Bruce C Forbes
Biographic Data
| ID | 341737 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bruce C Forbes |
| GIVEN NAMES | Bruce C |
| FAMILY NAME | Forbes |
| SIGNATURE | FORBES B C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Lapland |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4593-5083 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 39 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 76 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 39 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1996 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Natalia V. Fedorova (1949 – 2024)
Policy documents considering biodiversity, land use, and climate in the European Arctic reveal visible, hidden, and imagined nexus approaches
Innovation exceeds fear of climate change in Greenland
Arctic rain on snow events: Bridging observations to understand environmental and livelihood impacts
When rain falls on an existing cover of snow, followed by low temperatures, or falls as freezing rain, it can leave a hard crust. These Arctic rain on snow (ROS) events can profoundly influence the environment and in turn, human livelihoods. Impacts can be immediate (e.g. on human travel, herding, or harvesting) or evolve or accumulate, leading to massive starvation-induced die-offs of reindeer, caribou, and musk oxen, for example. We provide her…
Focus on recent, present and future Arctic and boreal productivity and biomass changes
The reduction of cold temperature constraints on photosynthesis in recent decades has led to extended growing seasons and increased plant productivity (greening) in significant parts of Polar, Arctic and Boreal regions, here called northern lands. However, most territories within these regions display stable productivity in recent years. Smaller portions of Arctic and Boreal regions show reduced productivity (browning). Summer drought and wildfir…
Reindeer use of low Arctic tundra correlates with landscape structure
Rapid climate change in Arctic regions is linked to the expansion of woody taxa ( shrubification ), and an increase in biomass as tundra becomes greener. Reindeer and caribou ( Rangifer tarandus ) are considered able to suppress vegetative greening through grazing and trampling. Quantifying reindeer use of different land cover types can help us understand their impact on the growth and recruitment of deciduous shrubs, many of which serve as fodde…
Spatial patterns of arctic tundra vegetation properties on different soils along the Eurasia Arctic Transect, and insights for a changing Arctic
Vegetation properties of arctic tundra vary dramatically across its full latitudinal extent, yet few studies have quantified tundra ecosystem properties across latitudinal gradients with field-based observations that can be related to remotely sensed proxies. Here we present data from field sampling of six locations along the Eurasia Arctic Transect in northwestern Siberia. We collected data on the aboveground vegetation biomass, the normalized d…
Periglacial vegetation dynamics in Arctic Russia: Decadal analysis of tundra regeneration on landslides with time series satellite imagery
Changes in vegetation productivity based on normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) have been reported from Arctic regions. Most studies use very coarse spatial resolution remote sensing data that cannot isolate landscape level factors. For example, on Yamal Peninsula in West Siberia enhanced willow growth has been linked to widespread landslide activity, but the effect of landslides on regional NDVI dynamics is unknown. Here we apply a nov…
Warming-induced unprecedented high-elevation forest growth over the monsoonal Tibetan Plateau
Growth of high-elevation forests is generally temperature-limited and thus sensitive to warming. The Tibetan Plateau has experienced fast warming rates associated with decreased summer monsoon rainfall over the last century. However, whether such warming and monsoon-induced drought could offset a potential warming-driven enhancement of forest growth has not been examined. Here, we have compiled high-elevation forest growth data at 40 sites over t…
Towards improved participatory scenario methodologies in the Arctic
Participatory scenario methodologies are increasingly used for studying possible future developments in the Arctic. They have the potential to contribute to several high-priority tasks for Arctic research, such as integration of indigenous and local knowledge in futures studies, providing a platform for activating Arctic youth in shaping their futures, identifying Arctic-relevant indicators for sustainable development, and supporting decision-mak…
Changes in mountain birch forests and reindeer management: Comparing different knowledge systems in Sápmi, northern Fennoscandia
Mountain birch forests in the northern areas of Sápmi, the Saami homeland, serve as pastures for semi-domesticated reindeer. Recent reindeer management of the area has, to date, proceeded with little involvement of reindeer herders or their knowledge. To get more in-depth understanding of recent changes, we present together herders’ knowledge and scientific knowledge concerning the impacts of herbivory and climate change on mountain birch forests…
Animal domestication in the high Arctic: Hunting and holding reindeer on the I͡Amal peninsula, northwest Siberia
