Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Complete Carbon Assessment by Ground Ranging and Echoing for Arctic/Boreal Regions  (COCO GRANDE)

Outline
According to the IPCC projection, the global warming is expected most conspicuous in the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, which in turn is expected to result in massive vegetation change. COCO GRANDE is a multinational campaign of assessing complete carbon budget of the Arctic/Boreal terrestrial ecosystems using airborne laser altimetry (ALA) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) with intentions of 1) resolving the issues of missing carbon, 2) responding to the needs for quantifying terrestrial carbon flux in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, and 3) detecting the highly likely vegetation change due to warming climate in the circum-arctic regions of the globe. The airborne laser altimetry is a state-of-art technology, which enables us precise measurement of the clearance between the aircraft and any ground features at a frequency up to 50,000 Hz to result in a continuous profile of the vegetation cover, which further in turn can be calibrated into accurate estimates of standing terrestrial biomass and carbon stock therein. Repeated measurements over the same transect at an interval of only a few years has already been proved to result in an accurate assessment of carbon flux through terrestrial ecosystems. A total of some 20 transects, each extending NS from the northern end of the temperate zone all across the boreal zone well into tundra, in North America and Eurasia including Scandinavia are to be flown at least twice at an interval of a few to several years so as to access carbon flux through the terrestrial ecosystems and detect vegetation change as the difference in biomass distribution.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
The distribution of terrestrial biomass carbon in boreal/arctic regions and its temporal change to be revealed by this project should help clarify the lingering issue of missing carbon, and as a result help reduce the uncertainty associated with future projections of greenhouse gas concentration and climate warming. The project takes advantage of the northern polar region as a vantage points, in which not only warming but also other associated change in vegetation and other earth system processes are expected to appear well ahead of temperate and tropical regions as a telltale sign for the rest of the world. With over 3000 weather stations and some 50 stations for CO2 monitoring world over, the monitoring of vegetation is the weakest link in observation of the earth system. The proposed project will strengthen this weakest link.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
The project was conceived in an international workshop involving Japan, USA, Canada, Sweden and Russia and developed into an IPY proposal. The circumpolar airborne laser profiling missions will be flown in close scientific and funding collaboration at least of Japan, USA, Canada and Sweden

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
A total of some 20 transects, each extending NS from the northern end of the temperate zone all across the boreal zone well into tundra, in North America and Eurasia including Scandinavia.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: TBC            
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Helicopters and small fixed wing aircrafts to fly the airborne laser altimetry missions. Snowmobiles may also be necessary for ground truthing in the areas accessible only when ground is deeply frozen.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
The precisely geo-referenced distribution of biomass to be established along all of the 20 circumpolar transects should provide sound reference of climate and vegetation change in the next IPY expected in 2057-2058 or any other projects in the future associated with global change studies.

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

The project primarily depends on commercial operators, but may have some support from such national agencies as Polar Continental Shelf Project of Canada and NASA of USA.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Endorsed by the Japanese National IPY Committee organized under the auspices of the Science Council of Japan.

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

Similar project but at minor scale has been run by Ehime University for the past several years, developing into a continental scale involving some 7 airborne laser profiling transects in Arctic North America to be flown in 2005-2007 by funding from the Japanese Ministry of Environment and support in kind by NASA.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The project will be managed by the principal investigator and co-investigators listed in 4.0 PROPOSER DETAILS as well as by those not listed due to space limitation with managerial, logistical and financial assistance from the organizations to which the PIs belong as well as the National Institute of Polar Research (Japan), the Science Council of Japan.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
This project will provide many graduate students with opportunities to be involved in the field campaign of airborne laser altimetry and ground truthing, as well as in analysis and interpretation of the field data for estimate of biomass distribution. The highlights of the results having potential of publicity will be used in various outreach and educational programs of the institutions to which the investigators belong.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
The original data resulting from this project are to be shared equally but exclusively among the investigators and their associates involved with the projects for a year or two partly to ensure research priority and partly to prevent erroneous data to go public. After this custody period, the data shall be made publicly accessible along with the highlights of the project.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
As far as Japan is concerned, funding from the Ministry of Education, Science and Education, the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) and Ministry of Environment is expected. Co-investigators will apply for similar funding available in their own countries.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
None

PROPOSER DETAILS

Professor Tatsuo Sweda
Ehime University
3-5-7 Tarumi
Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
790-8566
Japan

Tel: 81-89-946-9878
Mobile: 090-9456-2736
Fax: 81-89-946-9878
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation