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PUBLICATION SPOTLIGHT
Vegetation recovery following retrogressive thaw slumps across northern tundra regions
| Xia et al., 2026
Xia et al., 2026, published in Nature Climate Change in March, investigates vegetation recovery trajectories following retrogressive thaw slump (RTS) events by generating a consistent Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series. They found that vegetation recolonized low-Arctic sites within a decade, while vegetation recovery took 30 years to begin in high-Arctic and high-elevation sites. They also tracked vegetation succession, finding that shrubs began to replace low-stature vegetation a decade after RTS in low-Arctic areas; their study period was not long enough to track when shrubs appeared in high-Arctic environments. To perform this research, the international team of scientists used Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 (HLS) data to standardize high-resolution satellite imagery provided by Planet Labs. PlanetScope images vary based on illumination and sensor viewing angles during image acquisition. HLS images, which are corrected to account for similar effects, provided a reliable baseline to adjust the high-resolution PlanetScope images. This process emphasizes the critical role of public data in accurately calibrating commercial satellite data. Through relying on HLS, the researchers ensured accurate NDVI calculations that allowed them to track subtle vegetation changes.
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