Nikki Williamson
UC Davis
“Seeing the Tundra from Above: Using Multispectral Drones to Track Vegetation Change Under Arctic Warming and Implications for Native Caribou”
This project investigates how climate-driven vegetation change is altering forage quality for Arctic caribou near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. Using multispectral drone imagery paired with ground sampling, it develops new methods to map fine-scale variation in plant nutrient content across the landscape. These data are integrated with satellite-derived NDVI to assess and predict broader shifts in tundra vegetation and their implications for caribou populations.
ABSTRACT
The widespread decline of caribou across the Arctic is of increasing concern as the species are both ecologically and culturally significant. Long-term research near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, has revealed a decline in caribou abundance coincident with warming-related increase of shrubs, which are less palatable and nutritious for migratory caribou. Throughout the years, vegetation composition has been monitored at this field site, but there is a gap in our knowledge about the spatiotemporal shifts in plant nutrient quality for large herbivores.
This project aims to use multi-spectral drone surveys coupled with ground sampling to develop novel methodology for the evaluation of spatiotemporal variation in caribou forage quality at the sub-landscape scale. By incorporating remote sensing into this long-term plant monitoring project, we will be able to see landscape-scale shifts in vegetation nutrient composition. Pairing these data with satellite-derived NDVI products will facilitate hind and forecasting of spatiotemporal patterns of vegetation green-up and shrub cover at even larger landscape scales for assessment of trends in tundra vegetation across the focal caribou calving range.
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