Submitted by JanniesStopBanningMe t3_10a3gaj in askscience
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420LongDong69 t1_j43rg1x wrote
do you have a source for the 40 to 50m?
EngineeringFetish t1_j43wwvy wrote
>book by Ben Rawlence called The Treeline that talks about climate change and the Arctic Treeline
It was from him, I trust the source as he's quite dedicated to the topic of climate change and environmental preservation
But there's no widely acceptable study for this other than Ben Rawlence
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mfb- t1_j44dlwu wrote
Is that 40-50 m north per year? That would be just a few kilometers per century which sounds very slow. 40-50 m in height on the other hand would be extremely fast. Is there some conversion factor I'm missing? This study cited by your reference talks about "29 and 27 altitudinal metres (0.6 and 0.5 m·yr^(−1))".
tim36272 t1_j46e9g2 wrote
The concern is acceleration: if it's 40-50m horizontally per year now then it could be 400-500m per year in 20 years.
epanek t1_j42vgsj wrote
Yes its called Artic Greening and is happening quickly.
Other factors such as permafrost thawing, changes in fire regimes, and land use changes are also affecting the treeline. Additionally, this process is not uniform and varies in different regions, some areas may even experience a shrinkage of treeline.
It's important to note that this process is not only affecting the treeline but also the entire ecosystem in the Arctic, as the trees support many other species and changes in the treeline can have cascading effects on the entire ecosystem.
hoummousbender t1_j45mll6 wrote
One example: In Alaska, There is a reduction in permafrost, leading to a boom in trees, and a huge boom in beavers. The ponds they create warm the soil further and create more readily available water, which attracts other animals like muskrats and waterfowl. An entirely new ecosystem is being created. https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/02/23/news/alaska-warming-tundra-beaver-boom
Cw3538cw t1_j43wnhu wrote
In Catherine kleier’s (botanist) great courses botany lectures, she discusses how alpine regions are actually experiencing more drastic temperature change than non alpine regions She says the leading theory is the disappearance of year round ice deposits
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EngineeringFetish t1_j42b8yn wrote
Yes it is by 40-50m a year, It used to be growing very slowly at a few centimetres a year and now it's receding drastically
There's a good book by Ben Rawlence called The Treeline that talks about climate change and the Arctic Treeline