Effect of reindeer grazing on snowmelt, albedo and energy balance based on satellite data analyses

Remote Sensing of Environment

Volumn 135, Issue , 2013, Pages 107-117

  Cohen, Juval ^a   Pulliainen, Jouni ^a   Ménard, Cécile B ^a   Johansen, Bernt ^b   Oksanen, Lauri ^c   Luojus, Kari ^a   Ikonen, Jaakko ^a  

^a FINNISH METEOROLOGICAL INSTITUTE   (Finland)

^b Northern Research Institute   (Norway)

^c UNIVERSITY OF TURKU   (Finland)

Author keywords

Albedo; Energy balance; Grazing; Reindeer; Shrubs; Snow; Snowmelt; Summer grazing; Tundra; Vegetation; Winter grazing

Indexed keywords

ALBEDO; GRAZING; REINDEER; SHRUBS; SNOWMELT; SUMMER GRAZING; TUNDRA; WINTER GRAZING;

AGRICULTURE; ENERGY BALANCE; LANDFORMS; SNOW; SOLAR RADIATION; VEGETATION;

SNOW MELTING SYSTEMS;

ABUNDANCE; AGROMETEOROLOGY; ALBEDO; ATMOSPHERE-BIOSPHERE INTERACTION; DATA INTERPRETATION; DEER; ENERGY BALANCE; GRAZING; HEATING; LANDSAT; MODIS; PASTURE; SATELLITE DATA; SHRUB; SNOW COVER; SNOWMELT; TUNDRA; VEGETATION MAPPING;

FENNOSCANDIA;

RANGIFER TARANDUS;

EID: 84876734704     PISSN: 00344257     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2013.03.029     Document Type: Article

References (75)

