Collaborative Research: IRES Track 1: Transarctic Connections: Linking Alaskan Students with Finnish Arctic Scientists for Research in the Rapidly Changing Arctic

University Of Alaska Anchorage Campus, Anchorage AK

Investigators

Abstract

Quantifying carbon stored in the wetlands of Finnish Lapland and the hydroclimate patterns that control these carbon stocks will help to understand the role of the Arctic in future global climate changes. This IRES project will partner with the University of Oulu and Pallas Field Station to train U.S. students in field-based geoscience methods to determine how shifting climate patterns influence polar wetlands and their fate in the carbon cycle. This project will use cutting edge field, laboratory, and modeling-based methods to better understand rapidly changing environmental conditions in high northern latitudes and to train the next generation of scientists on issues especially relevant to Arctic stakeholders. Four students from Alaska (including Alaska Natives and those from 2-year colleges) will be recruited each year and travel to Finland to learn about science and experience the rapidly changing Arctic beyond what is seen in Alaska (USA). Peatlands are wetlands that accumulate and store carbon-rich organic matter. The fate of this carbon under a warming climate, which is changing hydrological patterns, has important consequences for global climate feedbacks. High northern latitude peatlands store large stocks of carbon, possibly equivalent to around 25% (600 Gt) of the global soil carbon and likely twice that of Earth’s forests. However, current estimates of peatland carbon stocks vary by over 100% (~500-1,000GtC), as estimates are largely based on methods used to assess carbon changes through time, not space. These data likely do not reflect the actual volume of carbon in a peatland due to differences in topography and peat composition. To address this, we will investigate hydroclimate patterns and estimate peatland carbon stocks across basins with a combination of ground penetrating radar (GPR), sediment cores, and water isotope-based climate models. Through this approach, we will test the following research questions: 1) How much carbon is stored in the Pallas area peatlands? 2) What is the spatial and temporal variability of various source water contributions to peatlands? 3) How do different water residence times impact changes in peatland ecohydrology? 4) How does variable shallow-surface hydrology impact the flux of carbon (CO2 or CH4) from these systems? and 5) Does hydrology control peatland depth? This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.