North Atlantic Oscillation seesaw effect in leaf morphological records from dwarf birch shrubs in Greenland and Finland

Fabian E.Z. Ercan; Daan Blok; Stef Weijers; Astrid Odé; Friederike Wagner-Cremer

doi:10.33265/polar.v40.7709

North Atlantic Oscillation seesaw effect in leaf morphological records from dwarf birch shrubs in Greenland and Finland

Fabian E.Z. Ercan, Daan Blok, Stef Weijers, Astrid Odé, Friederike Wagner-Cremer

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) determines wind speed and direction, seasonal heat, moisture transport, storm tracks, cloudiness and sea-ice cover through atmospheric mass balance shifts between the Arctic and the subtropical Atlantic. The NAO is characterized by the typical, yet insufficiently understood, seesaw pattern of warmer winter and spring temperatures over Scandinavia and cooler temperatures over Greenland during the positive phase of the NAO, and vice versa during the negative phase. We tested the potential to reconstruct NAO variation beyond the meteorological record through the application of a microphenological proxy. We measured the Undulation Index (UI) in Betula nana epidermal cells from herbarium leaf samples and fossil peat fragments dating back to 1865—exceeding most meteorological records in the Arctic—to estimate imprints of spring thermal properties and NAO in Greenland and Finland. We found negative relations between Greenland UI and late winter, spring and early summer NAO, and mostly positive, but not significant, relations between Finland UI and NAO in years with pronounced NAO expression. The direction of the UI response in this common circumpolar species is, therefore, likely in line with the NAO seesaw effect, with leaf development response to NAO fluctuations in northern Europe opposing the response in Greenland and vice versa. Increased knowledge of the UI response to climate may contribute to understanding ecological properties of key Arctic species, whilst additionally providing a proxy for NAO dynamics.

Original language	English
Article number	7709
Pages (from-to)	1-11
Journal	Polar Research
Volume	40
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v40.7709
Publication status	Published - Dec 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors greatly appreciate the friendly support and permission to sample leaf specimens received from the Arctic Station herbarium (Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland) and the Herbarium C (Natural History Museum of Denmark).This study was financially supported by the Dutch Research Council for the project Growing Season Changes in the High Northern Latitudes during the last Millennium (grant no. ALWOP.2015.110).

Funding Information:
This study was financially supported by the Dutch Research Council for the project Growing Season Changes in the High Northern Latitudes during the last Millennium (grant no. ALWOP.2015.110).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 S. F.E.Z. Ercan et al.

Keywords

Arctic
Betula nana
Climate
Epidermal cell morphology
Herbarium
Palaeoecology

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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7709-Article Text-54029-1-10-20211213Final published version, 2.16 MBLicence: CC BY-NC

Cite this

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title = "North Atlantic Oscillation seesaw effect in leaf morphological records from dwarf birch shrubs in Greenland and Finland",

abstract = "The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) determines wind speed and direction, seasonal heat, moisture transport, storm tracks, cloudiness and sea-ice cover through atmospheric mass balance shifts between the Arctic and the subtropical Atlantic. The NAO is characterized by the typical, yet insufficiently understood, seesaw pattern of warmer winter and spring temperatures over Scandinavia and cooler temperatures over Greenland during the positive phase of the NAO, and vice versa during the negative phase. We tested the potential to reconstruct NAO variation beyond the meteorological record through the application of a microphenological proxy. We measured the Undulation Index (UI) in Betula nana epidermal cells from herbarium leaf samples and fossil peat fragments dating back to 1865—exceeding most meteorological records in the Arctic—to estimate imprints of spring thermal properties and NAO in Greenland and Finland. We found negative relations between Greenland UI and late winter, spring and early summer NAO, and mostly positive, but not significant, relations between Finland UI and NAO in years with pronounced NAO expression. The direction of the UI response in this common circumpolar species is, therefore, likely in line with the NAO seesaw effect, with leaf development response to NAO fluctuations in northern Europe opposing the response in Greenland and vice versa. Increased knowledge of the UI response to climate may contribute to understanding ecological properties of key Arctic species, whilst additionally providing a proxy for NAO dynamics.",

keywords = "Arctic, Betula nana, Climate, Epidermal cell morphology, Herbarium, Palaeoecology",

author = "Ercan, \{Fabian E.Z.\} and Daan Blok and Stef Weijers and Astrid Od{\'e} and Friederike Wagner-Cremer",

