High Resolution Mapping of Tundra Ecosystems on Victoria Island, Nunavut – Application of a Standardized Terrestrial Ecosystem Classification

Abstract

Rapid warming of Arctic climate is driving complex ecological changes in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems that are not well understood. These ecological changes have important implications for northern communities and Arctic ecosystem resilience. Researchers require baseline information on tundra ecosystem compo sition, structure and function at a range of scales to begin to understand how and why tundra ecosystems are changing to anticipate future changes and their impacts. Here we develop and assess a process for obtaining a high-resolution ecosystem map of terrestrial ecological communities for the Intensive Monitoring Area (IMA) of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. The methodology is based on a standardized classification of tundra ecosystems, and will provide an ecological template for designing and implementing ecosystem research, long-term monitoring experiments, and for linking local scale research to regional scales using remote sensing tools and models. Finally, we discuss opportunities and challenges regarding the mapping approach tested for the ecosystem classification, and the usefulness of the mapped result for a range of potential applications.