1 research outputs found
Ecological and conceptual consequences of Arctic pollution
This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this recordAlthough the effect of pollution on forest health and decline received much attention in the 1980s, it has not been considered to explain the âDivergence Problemâ in dendroclimatology; a decoupling of tree growth from rising air temperatures since the 1970s. Here we use physical and biogeochemical measurements of hundreds of living and dead conifers to reconstruct the impact of heavy industrialisation around Norilsk in northern Siberia. Moreover, we develop a forward model with surface irradiance forcing to quantify longâdistance effects of anthropogenic emissions on the functioning and productivity of Siberiaâs taiga. Downwind from the worldâs most polluted Arctic region, tree mortality rates of up to 100% have destroyed 24,000 km2 boreal forest since the 1960s, coincident with dramatic increases in atmospheric sulphur, copper, and nickel concentrations. In addition to regional ecosystem devastation, we demonstrate how âArctic Dimmingâ can explain the circumpolar âDivergence Problemâ, and discuss implications on the terrestrial carbon cycle.Forest ServiceMinistry of Science and Higher EducationRussian Science Foundatio