All around the world, the subtle—and not-so-subtle—impacts of
climate change are becoming apparent. In the Arctic, where
temperatures are warming at about twice the rate of lower
latitudes, researchers are discovering marked changes in the
landscape. In this month’s Field Talk, we take a trip to the
High Arctic with James Hudson, whose paper in the October issue
of Ecology looks at a tundra community on Canada’s Ellesmere
Island. Hudson and his colleagues found that changes in
temperature and seasonality are causing the normally low-lying
shrubs in this area to grow to nearly twice their usual weight.
Given the importance of the Arctic to global nutrient cycling,
these types of studies can provide a road map to identifying
areas of likely change.