Longer Summers in the Alaskan Tundra

Longer summers in the Alaskan tundra appear to be causing land surface changes that are warming the arctic. Since the 1960s spring thaw has arrived a few days earlier each decade and the first freeze has come later. A greening of the tundra has been noticed by residents and observed by researchers on the ground and from satellite data. Fewer days of snow cover and the movement of trees and shrubs northward allow the land to absorb more of the sun's energy.

Longer summers trap more of the sun's heat, melting permafrost, which can release ancient organic compounds that become greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Link: Land Surface Change on Alaska Tundra Creating Longer, Warmer Summers in Arctic from Newswise

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 10:41 AM on October 18, 2005

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