Glacier near Etah in north-west Greenland. Where the ice retreats at the edges, vegetation quickly colonises the bedrock. Photo: Julia Hager The changes to the landscape in Greenland are unmistakable: The ice is melting, vegetation is spreading – within the last...
The Greenland ice sheet is the second largest mass of ice on the planet, only surpassed by the Antarctic ice sheet. Covering an area of 1.7 million square kilometers and reaching an average thickness of 2,000 meters, it appears invulnerable. And yet, a study shows...
Between moss-covered peat bogs and glacial valley lakes, water-logged troughs mostly line the gentle slopes of the sub-Antarctic island coasts. A few rare flowering plants find refuge there, plants that are fond of spaces rich in nutrients brought by marine animals....
The energy balance in the Arctic is determined by the degree of vegetation cover. Researchers at the University of Zurich were able to show that the different types play just as important a role as snow cover, summer temperature or latitude. Image: Greenland, Michael...
The three ETH Zurich PhD students Lena Bakker, Sigrid Trier Kjaer and Jana Rüthers are investigating whether, in addition to warming, soil chemistry and the composition of the microbial community have an influence on the spread of vegetation in Svalbard. Photo: Lena...
