Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Coastal Cryolithozone of the Russian Arctic  (CoCRA)

Outline
The project CoCRA will produce an integrated analysis of the coastal land/shelf cryolithozone (permafrost) of the Russian Arctic, including the past and future trends in climate and landscape changes, including contemporary natural environments and related parameters of the continental and shelf cryolithozone. Special attention will be given to ground ice, its role in the formation of modern environments and prediction of hazardous cryogenic processes resulting from ground ice thaw along the coasts and on the sea floor. Characteristics of the cryolithosphere as a reservoir of biogenic greenhouse gases and organic matter, potentially capable of release into the atmosphere under the impact of geological factors and climatic changes causing permafrost thawing or destruction will be analysed. The project provides an integrated approach to the study of natural conditions in the coastal zone for the past, modern and future periods using GIS technology. The main product is the development of coastal and subsea maps compiled based on an uniform landscape-geological base map, and a set of respective attributive tables. These include a landscape map, a vegetation map, permafrost conditions map, a map of massive ground ice distribution, a map of unfavorable and hazardous cryogenic processes, a map of the Arctic coast types and a map of dynamic types of coasts. Respective databases will be compiled. In addition, sediment, soluble salts, organic matter, methane and carbon dioxide contents in the main stratigraphic horizons in permafrost will be estimated. Their release into the Arctic ocean under the coastal destruction, and into the atmosphere at permafrost thaws will be predicted. Biodiversity of viable paleobiological objects, preserved within permafrost will be characterized. Field work will include logging and sampling of the sections with boreholes at the key sites, and field interpretation of remote-sensing data. Laboratory tests will be directed to obtain data on geochemical (especially organic), and microbiological properties of permafrost and ground ice.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
For the first time integrated characteristics will be obtained concerning natural conditions in this arctic e region and their interactions: climate and permafrost; ocean and land, vegetation, permafrost and climate; in and taking into account predicted natural and man-induced changes.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Several international projects are currently underway with the International Permafrost Association members and programs: ACD/ACCO with IASC sponsored workshops; CALM with U.S. NSF funding. Foreign participants include AWI, Germany, University of Alaska ,; Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), and the University of Oslo, Norway.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Field work will be linked to the key sites with long records for those parameters of concern. These are coastal sites of Kara-Barents seas region (Pechora mouth, Varanday, Kolguev island, Yugorsky, Yamal and Taimyr peninsulas), Laptev and East-Siberian seas region (Lena Delta, Kolyma river mouth and Novosibirskie islands).

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 07-09/2007 – 07-09/2008            
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Helicopter will be required for some remote sites. Drilling and sampling equipment for both subsea and land-based drilling will be needed. High-resolution satellite images for the key sites and all-Arctic coverage images will be needed.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
A monitoring network will be extended within the project framework that later can become part of other international observatory networks (TSP/INPO, CEON, ACCO).

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

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
The project is included in the National Russian program for IPY and approved by foreign co-participants, including the International Permafrost Association and its Coastal and Offchore Working Group

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?


Project can be in part considered an extension of ACD and the proposed ACCO, and several INTAS-funded and CALM projects; but it also incorporates new tasks to achieve an integrated result.

How will the project be organised and managed?
Earth Cryosphere Institute SB RAS will be the project coordinator. Workshops at national and international conferences will be used to develop implementation plans, the earliest being an annual international Pushchino permafrost conference in Russia (May 05) and 2nd European permafrost conference in Potsdam, Germany (June 05). Teams within RAS will work under the leadership of Earth Cryosphere Institute as contractors. Workshops will be arranged as needed to coordinate further work. A general meeting is planned after the first year to make modifications to the final plans

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
All national projects will include young researchers. Students will be involved from Moscow State University, Tyumen State Oil and Gas University, St-Petersburg State University, Makarov Marine Academy, Yakutian State University,and others..Data obtained will be used for degree works and for lecturing in these Universities.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
A special web site will be arranged at the Earth Cryosphere Institute (www.ikz.ru) for publication and dissemination of the results. Final data sets will be archived at international data centres and issued on CDs.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Funding is expected from national and regional governments (Federal Programs), national and international research funds (RFBR, INTAS), budget of RAS, and where possible private sources such as oil and gas companies.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
Russian participants in addition to Universities listed in 3.3 and leading Earth Cryosphere Institute SB RAS, Tyumen, are Melnikov Permafrost Institute SB RAS, Yakutsk, Institute of Physicochemical & Biological Problems in Soil Science RAS, Pushchino, Institute of Geoecology RAS, PNIIIS and VNIIOceangeology. Planning will be coordinated with IPA.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr.  Alexander. Vasiliev
Earth Cryosphere Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences
P.O.Box 1230, Tyumen
625000
Russia

Tel: +7 345 225 11 53
Mobile: no
Fax: +7 345 225 11 53
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation