Vegetation plays a significant role in Earth’s carbon balance through the uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) and the release of oxygen (O2). The expansion of vegetation resulting from high latitude warming and the lengthening of the growing season has both regional and global implications. In this study, we focus on Kujataa, the UNESCO World Heritage site in the Kujalleq municipality of south Greenland, and use NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data to monitor two decades of shifts in the spatial patterns of vegetation coverage. We also compare NDVI values to historical temperature and precipitation data to compare shifts in vegetation with climate trends. Our results suggest considerable inter annual and seasonal variability in vegetation patterns across the region and increased vegetation vigor in late summer months. These shifts seem to have occurred in conjunction with rising temperatures over the twenty-one year study period.
NASA MODIS data suggest interannual and seasonal vegetation shifts across UNESCO World Heritage Site Kujataa, South Greenland
