“The Alexandra Fiord lowland, as an example of a polar oasis, provides an excellent opportunity to study the developmental potential of the high-arctic ecosystem. When physical environmental constraints such as moisture and temperature are moderated, as in the Alexandra Fiord lowland, the development of the system is comparable to that of the Low Arctic. The development of cover and biomass in arctic vegetation appears to be regulated by site moisture, but species performance (i.e. developmental variables such as breaking of dormancy, shoot elongation, flowering, etc.) appears to be regulated by nutrients and temperature. Under conditions of climatic amelioration (Billings, 1982), the vegetation of the High Arctic has the potential to become considerably more lush in character.”

– Ecology of  a Polar Oasis, Josef Svoboda and Bill Freedman (1994)

A well-trod path at Alexandra Fiord