Status: 05/25/2022 12:24 p.m
According to climate researchers, the Siberian tundra could disappear almost completely by the middle of the century. The reason: global warming. Saving the tundra is only possible through “ambitious climate protection”.
The tree line of Siberian larch forests is gradually displacing the wide tundra areas, so that they could have almost completely disappeared by the middle of the millennium. Scientists at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) warn of this. According to a study by the institute with the University of Potsdam the reason for the development is global warming.
Researchers call for more climate protection
Accordingly, a third of the tundra can only be saved “with ambitious climate protection”. This could succeed if a drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions does not exceed global warming of more than two degrees Celsius in the year 2100.
The climate crisis is already hitting the Arctic particularly hard: According to the AWI, the average air temperature in the far north has risen by more than two degrees Celsius over the past 50 years, much more than in other regions of the world. This trend will continue without climate protection, it said. AWI geoecologist Ulrike Herzschuh explained:
The vast arctic tundra areas in Siberia and North America will shrink massively because the tree line is currently slowly shifting north and will be very fast in the near future.
“It’s about survival”
The researchers used a computer simulation for the study. The result: the larch forest is spreading northwards at a speed of up to 30 kilometers per decade. In all less favorable development scenarios, there is a risk of a total loss of a unique natural area.
Eva Klebersberg, consultant for arctic regions at the environmental protection organization WWF Germany, commented on the study with the words that for the Siberian tundra it is now “a matter of sheer survival”.
Some plants and animals only exist there
The tundra is considered a unique habitat for plants, many of which are found only there. Typical species are mountain avens, arctic poppies and dwarf shrubs such as willow and birch, which are characterized by being adapted to the harsh conditions with only short summers and long winters. The tundra is also home to unique animals such as reindeer, lemmings and insects such as the arctic bumblebee.