About the ITEX projekt in Iceland.

Photo from Thingvellir, and Open Top Chamber in moss heath vegetation.

The project is based on a standardised experiment that is carried out at widely distributed tundra sites where the
responses of individual plant species and plant communities to temperature increase are studied. Temperature is
increased by 2-3 degrees centigrades by use of open topped chambers of transparent materials. In Iceland the
experiment has been set up at two sites at different altitudes. There are two ITEX field sites in Iceland, Þingvellir and Auðkúluheiði. Beside monitoring the vegetation composition and soil characteristics, the phenology, demography, growth and chemical composition of two common species of contrasting life-forms are being monitored and their interactions studied. The main target species are Carex bigelowii and Racomitrium lanuginosum. At both sites vegetation cover and composition is
measured in the beginning and at the end of the experiment after 5 years.   Measurements of the effects of the open topped chambers on microclimate (air and soil temperature, air humidity) will also be done during the experiment.  At the end of the experiment the results from Iceland will be both published alone to focus on the specific climatic and edaphic conditions in Iceland and together with results from other ITEX sites to get a coherent picture of the responses of tundra vegetation to climate change.

AIM

The main aim is to study the responses of arctic plants and their ecosystems to climate change through experimental
increase of air temperature by 2-3 centigrades and by measuring the following variables: 1. growth, flowering,
phenology and population growth in selected key species of contrasting life-forms (graminoids and mosses). 2. cover
and species composition of the vegetation 3. chemical composition 4. soil properties

Principal investigators are Dr.
Ingibjörg S. Jónsdóttir, docent at Göteborg University and Dr. Borþór Magnússon, specialist at the Icelandic
Agriculture Research Institute where the project is hosted.