Climatology of the Forest-Tundra Ecotone at a Maritime Subarctic-Alpine Site, Mealy Mountains, Labrador

Climatological investigations were conducted from 2001 to 2009 in the central Mealy Mountains, Labrador (53.6 degrees N), as part of interdisciplinary research on tree line ecology and climate change. The aim was to describe local climatic and edaphic variables along an altitudinal gradient from the closed forest edge to the alpine tundra and to relate recent changes in regional climate to potential changes in the forest tundra ecotone. Results show relatively warm, moist summers and cool winters, with abundant precipitation and moderate to gale-force winds. At ca. 600 m a.s.l., the tree line was characterized by 694 +/- 85 growing degree-days and a mean July air temperature of 12.9 +/- 0.8 degrees C. Growing season soil temperatures of ca. 8 degrees C were similar across the forest-tundra ecotone, but their seasonal regimes differed among subzones. Soil nutrient fluxes showed some variation but no consistent pattern that would suggest nutrients as a limiting factor. Snow depth in the forest-tundra subzone was more variable than in the forest, indicating that microtopography is an important factor for tree survival there in winter. Comparisons of the field data with long-term regional climatic and hydrographic records show that conditions have become warmer and drier in the most recent decade compared with the previous half-century or more. Concurrent vegetation studies indicate that changes expected with a warming climate are already occurring.