Arctic Field Projects
Project Title: IPY: Understanding the Impacts of Icy Permafrost Degradation and Thermokarst-Lake Dynamics in the Arctic on Carbon Cycling, CO2 and CH4 emissions, and Feedbacks to Climate Change (Award# 0732735)
PI: Walter Anthony, Katey M (kmwalteranthony@alaska.edu)
Phone: (907) 479.7300
Institute/Department: U of Alaska, Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology
IPY Project? YES
Funding Agency: US\Federal\NSF\OD\OPP\ARC\ARCSS
Program Manager: Dr. Neil Swanberg (nswanber@nsf.gov)
Discipline(s): | Cryosphere | Geological Sciences |
Science Summary:
This research integrates field studies in a range of disciplines (geomorphology, geophysics, paleoecology, hydrology, limnology) with process modeling of permafrost thaw, lake formation, carbon cycling, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to understand how permafrost degradation in the Arctic, particularly thermokarst-lake (TKL) evolution, affects long-term atmospheric trace gas dynamics by releasing ancient carbon (C) stored in permafrost as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). The overarching goals of the IPY/NSF solicitation are met in the short term (2007-2009), by (1) describing comprehensively the state of thermokarst (permafrost degradation) in Siberia and Alaska, (2) quantifying its impact on landscape configuration through the alteration of surface geomorphology and drainage patterns, (3) estimating its impacts on the C cycle via enhanced GHG (CO2, CH4) emissions, and (4) examining its potential to influence global climate — potential C release from thawing permafrost in Siberia alone totals >50% of the current atmospheric C burden. The IPY goals are met in the long term by establishing (1) a legacy of geographic, stratigraphic and process data from permafrost regions and data on thermokarst dynamics (past, present and future), (2) a working model of thermokarst processes, (3) scenarios of thermokarst- GHG emissions driven by climate change from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the year 2200, and (4) an enhancement of collaborations within the Arctic Observing Network at observatories in North Siberia (Cherskii) and Alaska (Toolik Lake), and work with international collaborators at Bristol University (UK), the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research and the Max Planck Institute for Microbiology (both Germany) and the Permafrost Institute, Yakutsk (Russia). The project will be integrated with other IPY certified projects: “Permafrost Observatories: Thermal State of Permafrost (IPY-ID 50)”, “Arctic Circum-Polar Coastal Observatory Network (IPY-ID 90)”, and “Carbon Pools in Permafrost Regions (IPY-ID 373).”
Logistics Summary:
This grant supports the PI’s efforts to better understand the impacts of permafrost degradation and thermokarst lake dynamics in the Arctic on carbon cycling, CO2 and CH4 emissions, and feedbacks to climate change. The researchers plan to collect permafrost cores from drained lake basins and lake cores from thermokarst lakes. Study sites encompass Cherskii and Yakutsk, in Russia, as well as the Seward Peninsula, in Alaska. Researchers will conduct field work from 2008 – 2012. - Alaska work - After an early 2008 reconnaissance trip, up to 8 researchers will establish self-supported camps on the Seward Peninsula in July, August, and October. During these field visits the researchers will conduct surveys and methane sampling. For the July trip, the team will put-in early in the month from Shishmaref via boat. For the August trip, the team will assemble in Kotzebue and put in via float plane. From a planned base camp at Lake Rhonda, they will hike to various local lakes and drained basins. After a week or so, a small team will hike to Soymilk Lake, where they will establish a satellite camp from which to base for sampling. The others will continue at Lake Rhonda before moving the base camp (via air support) during the last week in August. They will spend about a week sampling locally before field take out, expected around 3-4 September. In mid-October 2008, a team of six will be flown to the Shishmaref base from Nome via fixed-wing aircraft. Due to the time of year, the field put-in of personnel and gear will follow via helicopter shuttles. The team will work for about a week and during this time, a two-person team from the LA Times will visit the researchers in the field for several days before departing via helicopter sent to move the camp to a second site at Cape Espenberg. At the time of the camp move, two researchers will depart, with two new members taking their places. After another week of sampling, the team will pull out of the field site and return to Shishmaref via helicopter around November 7. The camp infrastructure and empty fuel containers will be removed via fixed-wing airplane around the same time. In March/April 2009, a team of researchers (no more than 10 on site at once) will core lake samples at a CPS-supported camp on Cape Espenberg, with a goal to extract up to 200m of lake sediment, the majority of which will be shipped to the LacCore storage facility at the University of Minnesota. In late March an advance team of five (including a CPS camp manager) will assemble in Nome and travel with science and camp cargo to the field site via snowmachine; once at the field site, they will establish the camp. At the beginning of April, seven researchers will join the advance team and science operations will begin. The focus of this spring camp will be extracting, stabilizing, documenting, and packing for shipment lake cores & permafrost samples, in addition to work with ground penetrating radar. A crew change-out will occur mid April (along with resupply and ice core retrograde) via chartered skiplane. For the 2010 work, two researchers will visit the Cape Espenberg field site in mid-June, spending about 3 days in the field downloading data, servicing installations, and sampling. A larger team will return in August for more extensive activities. They will camp at Lake Rhonda and Claudi Lake, working for about two weeks total in the field. In 2011, the final year of field work for the project, four researchers will visit the Toolik Field Station in April to sample lakes for CH4 emissions along the Dalton Highway to add to their data set for comparison. A team of three will return in July for follow-up studies. They will base out of Marion Creek Campground and Toolik Field Station. Additionally a small team of two will work on the Seward Peninsula in June. The team will travel by float plane to up to twelve sites to maintain remote dataloggers and cameras. The team will camp with the pilot in the field. In spring 2012, 2 researchers will return to the AK field sites for about a week to retrieve the instruments. -Russia work- Researchers will make field expeditions to Cherskii in August and October 2009 for sampling, surveys, and lake coring. In 2010, attempts were made for sampling lakes around Cherskii but due to poor conditions, the team of 2 will move to Yakutsk to conduct sampling. A six-person team will return to Cherskii in August 2011 for 19 days to finish field work started previously.
UNAVCO will provide GPS equipment and training. IAB will provide access to infrastructure and services at Toolik Field Station.CPS support in Alaska varies depending on field date – support may include remote subsistence, equipment, air charters, fuel, freight for CPS & research gear, storage, and safety/communications equipment. For Toolik support, CPS will provide user days. In Russia, CPS support consists of user days, travel within Russia, and subcontracts with Russian field stations. All other logistics will be provided by the researchers from the grant including hiring of local labor, as well as local trail guides and boatmen.
| Season | Field Site | Date In | Date Out | #People |
| 2008 | Alaska - Cape Espenberg | 10 / 31 / 2008 | 11 / 08 / 2008 | 4 |
| 2008 | