J., Walker, M.D., Hennekens, S., & (...) Zona, D.
Increased wetness confounds Landsat-derived NDVI trends in the central Alaska North Slope region, 1985-2011
Environmental Research Letters, 11:085004. 2016. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/11/8/085004
Raynolds, M.K. and Walker, D.A.
Circumpolar arctic vegetation: A hierarchic review and roadmap toward an internationally consistent approach to survey, archive and classify tundra plot data Environmental Research Letters, 11(5), 055005. 2016. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/11/5/055005
Walker, D.A., Daniëls, F.J.A., Alsos, I., Bhatt, U.S., Breen, A.L., Buchhorn, M., Bültmann, H., Druckenmiller, L.A., Edwards, M.E., & (...) Webber, P.J.
Differentiating among Four Arctic Tundra Plant Communities at Ivotuk, Alaska Using Field Spectroscopy
Remote Sensing, 8(1), 51. 2016. doi:10.3390/rs8010051
Bratsch, S.N., Epstein, H.E., Buchhorn, M. and Walker, D.A.