The history of animal domestication in the Arctic is often represented as marginal or a weak copy of more complex pastoral situations in southern climes. This article re-assesses the classic archaeological site of I͡Arte 6 on the I͡Amal Peninsula of Northwest Siberia for markers of early Rangifer and dog taming and the emergence of transport reindeer husbandry at the start of the Iron Age. We critically examine published and unpublished Russian l…
Biomass offsets little or none of permafrost carbon release from soils, streams, and wildfire: An expert assessment
As the permafrost region warms, its large organic carbon pool will be increasingly vulnerable to decomposition, combustion, and hydrologic export. Models predict that some portion of this release will be offset by increased production of Arctic and boreal biomass; however, the lack of robust estimates of net carbon balance increases the risk of further overshooting international emissions targets. Precise empirical or model-based assessments of t…
Generality of mis-fit”? The real-life difficulty of matching scales in an interconnected world
A clear understanding of processes at multiple scales and levels is of special significance when conceiving strategies for human-environment interactions. However, understanding and application of the scale concept often differ between administrative-political and ecological disciplines. These mirror major differences in potential solutions whether and how scales can, at all, be made congruent. As a result, opportunities of seeking "goodness-of-f…
The Reindeer Botanist: Alf Erling Porsild, 1901–1977, by Wendy Dathan
Shifts in Arctic phenology in response to climate and anthropogenic factors as detected from multiple satellite time series
There is an urgent need to reduce the uncertainties in remotely sensed detection of phenological shifts of high latitude ecosystems in response to climate changes in past decades. In this study, vegetation phenology in western Arctic Russia (the Yamal Peninsula) was investigated by analyzing and comparing Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), the Moderate Resol…
Cultural Resilience of Social-ecological Systems in the Nenets and Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs, Russia: A Focus on Reindeer Nomads of the Tundra
Forbes, B. C. 2013. Cultural resilience of social-ecological systems in the Nenets and Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs, Russia: a focus on reindeer nomads of the tundra. Ecology and Society 18(4): 36. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05791-180436
Environment, vegetation and greenness (NDVI) along the North America and Eurasia Arctic transects
In this paper, we describe environment, species composition, biomass and spectral properties of vegetation plots established along two long (> 1500 km) transect spanning all bioclimate subzones of North America and Eurasia Arctic. Despite considerable differences in environment and species composition between the transects, there is a close relationship between spectral properties and biomass along both transects. This relationship can be used fo…
Modeling dynamics of tundra plant communities on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia, in response to climate change and grazing pressure
Understanding the responses of the arctic tundra biome to a changing climate requires knowledge of the complex interactions among the climate, soils and biological system. This study investigates the individual and interaction effects of climate change and reindeer grazing across a variety of climate zones and soil texture types on tundra vegetation community dynamics using an arctic vegetation model that incorporates the reindeer diet, where gra…
Shrub expansion in tundra ecosystems: Dynamics, impacts and research priorities
Recent research using repeat photography, long-term ecological monitoring and dendrochronology has documented shrub expansion in arctic, high-latitude and alpine tundra ecosystems. Here, we (1) synthesize these findings, (2) present a conceptual framework that identifies mechanisms and constraints on shrub increase, (3) explore causes, feedbacks and implications of the increased shrub cover in tundra ecosystems, and (4) address potential lines of…
Land use and land cover change in Arctic Russia: Ecological and social implications of industrial development
Multiple Effects of Changes in Arctic Snow Cover
State of the Arctic Conference 2010: International Perspectives on Progress of Research Responsive to Decision-Makers’ Information Needs
Russian Arctic warming and ‘greening’ are closely tracked by tundra shrub willows
Growth in arctic vegetation is generally expected to increase under a warming climate, particularly among deciduous shrubs. We analyzed annual ring growth for an abundant and nearly circumpolar erect willow ( Salix lanata L.) from the coastal zone of the northwest Russian Arctic (Nenets Autonomous Okrug). The resulting chronology is strongly related to summer temperature for the period 1942–2005. Remarkably high correlations occur at long distanc…
Social Impact Assessment along Russia's Northern Sea Route: Petroleum Transport and the Arctic Operational Platform (Arcop)
THE OIL AND GAS RESOURCES of Russia’s Arctic regions comprise the world’s largest energy reserve outside the OPEC countries. The Arctic Operational Platform (ARCOP, 2003 – 05) is a research and development project supported by the European Union’s “Competitive and Sustainable Growth” programme. The ARCOP project has 21 participating organizations, from five EU member states (Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Italy) and from No…
Animal domestication in the high Arctic: Hunting and holding reindeer on the I͡Amal peninsula, northwest Siberia
