Spatio-temporal habitat use of Svalbard reindeer (RiS ID 12152)

Understanding the Habitat of Svalbard Reindeer: Climate Change and Our Research Introduction The Arctic is one of the most fragile environments on Earth, and it is experiencing rapid changes due to climate change. Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, is warming faster than almost anywhere else. This makes it an important place to study how climate change is affecting the environment. Our research focuses on the Svalbard reindeer, a species particularly sensitive to these changes, to understand how their habitats are being impacted. Importance of the Study The Arctic ecosystem is delicate, and the rapid warming we see in Svalbard makes it a critical area for climate research. The Svalbard reindeer, with their unique adaptations to the cold, serve as an excellent indicator of how climate change can affect wildlife. Historically, hunting was the main threat to these reindeer, but now, climate change poses the greatest risk. By studying these reindeer, we can gain insights into the broader impacts of climate change on Arctic wildlife. Research Objectives and Methods Our research aims to understand how different seasons affect the reindeer. During milder winters, increased rain-on-snow events can create ice layers that block the reindeer from accessing their food, leading to higher mortality rates. Conversely, warmer and longer summers could increase plant growth, providing more food for the reindeer and potentially boosting their population. To study these effects, we are part of a long-term project that has been monitoring Svalbard reindeer since 1979. Fieldwork is a crucial part of our project. We count reindeer and monitor their movements and habitats. Recently, we have started using drones to get detailed images and data on snow depth and distribution. This new method helps us understand how snow conditions affect reindeer habitats over time. We also conduct ground surveys to ensure the accuracy of the drone data. Findings and Preliminary Results Our preliminary results are helping us build models to predict which habitats are suitable for reindeer during different seasons. These models are vital because they allow us to foresee how future climate changes might impact the reindeer. The data we collect is added to a long-term database, which is essential for tracking changes over many years and distinguishing the effects of climate change from natural variations in the environment. Future Directions We plan to continue collecting data to maintain and expand our long-term monitoring efforts. This continuous stream of data will improve our models and predictions about reindeer habitats. We also aim to publish our findings in scientific journals, which will help other researchers and support further studies. Additionally, we are excited about the potential of drone technology to provide new insights and enhance our understanding of the Arctic environment. Conclusion Our study of the Svalbard reindeer provides important insights into how climate change affects the Arctic ecosystem. By combining long-term data with new technology like drones, we hope to better understand these impacts and help protect the delicate Arctic environment for future generations.

The interdisciplinary collaboration has improved the availability of environmental data layers crucial for studying ecological dynamics in Svalbard across space and time. We have successfully trained master’s students and early career researchers through field experiences, thesis projects, and hands-on interdisciplinary scientific collaboration. While some planned collaborations did not occur, we established new partnerships with students and researchers, which will continue. The project results significantly contribute to continuing long-term UNIS-led ecosystem monitoring in Bjørndalen. They complement ongoing monitoring activities on reindeer population dynamics and plant-herbivore interactions. These findings provide a strong basis for future publications and strengthen the links between UNIS and other local research institutions such as COAT and NPI. All collected data will be made publicly available.

The planned research focuses on understanding the impacts of a changing climate on the spatial dynamics of Svalbard reindeer, a key species in Svalbard’s tundra ecosystem. Climate change will likely be the primary driver of population dynamics in the future. To distinguish the complex effects of climate change from the large inter-annual variation characteristic of the Arctic, long-term monitoring data is essential. The fieldwork for my project is part of a UNIS-led long-term monitoring project, Bjørndalen Integrated Gradients (BIG, RiS ID 11225). In 2023, I was responsible for conducting the weekly reindeer counts and used the collected data to model bi-weekly habitat suitability (SHARE, RiS ID:12152), filling an important gap in our understanding of reindeer-habitat relationships. However, as conditions can vary considerably between years, I am keen to investigate not only fine-scale seasonal changes in habitat suitability but to also look at interannual variation in these relationships. Accordingly, I would like to continue the data collection, not just to ensure the continuation of the long-term monitoring time series, but to also gain further valuable data for modeling high arctic herbivore population dynamics. Reindeer will be counted once a week and their GPS locations will be recorded. Once per month, the reindeer count will be complemented with a snow survey, during which snow-ice conditions will be measured along transects covering a coast to inland and elevational gradient. Snow depth, snow hardness, ice layers within the snowpack as well as presence/thickness of ground ice will be measured. The snow survey additionally serves as ground validation for guest researchers who will be doing drone-based snow surveys in Bjørndalen during the planned project period allowing for the incorporation of novel remote sensing-based data into the BIG project for the first time.