note = "Funding Information: The authors greatly appreciate the friendly support and permission to sample leaf specimens received from the Arctic Station herbarium (Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland) and the Herbarium C (Natural History Museum of Denmark).This study was financially supported by the Dutch Research Council for the project Growing Season Changes in the High Northern Latitudes during the last Millennium (grant no. ALWOP.2015.110). Funding Information: This study was financially supported by the Dutch Research Council for the project Growing Season Changes in the High Northern Latitudes during the last Millennium (grant no. ALWOP.2015.110). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 S. F.E.Z. Ercan et al.",

year = "2021",

month = dec,

doi = "10.33265/polar.v40.7709",

language = "English",

volume = "40",

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journal = "Polar Research",

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T1 - North Atlantic Oscillation seesaw effect in leaf morphological records from dwarf birch shrubs in Greenland and Finland

AU - Ercan, Fabian E.Z.

AU - Blok, Daan

AU - Weijers, Stef

AU - Odé, Astrid

AU - Wagner-Cremer, Friederike

N1 - Funding Information: The authors greatly appreciate the friendly support and permission to sample leaf specimens received from the Arctic Station herbarium (Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland) and the Herbarium C (Natural History Museum of Denmark).This study was financially supported by the Dutch Research Council for the project Growing Season Changes in the High Northern Latitudes during the last Millennium (grant no. ALWOP.2015.110). Funding Information: This study was financially supported by the Dutch Research Council for the project Growing Season Changes in the High Northern Latitudes during the last Millennium (grant no. ALWOP.2015.110). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 S. F.E.Z. Ercan et al.

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) determines wind speed and direction, seasonal heat, moisture transport, storm tracks, cloudiness and sea-ice cover through atmospheric mass balance shifts between the Arctic and the subtropical Atlantic. The NAO is characterized by the typical, yet insufficiently understood, seesaw pattern of warmer winter and spring temperatures over Scandinavia and cooler temperatures over Greenland during the positive phase of the NAO, and vice versa during the negative phase. We tested the potential to reconstruct NAO variation beyond the meteorological record through the application of a microphenological proxy. We measured the Undulation Index (UI) in Betula nana epidermal cells from herbarium leaf samples and fossil peat fragments dating back to 1865—exceeding most meteorological records in the Arctic—to estimate imprints of spring thermal properties and NAO in Greenland and Finland. We found negative relations between Greenland UI and late winter, spring and early summer NAO, and mostly positive, but not significant, relations between Finland UI and NAO in years with pronounced NAO expression. The direction of the UI response in this common circumpolar species is, therefore, likely in line with the NAO seesaw effect, with leaf development response to NAO fluctuations in northern Europe opposing the response in Greenland and vice versa. Increased knowledge of the UI response to climate may contribute to understanding ecological properties of key Arctic species, whilst additionally providing a proxy for NAO dynamics.

AB - The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) determines wind speed and direction, seasonal heat, moisture transport, storm tracks, cloudiness and sea-ice cover through atmospheric mass balance shifts between the Arctic and the subtropical Atlantic. The NAO is characterized by the typical, yet insufficiently understood, seesaw pattern of warmer winter and spring temperatures over Scandinavia and cooler temperatures over Greenland during the positive phase of the NAO, and vice versa during the negative phase. We tested the potential to reconstruct NAO variation beyond the meteorological record through the application of a microphenological proxy. We measured the Undulation Index (UI) in Betula nana epidermal cells from herbarium leaf samples and fossil peat fragments dating back to 1865—exceeding most meteorological records in the Arctic—to estimate imprints of spring thermal properties and NAO in Greenland and Finland. We found negative relations between Greenland UI and late winter, spring and early summer NAO, and mostly positive, but not significant, relations between Finland UI and NAO in years with pronounced NAO expression. The direction of the UI response in this common circumpolar species is, therefore, likely in line with the NAO seesaw effect, with leaf development response to NAO fluctuations in northern Europe opposing the response in Greenland and vice versa. Increased knowledge of the UI response to climate may contribute to understanding ecological properties of key Arctic species, whilst additionally providing a proxy for NAO dynamics.

KW - Arctic

KW - Betula nana

KW - Climate

KW - Epidermal cell morphology

KW - Herbarium

KW - Palaeoecology

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85122936298

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DO - 10.33265/polar.v40.7709

M3 - Article

SN - 0800-0395

VL - 40

SP - 1

EP - 11

JO - Polar Research

JF - Polar Research

M1 - 7709

ER -

North Atlantic Oscillation seesaw effect in leaf morphological records from dwarf birch shrubs in Greenland and Finland

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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