1. Ahrens D.C. Essentials of meteorology: An invitation to the atmosphere 2007, Thomson Brooks, Belmont, CA, (student edition. edn). 5th ed.
2. Ahti T., Hämet-Ahti L., Jalas J. Vegetation zones and their sections in northwestern Europe. Annales Botanici Fennici 1968, 5:169-211.
3. Bernes C. Valoa ja kaamosta - arktinen ympäristö pohjoismissa 1996, 112. TryckPartner AB, Växjö, Sweden.
4. Bewley D., Essery R., Pomeroy J., Ménard C. Measurements and modelling of snowmelt and turbulent heat fluxes over shrub tundra. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 2010, 14:1331-1340.
5. Billings W.D., Mooney H.A. The ecology of arctic and alpine plants. Biological Reviews 1968, 43:481-529.
6. Bonfils C.J.W., Phillips T.J., Lawrence D.M., Cameron-Smith P., Riley W.J., Subin Z.M. On the influence of shrub height and expansion on northern high latitude climate. Environmental Research Letters 2012, 7:015503.
7. Bråthen K.A., Oksanen J. Reindeer reduce biomass of preferred plant species. Journal of Vegetation Science 2001, 12:473-480.
8. Bunn A.G., Goetz S.J., Fiske G.J. Observed and predicted responses of plant growth to climate across Canada. Geophysical Research Letters 2005, 32:L16710.
9. Chapin F.S., Sturm M., Serreze M.C., McFadden J.P., Key J.R., Lloyd A.H., et al. Role of land-surface changes in arctic summer warming. Science 2005, 310:657-660.
10. Chernov Y.I. The living tundra 1985, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England.
11. Crête M., Doucet G.J. Persistent suppression in dwarf birch after release from heavy summer browsing by caribou. Arctic and Alpine Research 1998, 30:126-132.
12. Dahl E. Rondane Mountain vegetation in South Norway and its relation to the environment 1956, Aschehoug, Oslo.
13. Den Herder M., Virtanen R., Roininen H. Effects of reindeer browsing on tundra willow and its associated insect herbivores. Journal of Applied Ecology 2004, 41:870-879.
14. Den Herder M., Virtanen R., Roininen H. Reindeer herbivory reduces willow growth and grouse forage in a forest-tundra ecotone. Basic and Applied Ecology 2008, 9:324-331.
15. Ellenberg H. Die vegetation Mitteleuropas mit den Alpen 1978, Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany. 2nd ed.
16. Eskelinen A., Oksanen J. Changes in the abundance, composition and species richness of mountain vegetation in relation to summer grazing by reindeer. Journal of Vegetation Science 2006, 17:245-254.
17. Eugster W., Rouse W.R., Pielke R.A., McFadden J.P., Baldocchi D.D., Kittel T.G.F., et al. Land-atmosphere energy exchange in Arctic tundra and boreal forest: Available data and feedbacks to climate. Global Change Biology 2000, 6:84-115.
18. Euskirchen E.S., McGuire A.D., Chapin F.S. Energy feedbacks of northern high-latitude ecosystems to the climate system due to reduced snow-cover during 20th century warming. Global Change Biology 2007, 13:2425-2438.
19. Forbes B.C., Fauria M.M., Zetterberg P. Russian Arctic warming and 'greening' are closely tracked by tundra shrub willows. Global Change Biology 2010, 16:1542-1554.
20. Gjærevoll O. The plant communities of the Scandinavian alpine snow-beds. Norske Videnskabers Selskabs Skrifter 1956, 1956:11-405.
21. Goetz S.J., Bunn A.G., Fiske G.J., Houghton R.A. Satellite-observed photosynthetic trends across boreal North America associated with climate and fire disturbance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2005, 102:13521-13525.
22. Grippa M., Kergoat L., Le Toan T., Mognard N.M., Delbart N., L'Hermitte J., et al. The impact of snow depth and snowmelt on the vegetation variability over central Siberia. Geophysical Research Letters 2005, 32:L21412.
23. Groisman P.Y., Karl T.R., Knight R.W. Observed impact of snow-cover on the heat balance and the rise of continental spring temperatures. Science 1994, 263:198-200.
24. Hall D.K., Riggs G.A., Salomonson V.V. MODIS/Terra snow-cover 8-day L3 Global 500m Grid V005, March-June 2000-2011 2006, updated weekly, National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, Colorado USA, (Available at: http://nsidc.org [Accessed 1.10.2011]).
25. Hall D.K., Riggs G.A., Salomonson V.V. MODIS/Terra snow-cover 5-min L2 swath 500mV005, March-June 2000-2011 2006, updated daily, National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, Colorado USA, (Available at: http://nsidc.org [Accessed 13.08.2012]).
26. Hyrkkänen J. Pro Gradu: Tilastotarkastelu föhn-ilmiön vaikutuksesta Suomen säähän ja ilmastoon 2004, Helsingin yliopiston ilmakehätieteiden osasto, Helsinki, Finland.
27. Ilmatieteenlaitos Suomen nykyilmastoa kuvaavat lämpötilan, sateen ja lumensyvyyden keskiarvot [online] Available at:, (Accessed 17.10.2011). http://ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/pitkan-ajan-tilastot.
