Abstract
Recent profound changes have been observed in the Arctic environment, including record low sea ice extents and high latitude greening. Studying the Arctic and how it is changing is an important element of climate change science. The Tundra, an ecoregion of the Arctic, is directly related to climate change due to its effects on the snow ice feedback mechanism and greenhouse gas cycling. Like all ecoregions, the Tundra border is shifting, yet studies and policies require clear delineation of boundaries. There are many options for ecoregion classification systems, as well as resources for creating custom maps. To help decision makers identify the best classification system possible, we present a review of North American Tundra ecoregion delineations and further explore the methodologies, purposes, limitations, and physical properties of five common ecoregion classification systems. We quantitatively compare the corresponding maps by area using a geographic information system.
Highlights
The Arctic has been a topic of published research since the 19th century
We present classification systems and maps that are available digitally and can be more optimized through geographic information system(s) (GIS), as well as maps that are only available in analog format
It should be noted that Global Land Cover-2000 (GLC) was converted from raster to vector format to execute the overlap calculations
Summary
The Arctic has been a topic of published research since the 19th century. As early as 1,865 scientists recognized that the Arctic region played a significant role in regional and global climates [1].ISPRS Int. In September 2012, Arctic sea ice appeared to reach its lowest seasonal minimum extent in the satellite record since these data became available in 1979 due to thinning ice and warmer Arctic temperatures [2]. The sea ice extent of under 3.5 million square kilometers recorded in September 2012 surpassed the previous minimum (4.13 million square kilometers) record set in 2007 [2]. Warming temperatures have been linked to earlier plant flowering and altered regional species composition in Arctic regions [4,5,6,7,8]. Research indicates that climate change related greening is occurring in high-latitude areas, which may in turn amplify warming in the growing season [9]. Understanding how boundaries of ecological regions within the Arctic are delineated will help ensure the progress of Arctic science
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