Arctic tundra transforms into flower-filled meadow due to climate change
Meadows are bursting to life in a once-barren tundra in a graphic sign of the warming climate.
Fields of brightly coloured flowers are springing up across the Russian Arctic just over one thousand miles from the North Pole.
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Yet the oases of vegetation seen in these pictures is at latitude of 70 degrees north and the breathtaking array of blooming is growing in soil that, until recently, was hard-bitten permafrost.
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Specifically, senior researcher Sergey Loiko said the flowering Arctic is a feature of so-called ‘Khasyreys’ - dried up tundra lakes.
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An expansion in the varieties of flora is now expected along with the arrival of fauna not seen previously in Arctic regions, say the researchers.
“Permafrost thawing is undesirable because of potential threats to infrastructure,” said Loiko.
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