Abstracts
SEARCH Open Science Meeting
October 27, 2003
Seattle, Washington, USA
Biocomplexity of Frost Boil Ecosystems: Models for Analyzing Self-Organization Across the Arctic Bioclimate Gradient
Donald (Skip) Walker1
1Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907 474 2460, Fax 907 474 2459, ffdaw@uaf.edu
Frost boils are small, often regularly spaced, barren or sparsely vegetated circular patches that develop in the Arctic through processes of frost heave. They appear to be particularly sensitive to differences in climate. These features occur on most level surfaces with moderate site conditions and offer an opportunity to study the response of disturbed and undisturbed surfaces across the full Arctic bioclimate gradient.
Frost-boil morphology varies dramatically across the Arctic bioclimate gradient due to complex interactions between the physical and biological components of the system (ice lenses, soils, and vegetation). Biogeochemical cycling within the soil is affected by a combination of biological and physical processes operating within the boil. A vegetation succession model (ArcVeg) describes how vegetation responds to differences in climate and disturbance regimes. A differential frost-heave (DFH) model describes the physical processes involved in the self-organization of frost boils. A conceptual model shows how the strengths of the various interactions between the physical and biological components vary under different climate regimes. A major goal of the project is to link the physical and biological models to help explain how frost heave, in concert with the vegetation, responds to differences in climate and disturbance regimes.
Starting in 2002, a team of researchers from the US and Canada began studying frost-boil ecosystems at a network of 11 study sites along a transect from Happy Valley, Alaska to Ellef Ringnes Island, Canada and two sites in Russia. The interdisciplinary project has five major components: Climate and Permafrost, Soils and Biogeochemical Cycling, Vegetation, Ecosystem Modeling, and Education (See abstract by Gould and Walker regarding integrating Frost-Boil Biocomplexity Science and Education). Vegetation, active layer and snow depth have been mapped in 18 10x10-m grids. Climate stations, soil-heave monitoring and detailed soils descriptions and analysis has been conducted at all the research grids.
Abstract Categories: Changes on Land
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