28. Ilmatieteenlaitos Kesäsään tilastoja [online] Available at:, (Accessed 17.10.2011). http://ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/kesatilastot.
29. Johansen B., Karlsen S.R. Monitoring vegetation changes on Finnmarksvidda, Northern Norway, using Landsat MSS and Landsat TM/ETM+satellite images. Phytocoenologia 2005, 35:969-984.
30. Johansen B., Karlsen S.R. Vegetation mapping of Norway and Northern Scandinavia using satellite data. CAFF Technical Report 2008, No. 15:89-90. Akureyri, Iceland. S.S. Talbot (Ed.).
31. Kalliola R. Pflanzensoziologische Untersuchungen in der alpinen Stufe Finnisch-Lapplands. Annales botanici Societatis zoologicae-botanicae Fennicae Vanamo 1939, 13:1-321.
32. Käyhkö J., Pellikka P. Remote sensing of the impact of reindeer grazing on vegetation in northern Fennoscandia using SPOT XS data. Polar Research 1994, 13:115-124.
33. Kitti H., Forbes B.C., Oksanen J. Long- and short-term effects of reindeer grazing on tundra wetland vegetation. Polar Biology 2009, 32:253-261.
34. Körner C. Alpine plant life: Functional plant ecology of high mountain ecosystems 1999, Springer, Berlin, Germany.
35. Kumpula T. Very high resolution remote sensing data in reindeer pasture inventory in northern fennoscandia. Reindeer management in Northernmost Europe: Linking practical and scientific knowledge in social-ecological systems 2006, 167-185. Springer, Berlin, Germany. B.C. Forbes, M. Bölter, L. Muller-Wille, J. Hukkinen, F. Muller, N. Gunslay, Y. Konstantinov (Eds.).
36. Kumpula J., Stark S., Holand Ø. Seasonal grazing effects by semi-domesticated reindeer on subarctic mountain birch forests. Polar Biology 2011, 34:441-453.
37. Liang S., Stahler A., Walthall C. Retrieval of land surface albedo from satellite observations: A simulation study. Journal of Applied Meteorology 1999, 38:712-725.
38. Liston G.E., Sturm M. A snow transport model for complex terrain. Journal of Glaciology 1998, 44:498-516.
39. Liu J., Schaaf C., Strahler A., Jiao Z., Shuai Y., Zhang Q., et al. Validation of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) albedo retrieval algorithm: Dependence of albedo on solar zenith angle. Journal of Geophysical Research 2009, 114:01106.
40. Loranty M.M., Goetz S.J., Beck P.S.A. Tundra vegetation effects on pan-Arctic albedo. Environmental Research Letters 2011, 6:024014.
41. Lundberg A., Beringer J. Albedo and snowmelt rates across a tundra-to-forest transition. Proceedings of the 15 northern research basins international symposium and workshop 2005, 1-10. Department of Water Resources Engineering, Lund University.
42. Manseau M., Huot J., Crete M. Effects of summer grazing by caribou on composition and productivity of vegetation: Community and landscape level. Journal of Ecology 1996, 84:503-513.
43. Marsh P., Bartlett P., MacKay M., Pohl S., Lantz T. Snowmelt energetics at a shrub tundra site in the western Canadian arctic. Hydrological Processes 2010, 24:3603-3620.
44. Ménard C.B., Essery R., Pomeroy J., Marsh P., Clark D. A shrub bending model to calculate the albedo of shrub-tundra. Hydrological Processes 2012, 10.1002/hyp.9582.
45. Metsämäki S.J., Anttila S.T., Markus H.J., Vepsäläinen J.M. A feasible method for fractional snow-cover mapping in boreal zone based on a reflectance model. Remote Sensing of Environment 2005, 95:77-95.
46. Metsämäki S., Mattila O.P., Pulliainen J., Niemi K., Luojus K., Böttcher K. An optical reflectance model-based method for fractional snow-cover mapping applicable to global scale. Remote Sensing of Environment 2012, 123:508-521.
47. Moen A. National atlas of Norway: Vegetation 1999, Norwegian Mapping Authority, Hønefoss, Norway.
48. Myers-Smith I.H., Forbes B.C., Wilmking M., Hallinger M., Lantz T., Blok D., et al. Shrub expansion in tundra ecosystems: Dynamics, impacts and research priorities. Environmental Research Letters 2011, 6:045509.
49. Oksanen L. Lichen grounds of Finnmarksvidda, northern Norway, in relation to summer and winter grazing by reindeer. Reports from the Kevo Subarctic Research Station 1978, 14:64-71.
50. Oksanen L., Virtanen R. Topographic, altitudinal and regional patterns in heath vegetation of northern Fennoscandian. Acta Botanica Fennica 1995, 153:1-80.
51. Olofsson J., Kitti H., Rautiainen P., Stark S., Oksanen L. Effects of summer grazing by reindeer on composition of vegetation, productivity and nitrogen cycling. Ecography 2001, 24:13-24.
52. Olofsson J., Oksanen L., Callaghan T., Hulme P.E., Oksanen T., Suominen O. Herbivores inhibit climate driven shrub expansion on the tundra. Global Change Biology 2009, 15:2681-2693.
