Expressions of Intent for IPY 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

The determinants of multi-trophic interactions in a High Arctic landscape  (HATIA: High Arctic Trophic Interactions)

Outline
Ecologists have long debated the significance of trophic interactions in determining the distribution and abundance of organisms. The question of which factors determine when and where predators (top-down forces), resources (bottom-up forces), or climatic influences dominates in different ecosystems remains one of the great problems in ecology. Answers to these questions are essential for predicting ecosystem responses to disturbance, and for developing viable strategies for conserving biodiversity, restoring degraded habitats, and managing the consequences of climate change. Unfortunately, existing ecosystem data from the High Arctic consists mostly of summer data. This calls for a year round field study unravelling the ecosystem dynamics and animal behaviour during the 9-10 months of snow cover. The collared lemming and the muskox are important high arctic species showing seasonally related patterns of habitat use. The interactions of these species with winter pastures and the combined effect of the seasonal shifts in habitat use is, however, poorly known.A year round study based on satellite/radio-tracking of lemmings and muskoxen and plant enclosures to enlighten the seasonal variability in habitat use, activity pattern, food quality, resource utilisation, predator abundance, snow distribution, and temperature all affecting the ecology of herbivore and plant systems. The high arctic research station at Zackenberg is probably the only place in the Arctic where trophic interaction can be studied on the basis of nine years of ecological back ground data from the summer season.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
HATIA will contribute as follows:Theme 1: HATIA will provide an improved understanding of the determinants in the linkages between trophic levels in the high arctic ecosystem Theme 2: This understanding will provide a basis for estimating changes in the high arctic ecosystem.Theme 3: The High Arctic provides a relatively simple ecosystem that can be used to investigate interactions between trophic levels – such knowledge can be important for understanding more complicated mechanisms in more complex ecosystems at lower latitudes.Theme 4: Year round biological studies in the High Arctic is quite a new challenge in Greenland and the rest of the worldTheme 6: HATIA will provide a basis for estimating changes in the basic living conditions for people in arctic environments.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
IPY proposal. Greenland Gradients: Terrestrial: Ecosystem Processes Across Climatic Gradients in Greenland IPY proposal. STORM: Establishment of a circumpolar monitoring program focussing on spatiotemporal trends in the snow cover in terrestrial ecosystems at a landscape scale. Biobasis - http://www.zackenberg.dkGeobasis - http://www.zackenberg.dkIt is intended to establish co-operation with research on Svalbard.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Zackenberg, Northeast Greenland (http://www.zackenberg.dk )Svalbard, tentatively

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 09/06-09/07            
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Year round logistical support. Transportation and supplies for over-wintering. These facilities can easily be shared with other programs operation in the area.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
Study Plots

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
NO - No national endorsement of IPY proposals has yet been made in Denmark, but the programme falls within the national IPY priority “Arctic Climate – Variability, Change and Impacts.” Furthermore, it fits well in the recommendation by the Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland, that stress the need for research on biodiversity, population dynamics, trophic interactions and ecosystem functioning along climatic gradients in Greenland, which is further echoed by the Danish National IPY committee.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
YES
The project will provide essential information about an extremely important part of the annual life cycle of two of the key herbivores of the high arctic and their forage and foraging conditions. Hence, the project supplements existing activities in Zackenberg by filling a serious gap in the knowledge of habitat relations, herbivores and predators during winter.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The programme will be run by the National Environmental Research Institute, Department of Arctic Environment, Denmark. It is intended to establish co-operation with the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, the University of Copenhagen, and the Danish Polar Center. The HATIA researchers will form a Steering Committee, most likely with one of the participating Danish researchers as the leader. The Steering Committee will be responsible for designing and operating the project. The Steering Committee will also be responsible for courses and coordination meeting for staff members and for publishing and reporting of results.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
Like work already performed at Zackenberg Research Station, extensive communication efforts will be directed towards the general public in Greenland, Denmark and internationally, and like all programmes at Zackenberg extensive training of masters and PhD students will take place. See www.zackenberg.dk.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document)?
Data will be organised into one database administered by NERI and linked to the Zackenberg databases. Data will be public domain.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
National funding agencies, Nordic Council of MinistersPrivate Foundation

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
Initial contacts with Norwegian researchers.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Director of Department, DSc Jesper Madsen
National Environmental Research Institute
Department of Arctic Environment
P.O. Box 358, Roskilde
4000
Denmark

Tel: +45 4630 1940
Mobile:
Fax: +45 4630 1914
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation

Other Information