What will happen to the reindeer as the planet warms?

"I’m committed to long-term research projects on individuals. That’s the way we unravel the natural history.

Work to help monitor the impact of climate change on the Arctic reindeer population by Professor Steve Albon of the James Hutton Institute is featured in the March issue of the Smithsonian magazine. The article "As the Planet Warms, What Happens to the Reindeer?" is written by author Helen Fields who visited the research team on the Arctic island of Spitsbergen, in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.

Speaking to Fields, Professor Albon said: "I’m committed to long-term research projects on individuals. That’s the way we unravel the natural history." He has been monitoring the Arctic reindeer population since 1995 having spent earlier periods in his career studying antelope in Kenya and red deer on the Scottish island of Rum.

The work of the research team is monitoring how well the reindeer survive in different weather conditions and has shown that during rainy winters they struggle to get enough to eat as the wet ground turns to ice encasing the vegetation.

More information

Read the article and watch the video on the Smithsonian Magazine website