53. Pajunen A., Virtanen R., Roininen H. The effects of reindeer grazing on the composition and species richness of vegetation in forest-tundra ecotone. Polar Biology 2008, 31:1233-1244.
54. Pomeroy J.W., Bewley D.S., Essery R.L.H., Hedstrom N.R., Link T., Granger R.J., et al. Shrub tundra snowmelt. Hydrological Processes 2006, 20:923-941.
55. Pomeroy J.W., Gray D.M., Landine P.G. The Prairie Blowing Snow Model: Characteristics, validation and operation. Journal of Hydrology 1993, 144:165-192.
56. Post E., Pedersen C. Opposing plant community responses to warming with and without herbivores. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2008, 105:12353-12358.
57. Ravolainen V.T., Bråthen K.A., Ims R.A., Yoccoz N.G., Henden J., Killengreen S.T. Rapid, landscape scale responses in riparian tundra vegetation to exclusion of small and large mammalian herbivores. Basic and Applied Ecology 2011, 12:643-653.
58. Raynolds M.K., Comiso J.C., Walker D.A., Verbyla D. Relationship between satellite-derived land surface temperatures, arctic vegetation types, and NDVI. Remote Sensing of Environment 2008, 112:1884-1894.
59. Riggs G.A., Hall D.K., Salomonson V.V. MODIS Snow Products User Guide to Collection 5 [online] Available at:, (Accessed 17.10.2011). http://MODIS-snow-ice.gsfc.nasa.gov/uploads/sug_c5.pdf.
60. Riseth J.Å., Oksanen L. Resursøkonomiske og økologiske perspektiver på grenseoverskridende reindrift. Grenseoverskridende reindrift før og etter 1905 2007, 143-163. Skriftserie for samiske studier, Univ. Tromsø. E. Niemi, I. Sommerseth, E.G. Broderstad (Eds.).
61. Schaaf C.B., Gao F., Strahler A.H., Lucht W., Li X., Tsang T., et al. First operational BRDF, albedo nadir reflectance products from MODIS. Remote Sensing of Environment 2002, 83:135-148.
62. Skjenneberg S., Slagsvold L. Reindriften og dens naturgrunnlag 1968, Universitetsforget, Oslo.
63. Solberg R., Wangensteen B., Amlien J., Koren H., Metsämäki S., Nagler T., et al. A new global snow extent product. Proceedings of ESA Living Planet Symposium, ESA Special Publication SP-686, Bergen, Norway, 26 June-02 July 2010.
64. Strahler A.H., Muller J.P., MODIS Science Team Members MODIS BRDF/Albedo Product: Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document, Version 5.0 [online] Available at:, (Accessed 17.10.2011). http://MODIS.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/atbd/atbd_mod09.pdf.
65. Sturm M., Douglas T., Racine C., Liston G.E. Changing snow and shrub conditions affect albedo with global implications. Journal of Geophysical Research 2005, 110:01004.
66. Sturm M., McFadden J.P., Liston G.E., Chapin F.S., Racine C.H., Holmgren J. Snow-shrub interactions in Arctic tundra: A hypothesis with climatic implications. Journal of Climate 2001, 14:336-344.
67. Sturm M., Schimel J., Michaelson G., Welker J.M., Oberbauer S.F., Liston G.E., et al. Winter biological processes could help convert arctic tundra to shrubland. Bioscience 2005, 55:17-26.
68. Tape K., Sturm M., Racine C. The evidence for shrub expansion in Northern Alaska and the Pan-Arctic. Global Change Biology 2006, 12:686-702.
69. Tenow O., Nilssen A. Egg cold hardiness and topoclimatic limitations to outbreaks of Epirrita autumnata in northern Fennoscandia. Journal of Applied Ecology 1990, 27:723-734.
70. Tømmervik H., Johansen B., Tombre I., Thannheiser D., Høgda K.A., Gaare E., et al. Vegetation changes in the Nordic Mountain Birch Forest: The influence of grazing and climate change. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 2004, 36:323-332.
71. Wang Z., Schaaf C.B., Chopping M.J., Strahler A.H., Wang J., Román M.O., et al. Evaluation of Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow albedo product (MCD43A) over tundra. Remote Sensing of Environment 2012, 117:264-280.
72. Warhol T. Earth's biomes: Tundra 2007, Marshall Cavendish Corporation, New York.
73. WMO Systematic observation requirements for satellite-based products for climate [online] Available at:, (Accessed 17.10.2011). http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/gcos/Publications/gcos-107.pdf.
74. Yu Q., Epstein H., Walker D. Simulating the effects of soil organic nitrogen and grazing on arctic tundra vegetation dynamics on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia. Environmental Research Letters 2009, 4:045027.
75. Yu Q., Epstein H.E., Walker D.A., Frost G.V., Forbes B.C. Modeling dynamics of tundra plant communities on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia, in response to climate change and grazing pressure. Environmental Research Letters 2011, 6:045505.