Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Canada #123: Multi-proxy climate reconstruction in the Canadian Arctic and Quebec  (Multi-proxy climate reconstruction in the Canadian Arctic and Quebec)

Outline
Climate reconstructions from high arctic sites and polar regions in Quebec and northern Sweden show contradictory results. While arctic sites show an increase of temperature over the last hundred years, reconstructions in northern Quebec and northern Sweden show a decrease of temperature during the Holocene. The lack of numerous reconstructions between the high arctic and northern Quebec do not allow us to understand this discrepancy. Where do the climate change from increasing to decreasing temperature ranges? Are these discrepancies really due to different climate or are they due to the limitations of the reconstruction techniques? To answer these two questions, climate will be reconstructed using the sediment of various lakes in from northern Quebec to Ellesmere island, in an international effort to try to understand the climate variability of polar regions at high resolution over the last 2000 years. A multi-proxy approach will be taken to reconstruct temperature changes using headcapsules of chironomids (non-biting midges) and cladocera, pH changes using diatoms, precipitation using pollen and macrofossils, cover of the ice-season using sedimentological analyses and chemical changes of lake ecosystems through time. The chemical analysis is only possible at INRS-ETE where a new paleoecological laboratory is being installed with an ITRAX scanner allowing the chemical analysis of complete cores in a non-destructive way. Although some indicators have already been used to reconstruct climate in polar regions, they have never been used all together (multi-proxy analysis) and the chemical analyses has never been linked to climate changes. By using sedimentological, biological and chemical analyses, we hope to better understand the effect of climate change on lake ecosystems. Before using all factors to reconstruct climate, their present distribution in various lakes of the polar regions will have to be studied to determine their link to climate (training set). This project includes to determine the present environmental status of the polar regions and to quantify, and understand, past and present natural environmental in the polar regions. With the help of modelers at INRS we hope to be able to improve projections of future change by integrating paleodata into modeling.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
Current state of the polar region: By developing a training set, biological (chironomids, diatoms), sedimentological (grain size) and chemical parameters of about 100 lakes in polar regions will be described and their status will be linked to present climate. Change in the polar regions: Reconstructions will determine how climate and lake ecosystems have change through time over the last 2000 years. The natural variability of climate and ecosystem will be determine, as long as the effect of human activities on polar regions. Polar-global linkages and interaction: Climate and ecosystem changes will be compared with reconstructions Quebec which are being analysed.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Isabelle Larocque and Pierre Francus, INRS-ETE. Reinhard Pienitz U. Laval, Quebec. Christian Bigler. Umea University. Sweden., Brigitta Ammann. Bern University. Switzerland. Other possible collaborations with scientists in the States, Canada, Norway and Russia are being discussed.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Southampton Island, Baffin Island, Iqaluit, northern Quebec

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 06/2005 – 08/2005      06/2006 – 08/2006      06/2007 – 08/2007
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Helicopter transportation, installation of meteo stations, ITRAX scanner at INRS-ETE With planning of field work between projects, costs of helicopter can be shared between projects. Data from the meteo stations can be used by other projects. The ITRAX scanner can be available to any project.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
Meteorological data will be installed in many polar regions

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

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
This pre-proposal has been reviewed and is being submitted by the Canadian Steering Committee (CSC). Ongoing discussions will integrate this pre-proposal into a larger network of related national and international initiatives. The CSC has initially sorted this pre-proposal into: Ecosystems Terrestrial Processes

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?
New

It is a new autonomous proposal, but existing climate reconstructions previously made by members of the group will be used to limit the climate reconstructions to be made in this new initiative.

How will the project be organised and managed?
Members in the program will be part of the Steering Committee. Most of the work will be done by I. Larocque at INRS-ETE but one post-doctoral researcher will be hired to manage the program. This management program has been tried in ArcticNet at U. Laval and seems to be successful. We plan to interact directly with this group and profit from their management experience.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
A postdoctoral fellow will be hired for the project management. We think to employ 2 Ph.D. students, one master student and two students to help with fieldwork. We also plan to hire a on-site help at each studied site to help determine the lakes to use.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
Paleodata will be managed by NOAA (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/)

How is it proposed to fund the project?

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
None

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr Isabelle Larocque
490 De La Couronne
Quebec, Quebec
G1V 9A9
Canada

Tel: 1-418-654-3115
Mobile: no
Fax: 1-418-654-2600
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation