Greening of the Arctic: An IPY Initiative

The Greening of the Arctic (GOA) IPY initiative is comprised of four projects each contributing to documenting, mapping and understanding the rapid and dramatic changes to terrestrial vegetation expected across the circumpolar Arctic as a result of a changing climate. More information: IAB Research Project Overview

International Polar Year (IPY)

The International Polar Year is a large scientific programme focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009. IPY is organized through the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and involves over 200 projects, with thousands of scientists from over 60 nations examining a wide range of polar physical, biological and social research topics. More information on the International Polar Year 2007 - 2009

Component Projects

The Greening of the Arctic initiative consists of a group of scientists who are associated with the one or more of the four major components that contribute to documenting, mapping and understanding the rapid and dramatic changes to terrestrial vegetation expected across the circumpolar Arctic as a result of a changing climate.

Synthesis of Arctic System Science: Greening of the Arctic

Remote sensing, maps, climate studies and models to address the question of how terrestrial vegetation of the Arctic responds to climate change. More information about the Synthesis of Arctic System Science: Greening of the Arctic.

Seasonality of Circumpolar Tundra: Ocean and atmosphere controls and effects on energy and carbon budgets

A synthetic view of changing seasonality across the land/ocean boundary of the Arctic Ocean. More information about the Seasonality of Circumpolar Tundra.

Land-cover and Land-use Changes on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia

How ecosystem change on the Yamal Peninsula is affecting the indigenous Nenetsy people and their traditional herding practices. More information about Land-cover and Land-use Changes on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia.

Toolik-Arctic Geobotanical Atlas (TAGA)

The education and outreach component of the GOA project. A plant-to-planet volume of geobotanical maps and information. More information about the Toolik-Arctic Geobotanical Atlas.

North American Arctic Transect

A 1800-km (1118-mile) transect in northern Alaska and northwestern Canada. More information about the North American Arctic Transect.

Other IPY projects linked to Greening of the Arctic

• Permafrost Observatory Project: A Contribution to the Thermal State of Permafrost (TSP-125) (50)
• Network for ARCtic Climate and Biological DIVersity Studies (72)
• Arctic Circum-Polar Coastal Observatory Network (90)
• The state of the Arctic sea ice cover: Physical and biological properties and processes in a changing environment (95)
• The Arctic Hydrological Cycle Monitoring, Modelling and Assessment Program (104)
• Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (133)
• Cold Land Processes in the Northern Hemisphere continents and their Coastal Zone: Regional and Global Climate and Societal-Ecosystem Linkages and Interactions (138)
• Greening of the Arctic: Circumpolar Biomass (139)
• Starting the clock for the CARMA Network: Impacts on Human-Rangifer Systems in the Circumarctic (162)
• International Tundra Experiment (ITEX): impacts of long-term experimental warming and climate variability on tundra ecosystems (188)
• The University of the Arctic: Providing Higher Education and Outreach Programs for the International Polar Year (189)
• Environmental baselines, processes, changes and Impacts on people in sub-arctic Sweden and the Nordic Arctic Regions (213)
• Consortium for coordination of Observation and Monitoring of the Arctic for Assessment and Research (305)

Recent publications and awards

Environmental Research Letters, Focus Issue: Focus on Dynamics of Arctic and Sub-Arctic Vegetation.
Guest editors: Howard E. Epstein, University of Virginia; Donald (Skip) A. Walker, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Isla Myers-Smith, University of Alberta.
The articles in this collection were selected for their presentation of outstanding research, receipt of the highest praise from our international referees and the highest number of downloads last year.

• Epstein, H.E., Raynolds, M.K., Walker, D.A., Bhatt, U.S., Tucker, C.J., Pinzon, J.E. 2012. Dynamics of aboveground phytomass of the circumpolar arctic tundra during the past three decades. Environmental Research Letters. 7:12
• Walker, D.A., Epstein, H.E., Raynolds, M.K., Kuss, P., Kopecky, M.A., Frost, G.V., Daniëls, F.J.A., Leibman, M.O., Moskalenko, N.G., Matyshak, G.V., Khitun, O.V., Khomutov, A.V., Forbes, B.C., Bhatt, U.S., Kade, A.N., Vonlanthen, C.M., Tichy, L. 2012. Environment, vegetation and greenness (NDVI) along the North America and Eurasia Arctic transects. Environmental Research Letters. 7:(1).
• Yu, Q., Epstein, H.E., Walker, D.A., Frost, G.V., Forbes, B. 2011. Modeling dynamics of tundra plant communities on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia, in response to climate change and grazing pressure. Environmental Research Letters. 6:(4).

Topp, R. 2012. The Changing Arctic. UA Museum of the North (movie).

Arctic land is greening, says scientist, Program #5733 of the Earth & Sky Radio Series. Aired 05-March-2009. Listen to the MP3.

Greening of the Arctic project featured on the IPY website, February 17