Today we continued our discussions in the Barrow Arctic
Science Center (BARC) with a focus on current research activities taking place
on the BEO. I began with a presentation of the NGEE Arctic project and how we
are working to bring together field and laboratory researchers and modelers. I
emphasized that the Arctic Coastal Plain, with its mixed of distinct landscape
features like polygons, thaw lakes, and drained thaw lake basins, provides a
great opportunity to test our multi-scale observations and models in support of
improved climate prediction. There was good discussion about our long-term
goals and how the BEO could help us achieve those through logistical support.
This encompassed not only what UMIAQ could do to assist us with our field
studies, but also how laboratory space might be optimized for the types of
research we would like to conduct locally as opposed to shipping samples back
to our home institutions. Here the discussion turned to possibly providing
resources like balances and drying ovens for sample preparation and analysis.
Craig Tweedie from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
then presented an overview of several studies that he is conducting on the BEO
and surrounding area. Craig and his students have worked in Barrow for many
years. They have conducted extensive vegetation surveys and developed
vegetation cover maps for the Barrow Peninsula. One of Craig’s passions
involves finding historical research sites, for example those conducted as part
of the International Biological Program (IBP), and resampling plots that were
established in the 1970s. In so doing, he and his students have not only been
able to identify and preserve sites and rescue datasets, but use those to map
changes in vegetation and other landscape features over time. This is pretty
fascinating research, especially given how some of this information can be
applied to questions being asked about environmental change in the Arctic. A
lot of these data can be found at the Barrow Area Information Database (BAID)
web site (http://baid.utep.edu/).
We also heard a brief, but informative, presentation by
Salvatore Losacco who worked in Barrow this winter and maintained a year-round
eddy covariance system for measuring CO2 and CH4 flux
from the tundra near the southern edge of the BEO. Salvatore is a marine
biologist and oceanographer, and is providing technical support to a project led
by Donatella Zona. Most eddy covariance systems are put up in the spring and
taken down in the fall because as sensitive instruments they require a fair bit
of maintenance during the harsh Arctic winters. I am not aware of any
year-round measurements of CO2 and CH4 using the eddy
covariance system; until now. And according to Salvatore, it was not easy to
keep the instruments running given the cold and dark conditions. However,
thanks to Salvatore and some exciting stories, it looks like they were
successful and now this team has a lot of data to analyze, interpret, and then
publish. This should be valuable information.
Tomorrow I will transition to field research. I will dust
off our hydraulic drill rig, work with UMIAQ staff to change fluids, and then
test the system in anticipation of others from ORNL and LBNL arriving next
week. I also took a quick drive out towards our research site this afternoon
and counted several dozen caribou in the distance. I understand that caribou
have spent the last few months near Barrow and that we might expect some
equipment damage given their numbers in the vicinity of our research plots.
Apparently caribou are not too careful when grazing tundra interspersed with
research instruments. Two years ago Arctic foxes created some headaches by
chewing through cables and tubing to some of our equipment. These are the
constant challenges of a field scientist!
Here are a few pictures of the terrestrial and marine
environments near Barrow. The first picture shows the boardwalk and trail
mat that protect the tundra from repeated foot traffic leading
several miles out to our field plots that are covered in deep, hard-packed snow. As I took pictures, a snowy owl flew past me only a few
inches above the ground. I'll be sure to keep an eye open for owls as we begin our field research. They are
beautiful birds that we frequently see catching and carrying lemmings to
their nests in the spring. The second picture shows that the Arctic Ocean is,
as it should be this time of year, covered with sea ice. A little bit of
clearing in the clouds helps differentiate land from sky. Otherwise it can be
difficult to orient yourself relative to the horizon.
