Experimental increases in snow alter biogeochemical processes in the High Arctic of Greenland

Winter snowfall is increasing throughout the Arctic and many current General Circulation Models predict that this trend will persist in the coming century. We tested the effects of increased winter snow accumulation on a High Arctic prostrate dwarf-shrub, herb tundra ecosystem in Northwest Greenland. Increases in snow depth insulated the soil during the winter, resulting in greater rates of winter carbon losses, altered soil nutrient dynamics and increased leaf nitrogen concentration in the following growing season. Our results also indicate that soil temperatures, the length of the growing season and plant and soil nutrient status controlled summer CO2 balance during the two years observed in this study. Increased snow depth also affected plant growth and phenology. Additional work exploring increased snow accumulation effects on soil processes, microbial communities and plant-microbe interactions is needed, especially during the fall to winter transition.