THIS WORK WILL EXTEND AN IMPORTANT DATA RECORD (SOIL RESPIRATION) FOR THE ABOVE PROJECT FOR AN ADDITIONAL THREE YEARS AT TEN RESEARCH SITES AND THEREFORE HELP ABOVE ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CARBON CYCLE OF BOREAL AND ARCTIC REGIONS OF NORTH AMERICA. THESE MEASUREMENTS WILL HELP US REDUCE THE UNCERTAINTY AND INCREASE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE CARBON DYNAMICS OF SOIL DURING THE SHOULDER SEASONS THAT ARE THE TRANSITION BETWEEN THE NON-GROWING SEASON AND THE GROWING SEASON. THIS IS CRITICAL TO UNDERSTANDING THE OVERALL CARBON BALANCE.