Our study area is in central Siberia. In Fig. 1, the region within the trapezoid box is the International Geosphere – Biosphere Programme (IGBP) West Siberian transect. This area was selected for international collaboration by the IGBP Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems (GCTE) program and is located along the Yenisey River meridian (92jE) from the Arctic to the Mongolian desert.