Assessing Rates of Biological and Morphological Change in Northern Ecosystems Using Remote Sensing Time Series Data, LiDAR, and Gridded Climate Records

Northern ecosystems are changing at accelerating rates as a result of climate warming in northern latitudes. In many areas, changes in vegetation species and succession may be a response to underlying hydrological and geomorphological changes to the land surface. Others note significant decreases in productivity as a result of drought, but direct linkages and underlying causes remain elusive. Long-term records of satellite imagery have provided proxy indicators of the complex interactions between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere, as well as disturbances over a variety of space and time scales. The following study compares long-term gridded climate patterns with historical remote sensing-based changes in vegetation productivity within a north to south transect of the Canadian boreal forest and into the zone of sporadic permafrost. The objective is to identify significant ecological and morphological changes associated with long-term climate trends. Areas of natural variability are identified within the western boreal plains and parts of the northern boreal forest associated with increased drying. Geomorphological and ecological changes as a result of thawing sporadic permafrost are also assessed.