Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Annual carbon budget of arctic terrestrial ecosystems.  (CarboArctic)

Outline
A combination of the huge amounts of organic carbon stored in the arctic ecosystems and the climatic change predicted by the global circulation models (IPCC) makes the carbon dynamics of the circumpolar terrestrial ecosystems crucial for understanding the consequences of future changes in the climate of this region.The proposed activities of CarboArctic are designed with the aim of filling out a gap of knowledge which exists in the understanding of the annual carbon cycling of high latitude ecosystems. To do so, the key-activities in CarboArctic build on top of the existing measuring programmes of the North Atlantic region (Zackenberg research station, Bjørnedalen in Svalbard and at Abisko Research station in Northern Sweden). It is proposed that IPY is used as a platform to expand the existing seasonal measurements at the Zackenberg research station to cover the full year at two dominant ecosystem types and to initiate comparable measurements at three additional sites in Greenland (Disko island, Thule and Nuuk) and one near Longyearbyen in Svalbard. Due to the practical problems related to field studies in the high arctic during wintertime no studies have so far measured the importance of the winter in relation to the carbon budget and only very few studies are available in the low- and sub-arctic region (in Alaska and Northern Scandinavia). It is the ambition that measurements of H2O and CO2 fluxes are maintained during the winter of 2007 to 2008 by deploying additional eddy covariance towers at the suggested sites to measure fluxes year round. Open top chambers for measurements of both CO2 and CH4 fluxes will be installed in all major ecosystem types at each site to ensure that the best possible estimate is obtained also for the winter period at a landscape level. The flux data will be coupled with analysis of vegetation composition, biomass and total soil and microbial C and N pools at each site.The suggested sites will create a transects of comparable measurements, which in combination with ongoing measurements in Northern Scandinavia enable an evaluation of the effects climatic warming on the exchange of CO2 and CH4, by providing a gradient not only in latitude but also in temperature and vegetative composition. Further, the observed data will be utilized to tune and validate a regional climate/local biogeochemical model system which will be set up as part of the project. Once optimised and validated the model system will be used to simulate past (1958-2008) and future (2008-2100) fluxes of CO2 and CH4 at all the sites where observation data exists and possibly also elsewhere. The CarboArctic project envisage the IPY as a golden opportunity for linking the measuring activities in Greenland and Svalbard to the existing programmes(e.g. CarboEuro flux, Nordic Centre for Studies of Ecosystem Carbon Exchange and Ameriflux) and provide comparable information on carbon and CO2 cycling for an important part of the Arctic.In combination with proposed and ongoing carbon exchange studies in the Greenlandic sea CarboArctic will provide valuable and novel scientific knowledge on the carbon cycling of the North Atlantic region, which can be linked to similar studies at lower latitudes.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
Theme 1: The CarboArctic project will provide annual measurements of the carbon exchange from terrestrial ecosystems in Greenland, which is at present day largely unknown.Theme 2: By studying the functional relationship between carbon exchange and prevailing climatic conditions novel knowledge will be added on feedback mechanisms on carbon exchange to climatic changes. The proposed gradient in sites will provide valuable information on spatial variability as well as on effects of future changes in climate and ecosystem distribution.Theme 3: The experimental design of the project will ensure that measurements are directly comparable with ongoing activities in European and American monitoring programmes of gas fluxes. Theme 4: Winter time environmental measurements are rare in the high arctic and the project will add truly new understanding on Arctic ecosystems during this time of year.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Zackenberg Research StationArctic Station at DiskoUNIS (University courses on Svalbard)NECC(Nordic Centre for Studies of Ecosystem Carbon)A number of IPY proposals address bordering topics which CarboArctic will actively seek collaboration with: Permafrost and Carbon Emission(PEACE), ENVISNAR, International Study of Arctic Change(ISAC), Retrospective and Prospective Vegetation Change in the Polar Regions: Back to the Future (BTF), Greening of the Arctic (GOA), ArcEcoChange, STORM, Greenland Gradients: Terrestrial and Marine

