Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Global Climate Change01:50

Global Climate Change

24.9K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
24.9K
Threats to Biodiversity01:50

Threats to Biodiversity

23.1K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
23.1K
Habitat Fragmentation02:31

Habitat Fragmentation

18.0K
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
18.0K
Ecological Disturbance02:26

Ecological Disturbance

17.6K
An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced change in an ecosystem. The impact of an ecological disturbance, which can depend on its intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution, plays a significant role in shaping the species diversity within the ecosystem.
17.6K
Ecological Succession02:17

Ecological Succession

17.9K
Ecological succession is influenced by the processes of facilitation, inhibition, and toleration. Facilitation occurs when early successional species create more favorable ecological conditions for subsequent species, such as enhanced nutrient, water, or light availability. In contrast, inhibition happens when early successional species create unfavorable ecological conditions for potential successive species, such as limiting resource availability. In some cases, later successional species...
17.9K
Naturalistic Observations02:30

Naturalistic Observations

16.5K
If you want to understand how behavior occurs, one of the best ways to gain information is to simply observe the behavior in its natural context. However, people might change their behavior in unexpected ways if they know they are being observed. How do researchers obtain accurate information when people tend to hide their natural behavior? As an example, imagine that your professor asks everyone in your class to raise their hand if they always wash their hands after using the restroom. Chances...
16.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Climate impacts from North American boreal forest fires.

Nature geoscience·2026
Same author

Nine changes needed to deliver a radical transformation in biodiversity measurement.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Maps of forest vertical structure for Colombia, a megadiverse country.

Scientific data·2025
Same author

The contribution of other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) to protecting global biodiversity.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Shifting and expanding ranges of a sub-Arctic caribou herd and associated changes in vegetation.

Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America·2025
Same author

Airborne imaging spectroscopy surveys of Arctic and boreal Alaska and northwestern Canada 2017-2023.

Scientific data·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 2, 2025

Integrating Remote Sensing with Species Distribution Models; Mapping Tamarisk Invasions Using the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling SAHM
12:26

Integrating Remote Sensing with Species Distribution Models; Mapping Tamarisk Invasions Using the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling SAHM

Published on: October 11, 2016

13.5K

Satellite observations document trends consistent with a boreal forest biome shift.

Logan T Berner1, Scott J Goetz1

  • 1School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Global Change Biology
|February 24, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Climate change is causing boreal forests to shift northward. Satellite data reveals vegetation greening is more common than browning, indicating early biome shifts, especially in warmer, drier forest margins.

Keywords:
Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE)Landsatbrowningclimate changeecotoneforest productivitygreeningtree mortalitytree recruitmentwarming

More Related Videos

Methods of Soil Resampling to Monitor Changes in the Chemical Concentrations of Forest Soils
09:16

Methods of Soil Resampling to Monitor Changes in the Chemical Concentrations of Forest Soils

Published on: November 25, 2016

16.9K
Investigating the Relationship between Sea Surface Chlorophyll and Major Features of the South China Sea with Satellite Information
10:28

Investigating the Relationship between Sea Surface Chlorophyll and Major Features of the South China Sea with Satellite Information

Published on: June 13, 2020

5.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 2, 2025

Integrating Remote Sensing with Species Distribution Models; Mapping Tamarisk Invasions Using the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling SAHM
12:26

Integrating Remote Sensing with Species Distribution Models; Mapping Tamarisk Invasions Using the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling SAHM

Published on: October 11, 2016

13.5K
Methods of Soil Resampling to Monitor Changes in the Chemical Concentrations of Forest Soils
09:16

Methods of Soil Resampling to Monitor Changes in the Chemical Concentrations of Forest Soils

Published on: November 25, 2016

16.9K
Investigating the Relationship between Sea Surface Chlorophyll and Major Features of the South China Sea with Satellite Information
10:28

Investigating the Relationship between Sea Surface Chlorophyll and Major Features of the South China Sea with Satellite Information

Published on: June 13, 2020

5.9K

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Climate Science
  • Remote Sensing

Background:

  • The boreal forest is crucial for Earth's climate system.
  • Climate change is projected to cause a northward shift in the boreal forest biome.
  • Early indicators of this shift include changes in vegetation productivity, mortality, recruitment, and greenness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate early indicators of a boreal forest biome shift.
  • To analyze trends in vegetation greenness using long-term satellite data.
  • To identify patterns of greening and browning across the boreal region.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized four decades of moderate-resolution (30m) satellite observations (Landsat).
  • Analyzed biogeoclimatic spatial datasets.
  • Quantified interannual trends in annual maximum vegetation greenness at 100,000 sample sites without recent disturbance using vegetation indices.

Main Results:

  • Vegetation greenness increased (greened) at 38% (1985-2019) and 22% (2000-2019) of sites.
  • Vegetation greenness decreased (browned) at 13% (1985-2019) and 15% (2000-2019) of sites.
  • Greening was 1.5-3.0 times more common than browning, occurring in cold, sparsely treed areas; browning occurred at warmer, drier margins, especially in densely treed areas.

Conclusions:

  • Macroecological trends indicate early stages of a boreal biome shift.
  • Observed trends in greening and browning reflect underlying changes in vegetation dynamics.
  • The findings highlight the sensitivity of the boreal forest to climate change.