Soil–Vegetation–Atmosphere Transfer Schemes and Large-Scale Hydrological Models (Proceedings of a symposium held during the Sixth IAHS Scientific Assembly at Maastricht, The Netherlands, July 2001). IAHS Publ. no. 270, 2001, pp. 363–367.

Abstract In the north–south transect between the tundra areas of northern Sweden (Abisko), across southern Norway (Dovrefjell) to the Alps, one may include the summit area of the Giant Mountains (Czech Republic—Krkonoše in Czech and Poland—Karkonosze in Polish), which constitutes an isolated island of arctic-alpine tundra within the Central European Sudetes. Its area was strongly influenced, like the Scandinavian and Alps areas, by periglacial conditions during the Ice ages in the Pleistocene era. At present, the average annual air temperature of the Giant Mountains tundra area is about 2.6–5.7°C higher than that of the Abisko area and 1.8°C higher than that of Dovrefjell. The intensity of frost processes is impressively lower and special palsa-like forms have been recognized in seasonally freezing peat bogs, where some arctic-alpine plant species survive in marginal conditions in the Giant Mountains. Therefore the Giant Mountains could be used to study the effects of long-term natural climate warming on some Scandinavian tundra ecosystems. Scandinavian tundra conditions seem to be similar to those existing in Central Europe 10 000 years ago; therefore Scandinavian areas appear very interesting with regard to the beginning of postglacial development of tundra areas in Central Europe.

Key words tundra; Giant Mountains, Czech Republic; Abisko, Sweden; Dovrefjell, Norway; climate; vegetation; palsas

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