2008 Annual Meeting and Arctic Forum | Abstracts

North American Arctic Transect: The Need for Baseline Observations Along an Extended Arctic Observation Network in Advance of Rapid Melting of the Perennial Ice Cover

Donald (Skip) A. Walker^1
1Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7000, USA, Phone 907-474-2460, ffdaw@uaf.edu

The broad vision for the network of terrestrial observatories includes both intensive ongoing observations at established flagship observatories and observations at a more widely dispersed network of sites that includes important areas of the Arctic that are not represented by the current network. It is also important to consider how the terrestrial network is coordinated with the ocean and sea-ice observing networks.
The North American Arctic Transect was established as part of the “Biocomplexity of Patterned Ground” project ( http://naat.geobotany.org/index.html ). These sites will be highlighted in an upcoming special section of Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences that will include 12 articles devoted to "Biocomplexity of Arctic Terrestrial Environments".

Of special importance are the sites at Mould Bay and Isachsen, which are in the coldest part of the Canadian Archipelago. These sites are cold because they are in the region of perennial sea ice where summer air temperatures are held close to 0 C° all summer. These areas are likely to undergo major changes in climate if the perennial sea ice vanishes. This poster advocates the establishment of baseline observations at these sites before the sea-ice is eliminated and the warming climate eliminates or greatly reduces these two subzones.

It would be highly desirable for the U.S. and Canada to develop the logistic capability for a team of researchers to work at these sites for at least two years to establish the critical terrestrial baseline. Considerations for forming this team include:

• Most importantly these sites are in a rare and endangered bioclimate subzone that is likely to vanish if the perennial sea ice is eliminated.
• Subzone A is an entirely unique bioclimate subzone that is recognized by Russian geobotanists as a completely separate Bioclimate Zone (not just a subzone). Among its unique vegetation properties are an extremely small vascular flora (about 60 species for the entire circumpolar subzone) but a very rich cryptogamic flora: a complete lack of woody plant species and sedges, a dominance of rushes, grasses and a few small hardy forbs, and a lack of peat in wetlands. It has similar faunal uniqueness that has been studied most extensively in Russia by Chernov.
• There is a long term climate record at both sites dating back to the 1940s.
• There is a good long runway at Mould Bay, and an adequate runway at Isachsen.
• There are good camp facilities at Mould Bay and poor, but adequate, accommodations at Isachsen.
• A good foundation of observations for future studies was established during the “Biocomplexity of Patterned Ground” studies: http://www.geobotany.uaf.edu/library/reports/#bc_reports.
• The sites could also serve for sea-ice, oceanographic, and snow studies and could be linked to a truly integrated examination of the ocean-land observations in what will likely be an area of extremely dynamic changes as the perennial ice melts.