The history of animal domestication in the Arctic is often represented as marginal or a weak copy of more complex pastoral situations in southern climes. This article re-assesses the classic archaeological site of I͡Arte 6 on the I͡Amal Peninsula of Northwest Siberia for markers of early Rangifer and dog taming and the emergence of transport reindeer husbandry at the start of the Iron Age. We critically examine published and unpublished Russian l…
Resilience and Vulnerability of Northern Regions to Social and Environmental Change
The arctic tundra and boreal forest were once considered the last frontiers on earth because of their vast expanses remote from agricultural land-use change and industrial development. These regions are now, however, experiencing environmental and social changes that are as rapid as those occurring anywhere on earth. This paper summarizes the role of northern regions in the global system and provides a blueprint for assessing the factors that gov…
Land use and land cover change in Arctic Russia: Ecological and social implications of industrial development
Multiple Effects of Changes in Arctic Snow Cover
The Ecological Role and Geography of Reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus ) in Northern Eurasia
The reindeer is a ruminant of the family Cervidae with a circumpolar distribution that has been a key component of Eurasian high latitude ecosystems for at least 2 million years. Interactions with humans date from the late Pleistocene onward and wild and semi‐domestic animals continue to be highly valued by aboriginal and non‐native peoples for a diversity of purposes. As a widespread and dominant ungulate across many tundra and taiga regions, th…
Cultural Resilience of Social-ecological Systems in the Nenets and Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs, Russia: A Focus on Reindeer Nomads of the Tundra
Forbes, B. C. 2013. Cultural resilience of social-ecological systems in the Nenets and Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs, Russia: a focus on reindeer nomads of the tundra. Ecology and Society 18(4): 36. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05791-180436
Bringing Feedback and Resilience of High-latitude Ecosystems into the Corporate Boardroom
This paper discusses the role of companies in high-latitude regions, which are conceptualized as socially and economically mediated ecosystems, and identifies a number of important social actors within the business environment. We present three examples of corporate activity at high latitudes and discuss a variety of common threads. Notably, we argue that business theory and practice needs to move beyond a narrow social or economic concept of org…
Generality of mis-fit”? The real-life difficulty of matching scales in an interconnected world
A clear understanding of processes at multiple scales and levels is of special significance when conceiving strategies for human-environment interactions. However, understanding and application of the scale concept often differ between administrative-political and ecological disciplines. These mirror major differences in potential solutions whether and how scales can, at all, be made congruent. As a result, opportunities of seeking "goodness-of-f…
Geographic Variations in Anthropogenic Drivers that Influence the Vulnerability and Resilience of Social-Ecological Systems
Across the circumpolar North large disparities in the distribution of renewable and nonrenewable resources, human population density, capital investments, and basic residential and transportation infrastructure combine to create recognizable hotspots of recent and foreseeable change. Northern Fennoscandia exemplifies a relatively benign situation due to its current economic and political stability. Northern Russia is experiencing rapid, mostly ne…
Reindeer herding and petroleum development on Poluostrov Yamal: Sustainable or mutually incompatible uses
The Yamal Nenets have exploited reindeer via hunting and/or husbandry in northwest Siberia for several hundred years, although wild reindeer have been virtually absent on Poluostrov Yamal since the early 1900s. Nonetheless, the region retains large populations of wild animals, indicating that nomadic pastoralists, semi-domestic animals, and wildlife were not competing vigorously for resources or space prior to industrialization. Natural-gas devel…
Changes in mountain birch forests and reindeer management: Comparing different knowledge systems in Sápmi, northern Fennoscandia
Mountain birch forests in the northern areas of Sápmi, the Saami homeland, serve as pastures for semi-domesticated reindeer. Recent reindeer management of the area has, to date, proceeded with little involvement of reindeer herders or their knowledge. To get more in-depth understanding of recent changes, we present together herders’ knowledge and scientific knowledge concerning the impacts of herbivory and climate change on mountain birch forests…
Plant Communities of Archaeological Sites, Abandoned Dwellings, and Trampled Tundra in the Eastern Canadian Arctic: A Multivariate Analysis
Arctic terrestrial ecosystems subjected to anthropogenic disturbance return to their original state only slowly, if at all. Investigations of abandoned settlements on three islands in the eastern Canadian Arctic Archipelago have detected striking similarities among contemporary and ancient human settlements with regard to their effects on tundra vegetation and soils. Ordination procedures using 240 quadrats showed the plant assemblages of Thule (…
