dr. RI (Rúna) Magnússon

Warming and Extreme Events in the Arctic

I study the response of Arctic tundra ecosystems and permafrost to climate change. Beside warming, climate change in the Arctic changes snow- and rainfall patterns and increases the occurrenec of extreme events such as tundra fires, winter warming episodes and various other emerging extremes. This triggers a lot of change in plant growth processes and permafrost soils. At the same time, permafrost soils and tundra plants affect each other, functioning as the foundation and the ground cover of the ecosystem, respectively. To go full circle, both permafrost thaw and tundra plant growth feed bck to our global climate through emission and uptake of greenhouse gases. It's a fascinating interface in rapid transition, as the Arctic warms three to four times faster than the globe on average. My research can be summarized into the following topics:

• Impacts of rainfall extremes on permafrost and tundra vegetation
• Tree-ring growth of polar shrubs under various enviornmental changes
• Effects of changes in plant community on permafrost thermal insulation
• Ecosystem recovery after tundra fire
• Hillslope stabilizing potential and biogeomorphic feedback of High Arctic plant species.

Other Activities

• Website with art & blogs: www.runamagnusson.com
• Socials: Follow me on researchgate or linkedin.
• Teaching: I supervise students during their thesis or internship in Arctic ecology and/or permafrost. I teach in various courses at the Plant Ecology & Nature Conservation Group.
• Round Table Member NWO Earth & Environmental Science
• Member of the Ny-Alesund Terrestrial Ecosystems Flagship

• Polar Research Infrastructure Network (1-12-2024/31-12-2099)
  As a member of the SLP, my responsibilities include:|• Contributing to the identification of research priorities|• Reviewing call documentation and evaluation guidelines|• Participating in the scientific evaluation of proposals, including suggesting external |experts and and reviewing proposals within your expertise|• Participating in consensus meetings to recommend proposals for logistical evaluation|• Optionally following up on the implementation outcomes