EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS IN TERRESTRIAL ARCTIC. A literature review focusing on a geographical and temporal perspective

Abstract

There is a lack of both long-term and short-term observations, studies, and information about extreme weather events in terrestrial Arctic. Research efforts has been limited in the wide range of subjects studied relating to the Arctic and extreme weather events. Therefore, mapping out where the research is more lacking can help to distinguish what needs to be studied more. This was accomplished in this study by establishing the geographical distribution of studied extreme weather events, ecosystem types affected by extreme weather events, and what consequences of extreme weather events relate to, as well as the temporal distribution of total number of studies on extreme weather events. Articles collected relating to this subject were first reviewed in an introductory screening by their abstracts. The main screening was then done following a detailed Excel-template. Lastly the result from that screening was compiled in Excel and MATLAB. Most of the articles published regarding extreme weather events in terrestrial Arctic studies Alaska, Sweden, and Svalbard, contrary to that Iceland and the Kola Peninsula are the least studied. Over time the number of published articles have increased gradually from 1995 and considerably 2010-2019. Winter warming in Sweden and rain-on-snow in Svalbard are the most studied extreme weather events, shrub tundra in Sweden and shrub and graminoid tundra in Alaska are the most studied ecosystem types, the most studied consequence of EWEs are vegetation in Sweden, followed by vegetation in Alaska, and animals in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Svalbard, and the Russian Arctic regions are overall not well studied. Efforts should be made by the science community to distribute the interest and studies of extreme weather events in terrestrial Arctic across the whole region, and this study could help with were to put the efforts.