Tundra disturbance studies IV. Species establishment on anthropogenic primary surfaces, Yamal peninsula, northwest Siberia, Russia
Large‐scale industrial development in northwest Siberia is resulting in extensive disturbance in a region of low arctic tundra with few data on vegetation responses to such change. Groups of plant species are described for a variety of human‐induced surfaces four years after their creation, as well as in adjoining control areas. Ordination and floristic classification reveal active roadsides to be similar to abandoned lowland sand quarries. Const…
Reindeer herding and petroleum development on Poluostrov Yamal: Sustainable or mutually incompatible uses
The Yamal Nenets have exploited reindeer via hunting and/or husbandry in northwest Siberia for several hundred years, although wild reindeer have been virtually absent on Poluostrov Yamal since the early 1900s. Nonetheless, the region retains large populations of wild animals, indicating that nomadic pastoralists, semi-domestic animals, and wildlife were not competing vigorously for resources or space prior to industrialization. Natural-gas devel…
Disturbance Effects of Human Activities on Rangifer Tarandus Habitat: Implications for Life History and Population Dynamics
This paper reviews the disturbance effects of human activities on reindeer/caribou (Rangifer tarandus) habitat in arctic/subarctic ecosystems. We further discuss implications of the use of such disturbed habitat on Rangifer's life history and population dynamics, an aspect that has been overlooked. Effects of disturbances vary with the type, size, scale, and intensity of disturbance; evidence is presented of adverse effects on use of disturbed ha…
Conservation and the Social Sciences
Geographic Variations in Anthropogenic Drivers that Influence the Vulnerability and Resilience of Social-Ecological Systems
Across the circumpolar North large disparities in the distribution of renewable and nonrenewable resources, human population density, capital investments, and basic residential and transportation infrastructure combine to create recognizable hotspots of recent and foreseeable change. Northern Fennoscandia exemplifies a relatively benign situation due to its current economic and political stability. Northern Russia is experiencing rapid, mostly ne…
Geographic Variations in Anthropogenic Drivers that Influence the Vulnerability and Resilience of Social-Ecological Systems
Across the circumpolar North large disparities in the distribution of renewable and nonrenewable resources, human population density, capital investments, and basic residential and transportation infrastructure combine to create recognizable hotspots of recent and foreseeable change. Northern Fennoscandia exemplifies a relatively benign situation due to its current economic and political stability. Northern Russia is experiencing rapid, mostly ne…
Resilience and Vulnerability of Northern Regions to Social and Environmental Change
The arctic tundra and boreal forest were once considered the last frontiers on earth because of their vast expanses remote from agricultural land-use change and industrial development. These regions are now, however, experiencing environmental and social changes that are as rapid as those occurring anywhere on earth. This paper summarizes the role of northern regions in the global system and provides a blueprint for assessing the factors that gov…
Bringing Feedback and Resilience of High-latitude Ecosystems into the Corporate Boardroom
This paper discusses the role of companies in high-latitude regions, which are conceptualized as socially and economically mediated ecosystems, and identifies a number of important social actors within the business environment. We present three examples of corporate activity at high latitudes and discuss a variety of common threads. Notably, we argue that business theory and practice needs to move beyond a narrow social or economic concept of org…
Bringing Feedback and Resilience of High-latitude Ecosystems into the Corporate Boardroom
This paper discusses the role of companies in high-latitude regions, which are conceptualized as socially and economically mediated ecosystems, and identifies a number of important social actors within the business environment. We present three examples of corporate activity at high latitudes and discuss a variety of common threads. Notably, we argue that business theory and practice needs to move beyond a narrow social or economic concept of org…
High resilience in the Yamal-Nenets social–ecological system, West Siberian Arctic, Russia
Tundra ecosystems are vulnerable to hydrocarbon development, in part because small-scale, low-intensity disturbances can affect vegetation, permafrost soils, and wildlife out of proportion to their spatial extent. Scaling up to include human residents, tightly integrated arctic social-ecological systems (SESs) are believed similarly susceptible to industrial impacts and climate change. In contrast to northern Alaska and Canada, most terrestrial a…
Spatial and temporal patterns of greenness on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia: Interactions of ecological and social factors affecting the Arctic normalized difference vegetation index
The causes of a greening trend detected in the Arctic using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) are still poorly understood. Changes in NDVI are a result of multiple ecological and social factors that affect tundra net primary productivity. Here we use a 25 year time series of AVHRR-derived NDVI data (AVHRR: advanced very high resolution radiometer), climate analysis, a global geographic information database and ground-based studies…
