Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) Active
Examples of thawing landscapes and thermokarst at our field sites
ABoVE: Vulnerability of inland waters and the aquatic carbon cycle to changing permafrost and climate across boreal northwestern North America.
Carbon released from thawing permafrost may fuel terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems or contribute to greenhouse gas emission, leading to a potential warming feedback and further thaw.
Return to Water or Landscape Science >> Arctic – Boreal Catchment Studies
Carbon released from thawing permafrost may fuel terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems or contribute to greenhouse gas emission, leading to a potential warming feedback and further thaw. While we can see the landscape effects of thaw in boreal Alaska, finding and tracking ancient carbon released from thawing permafrost is difficult, due to the rapidity at which it is assimilated into ecosystems or released to the atmosphere. This project aims to rigorously quantify the flux and biogeochemical transformation of ancient carbon from representative landscapes of boreal Alaska using three approaches: 1) detailed characterization of carbon concentration, quality, reactivity, and age in soils, streams, and lakes, 2) geophysical characterization of thawing landscapes and increasing subsurface hydrologic connectivity, and 3) quantification of groundwater – surface water interactions, which control the transport of thawed material from soils to surface waters. Together, these approaches will improve our understanding of how boreal ecosystems thaw. In turn, we will gain information necessary to predict future changes and their implications for water, solute transport, and ecosystems. This project is a collaboration between the USGS and NASA's Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) project.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Arctic – Boreal Catchment Studies
Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Hydrology
Arctic Coastal Plain Studies
Wolverine Glacier Ecosystem Studies
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Wetland Modeling
Nome Creek Experimental Watershed
- Overview
ABoVE: Vulnerability of inland waters and the aquatic carbon cycle to changing permafrost and climate across boreal northwestern North America.
Carbon released from thawing permafrost may fuel terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems or contribute to greenhouse gas emission, leading to a potential warming feedback and further thaw.
Return to Water or Landscape Science >> Arctic – Boreal Catchment Studies
Carbon released from thawing permafrost may fuel terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems or contribute to greenhouse gas emission, leading to a potential warming feedback and further thaw. While we can see the landscape effects of thaw in boreal Alaska, finding and tracking ancient carbon released from thawing permafrost is difficult, due to the rapidity at which it is assimilated into ecosystems or released to the atmosphere. This project aims to rigorously quantify the flux and biogeochemical transformation of ancient carbon from representative landscapes of boreal Alaska using three approaches: 1) detailed characterization of carbon concentration, quality, reactivity, and age in soils, streams, and lakes, 2) geophysical characterization of thawing landscapes and increasing subsurface hydrologic connectivity, and 3) quantification of groundwater – surface water interactions, which control the transport of thawed material from soils to surface waters. Together, these approaches will improve our understanding of how boreal ecosystems thaw. In turn, we will gain information necessary to predict future changes and their implications for water, solute transport, and ecosystems. This project is a collaboration between the USGS and NASA's Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) project.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Arctic – Boreal Catchment Studies
Catchment hydrology focuses on the movement of water and solutes from landscapes to waterbodies. Our research addresses questions such as: Where is the stream water coming from? How long did it take to get here? What solutes, nutrients, and/or contaminants did the water pick up along the way? Because streams and lakes gather water and solutes, we can learn about the entire watershed by studying...Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Hydrology
The Arctic is warming at higher rates than much of the rest of the world. For Alaska, this results in changes in hydrology and ecosystems – permafrost is thawing, changing landscapes and releasing nutrients to soils and streams.Arctic Coastal Plain Studies
The Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) is a large region of low-lying, lake-rich land on the North Slope of Alaska. This region is underlain by thick ground ice, which is susceptible to erosion and thaw. These physical changes are likely to alter ecosystems by changing the availability of habitats and food resources upon which wildlife depends. Our studies on the ACP aim to understand the link between...Wolverine Glacier Ecosystem Studies
This project is an extension of the long-term Wolverine Glacier Benchmark Glacier project and is improving our understanding of solutes and nutrients in glacier basins, and how they fuel downstream ecosystems.Matanuska-Susitna Borough Wetland Modeling
This project aims to improve our understanding of the role of wetlands in controlling streamflow in southcentral Alaska using a groundwater – surface water flow model that can recreate the dynamic interactions between streams and wetlands.Nome Creek Experimental Watershed
The Nome Creek Experimental Watershed (NCEW) has been the site of multiple studies focused on understanding hydrology, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem changes related to permafrost thaw and fire in the boreal forest. - Data