Significance of vegetation cover differences on albedo and soil carbon on a basaltic sandplain in southern Iceland

Abstract

Studies have documented that recent anthropogenic climate change has caused increased vegetative growth on arctic tundra landscapes, resulting in increased carbon storage (in biomass and soil), but decreased albedo and increased energy budgets. The glacial outwash sandplains (sandurs) of Iceland offer an interesting landscape comparison. Here, glacio-fluvial deposits of basaltic volcanic sands and gravels form a low albedo surface (mean 0.11) that stores little carbon ( 0.2%). The environmental benefits of increased albedo and carbon sequestration highlight the importance of considering the specific processes of landscape change in projecting future environmental changes.