earth science

International Tundra Experiment

International Tundra Experiment is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand International Tundra Experiment rather than just read about it. In short: The International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) is a long-term international collaboration of researchers examining the responses of arctic and alpine plants and ecosystems to climate change. Researchers measure plant responses to standardized, small-scale passive warming, snow manipulations, and nutrient additions.

Key takeaways

International Tundra Experiment belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect International Tundra Experiment to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of International Tundra Experiment from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) is a long-term international collaboration of researchers examining the responses of arctic and alpine plants and ecosystems to climate change. Researchers measure plant responses to standardized, small-scale passive warming, snow manipulations, and nutrient additions. Researchers use small open-top chambers (OTCs) to passively increase mean air temperature by 1-2 °C. The ITEX approach has been validated by tundra responses at the plot level. The network has published meta-analyses on plant phenology, growth, and reproduction, composition and abundance, and carbon flux. The ITEX network consists of more than 50 sites in polar and alpine locations around the world.

Canadian sites

Alexandra Fiord, Ellesmere Island

Name of site leader(s): Greg Henry University: University of British Columbia Site elevation: 0-100m Latitude (WGS84 decimal degrees): 78.8833° N Longitude (WGS84 decimal degrees): 75.8000° W Date site was established: 1987 Does your site have OTC's? Yes Number of plots at your site (include OTCs control plots, etc.) 90 OTCs 99 controls When were they established? 1993 Have they been closed? If so, when? No Is there grazing at your site? No Climate data: Air temperature, Soil temperature, Snow depth, Precipitation, Cloud cover, Wind, global radiation etc. Current or past data collection: Phenology, Point framing, Above ground plant traits, Flower counts, Fertilizer plots, Snowmelt dates, Snow addition and removal, GIS data, Drones (https://arcticdrones.org/), Phenocams (GoPros etc.), Transplant experiments, Plot photos, Soil moisture, Soil sampling, Succession studies Main genera in OTC plots: Dryas, Salix, Cassiope, Vaccinium, Sedges, Grasses, Rushes, Saxifraga, Equisetum, Poppy, Oxyria, Draba, Mosses/Lichens, Fungi Other nearby related study sites on Ellesmere: Sverdrup Pass, Princess Marie Bay, Hot Weather Creek,

Sverdrup Pass, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut

Name of site leader(s): Esther Lévesque, Josef Svoboda (1986-1994) University: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) Site elevation: 180 m Latitude (WGS84 decimal degrees): 79.14 Longitude (WGS84 decimal degrees): -79.7 Date site was established: 1990 Does your site have OTC's? No Number of plots at your site (include OTCs control plots, etc.) 13 in total along altitudinal gradients (300m to ca. 700m) on two substrates (granite and dolomite) D1-D6 and G1-G7 When were they established? 1990 Have they been closed? If so, when? Yes, 1994 Is there grazing at your site? Insects, Ungulates, Hares (Lagomorphs) Climate data: Air temperature >1m, Soil temperature, Precipitation, Soil temperature year-round (1986-1994) Current or past data collection: Individual plant phenology, Above ground plant traits, Flower counts (total), Flower counts (per stage) Main genera in plots: Papaver

Bylot Island, Nunavut

Name of site leader(s): Esther Lévesque University: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Latitude (WGS84 decimal degrees): 73.3652 Longitude (WGS84 decimal degrees): -79.0153

Nunatsiavut (Nain and Torr Bay)

Name of site leader(s): Laura Siegwart Collier, Luise Hermanutz University: Memorial University Latitude (WGS84 decimal degrees): 58.4774° N Longitude (WGS84 decimal degrees): 62.8295° W Date site was established: 2009

Nain Does your site have OTC's? Yes Number of plots at your site (include OTCs control plots, etc.) 18 When were they established? 2009 Have they been closed? If so, when? Yes, the subsite is closed Is there grazing at your site? No Climate data: Air temperature >1m, Soil temperature, PAR, Soil moisture probe Current or past data collection: Point framing, Flower counts (total), Plot photos, Fruit production Main genera in OTC plots: Betula, Vaccinium, Empetrum, Rhododendron, Carex, Bryophytes, Lichen

Torr Bay Does your site have OTC's? Yes Number of plots at your site (include OTCs control plots, etc.) 60 When were they established? 2009 Have they been closed? If so, when? No but visited infrequently (once 3–5 years) Is there grazing at your site? Climate data: Air temperature >1m Soil temperature, PAR, Soil moisture probe Current or past data collection: Point framing, Flower counts (total), Fruit production Main genera in OTC plots: Salix, Betula, Vaccinium, Empetrum, Rhododendron, Carex, Eriophorum, Poa, Juncus, Bryophytes, Lichen, Oxytropis

Tundra Ecosystem Research Station, Daring Lake Tundra Ecosystem Research Station, Daring Lake: Name of site leader(s): Karin Clark University: Government of the Northwest Territories Latitude (WGS84 decimal degrees): 65 degrees 52 min N Longitude (WGS84 decimal degrees): 111 degrees 32 min W Date site was established: 1995 Does your site have OTC's? Currently have Number of plots at your site (include OTCs control plots, etc.) 9 When were they established? Plots established 1995; OTCs in 2000 Have they been closed? If so, when? No Is there grazing at your site? Yes Climate data: Air temperature, Soil temperature, Snow depth, Precipitation, radiation, wind speed and direction Current or past data collection: Phenology, Point framing, Above ground plant traits, Flower counts, Snowmelt dates Main genera in OTC plots: Salix, Betula, Vaccinium, Sedges, Saxifraga, Oxytropis

Qikiqtaruk (Herschel Island), Yukon

Name of site leader(s): Isla Myers-Smith University: University of Edinburgh, Yukon Parks Site elevation: 70m Latitude (WGS84 decimal degrees): 69.6 N Longitude (WGS84 decimal degrees): 138.9 W Date site was established: 1999 Does your site have OTC's? Never had Number of plots at your site (include OTCs control plots, etc.) 12 When were they established? 1999 Have they been closed? If so, when? No Is there grazing at your site? Yes Climate data: Air temperature, Soil temperature, Snow depth, Precipitation Current or past data collection: Phenology, Point framing, Above ground plant traits, Herbivory, Flower counts, Plot photos, Snowmelt dates, GIS data, Drones (https://arcticdrones.org/), Phenocams (GoPros etc.), Soil sampling, Shrub common garden Main genera in OTC plots: Dryas, Salix, Betula, Sedges, Grasses, Mosses/Lichens

Garibaldi Park, BC, Canada

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with International Tundra Experiment

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what International Tundra Experiment claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to International Tundra Experiment before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about International Tundra Experiment ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of International Tundra Experiment

In research: International Tundra Experiment appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses International Tundra Experiment in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: International Tundra Experiment is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Arctic research, Climate change and the environment, Climatological research, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for International Tundra Experiment outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study International Tundra Experiment in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what International Tundra Experiment means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain International Tundra Experiment out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is International Tundra Experiment in simple terms?

Why does International Tundra Experiment matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study International Tundra Experiment?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on International Tundra Experiment.