The Ecological Role and Geography of Reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus ) in Northern Eurasia
The reindeer is a ruminant of the family Cervidae with a circumpolar distribution that has been a key component of Eurasian high latitude ecosystems for at least 2 million years. Interactions with humans date from the late Pleistocene onward and wild and semi‐domestic animals continue to be highly valued by aboriginal and non‐native peoples for a diversity of purposes. As a widespread and dominant ungulate across many tundra and taiga regions, th…
Russian Arctic warming and ‘greening’ are closely tracked by tundra shrub willows
Growth in arctic vegetation is generally expected to increase under a warming climate, particularly among deciduous shrubs. We analyzed annual ring growth for an abundant and nearly circumpolar erect willow ( Salix lanata L.) from the coastal zone of the northwest Russian Arctic (Nenets Autonomous Okrug). The resulting chronology is strongly related to summer temperature for the period 1942–2005. Remarkably high correlations occur at long distanc…
Social Impact Assessment along Russia's Northern Sea Route: Petroleum Transport and the Arctic Operational Platform (Arcop)
THE OIL AND GAS RESOURCES of Russia’s Arctic regions comprise the world’s largest energy reserve outside the OPEC countries. The Arctic Operational Platform (ARCOP, 2003 – 05) is a research and development project supported by the European Union’s “Competitive and Sustainable Growth” programme. The ARCOP project has 21 participating organizations, from five EU member states (Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Italy) and from No…
Remote Sensing and Local Knowledge of Hydrocarbon Exploitation: The Case of Bovanenkovo, Yamal Peninsula, West Siberia, Russia
The capacity of satellite imagery to detect anthropogenic impacts on land cover was assessed for the Bovanenkovo gas field on the Yamal Peninsula in northwest Siberia, which contains some of the world’s largest untapped gas deposits. The region is also the homeland of nomadic Nenets reindeer herders, whose annual migration between the tree line and the northern tundra exposes them to impacts associated with exploration and production activities. …
Modeling dynamics of tundra plant communities on the Yamal Peninsula, Russia, in response to climate change and grazing pressure
Understanding the responses of the arctic tundra biome to a changing climate requires knowledge of the complex interactions among the climate, soils and biological system. This study investigates the individual and interaction effects of climate change and reindeer grazing across a variety of climate zones and soil texture types on tundra vegetation community dynamics using an arctic vegetation model that incorporates the reindeer diet, where gra…
Shrub expansion in tundra ecosystems: Dynamics, impacts and research priorities
Recent research using repeat photography, long-term ecological monitoring and dendrochronology has documented shrub expansion in arctic, high-latitude and alpine tundra ecosystems. Here, we (1) synthesize these findings, (2) present a conceptual framework that identifies mechanisms and constraints on shrub increase, (3) explore causes, feedbacks and implications of the increased shrub cover in tundra ecosystems, and (4) address potential lines of…
Land use and land cover change in Arctic Russia: Ecological and social implications of industrial development
Multiple Effects of Changes in Arctic Snow Cover
State of the Arctic Conference 2010: International Perspectives on Progress of Research Responsive to Decision-Makers’ Information Needs
Environment, vegetation and greenness (NDVI) along the North America and Eurasia Arctic transects
In this paper, we describe environment, species composition, biomass and spectral properties of vegetation plots established along two long (> 1500 km) transect spanning all bioclimate subzones of North America and Eurasia Arctic. Despite considerable differences in environment and species composition between the transects, there is a close relationship between spectral properties and biomass along both transects. This relationship can be used fo…
The Reindeer Botanist: Alf Erling Porsild, 1901–1977, by Wendy Dathan
Shifts in Arctic phenology in response to climate and anthropogenic factors as detected from multiple satellite time series
There is an urgent need to reduce the uncertainties in remotely sensed detection of phenological shifts of high latitude ecosystems in response to climate changes in past decades. In this study, vegetation phenology in western Arctic Russia (the Yamal Peninsula) was investigated by analyzing and comparing Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), the Moderate Resol…
Cultural Resilience of Social-ecological Systems in the Nenets and Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs, Russia: A Focus on Reindeer Nomads of the Tundra
Forbes, B. C. 2013. Cultural resilience of social-ecological systems in the Nenets and Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs, Russia: a focus on reindeer nomads of the tundra. Ecology and Society 18(4): 36. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05791-180436
Geography (34 works) · Ecology (26 works) · Environmental Science (22 works) · Arctic (21 works) · Climate change and permafrost (21 works) · Physical geography (19 works) · Climate change (18 works) · Biology (17 works) · Tundra (16 works) · Ecology (15 works)