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Bjørnedalen, Longyearbyen in Svalbard (78°N) Climatic Sub zone BThule NW Greenland, Bioclim. (76°N) Climatic Sub zone BZackenberg Research station NE Greenland, Bioclim. (74°N) Climatic Sub zone CArctic Station at Disco West Greenland, (69°N) Climatic Sub zone B-CNuuk Southern Greenland Bioclim. (64°N) Climatic Sub zone D

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 06/07-10/08            
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
All sites are located near settlements (townships or research stations) and logistics required to maintain the proposed measurements will be undertaken primarily by personnel already working at these research stations. Instrumental installation and training of staff will be undertaken by experts in this field within the project partner group.Obvious links to other projects with which facilities could be shared are: Greenland Gradients: Terrestrial, BTF, STORM + others

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
It is the intention that the instrumentation acquired as part of the project will remain on sites also after the end of IPY and that measurements will be maintained to the extend that funding can be found. Data from the project will be made available to the scientific community and the public, by following the data handling and processing policy of the major Carbon monitoring programs (e.g. CarboEuroflux) and processed data will be made available through the FLUXNET database.

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

Logistics at the different sites can be obtained though the research stations in Zackenberg, UNIS and at Arctic Station.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
NO - The project is truly new and has not been endorsed yet. Endorsement will be applied for at the Danish national IPY committee.Please refer to: http://www.dpc.dk/Res&Log/IPY/Endorsement.pdf

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 is an expansion of the ongoing monitoring programmes in Zackenberg and builds on the data and experiences obtained over the last ten year (http://www.zackenberg.dk/basic.html). However, the winter time measurements, the instrumentation of the other sites and modelling activities are new activities, which will started as part of IPY as separate project.

How will the project be organised and managed?
A scientific steering committee will be formed among the leading project partners to make certain that all activities within the project are closely coordinated. The steering committee will play an active role from the start of the project period to ensure that the measurements collected during IPY and after will satisfy both the standards of carbon flux databases and the specifications for the modelling activities of the project. The steering committee will also take responsibility for organizing the major project logistic parts of the project as well as communicating prominent scientific results to the public.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
An important part the project will be training and education of young scientists through PhD student grants which will be secured through proposals to the funding agencies. Many of the project partners are associated with educational institutions and will seek active involvement of students at all levels through courses and involvement in fieldwork. Major results of the project will be communicated to the press and through publications in scientific journals. The project will actively seek to involve the local population in the ongoing activities at the measuring sites to assure a frictionless collaboration between researchers and the local community.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
From the planning phase of the project the steering committee of CarboArctic will appoint a data manager to assure that data collected as part of the project are in compliance with the IPY strategy and can made available in a timely manner. Also the data policy of the project will in accordance with the international electronic databases on carbon fluxes (Fluxnet).

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Funding will primarily be secured through proposals to national and European funding agencies (SNF and ESF).

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
Beside those named under project members below number of very qualified persons are involved in the CarboArctic project:Rasmus Ejrnæs, Associate Professor, Arctic Station, 3953 Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland, Morten Rasch, Ph.D.Manager for Zackenberg Research Station, Danish Polar Center , Strandgade 100H , 1401 Copenhagen, Denmark.Reinhardt M. Kristensen, Professor, Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen Charlotte Sigsgaard, Researcher, responsible for Geobasis program, National Environmental research Institute, DenmarkLouise Grøndahl, Ph.D. student, National Environmental research Institute, DenmarkMikkel Tamstorf, Ph.D. National Environmental research Institute, Denmark

PROPOSER DETAILS

Associate Professor Thomas Friborg
University of Copenhagen
Institute of Geography,
Oester Voldgade 10
1350 K
Denmark

Tel: +45 35322500
Mobile: no
Fax: +45 35322501
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation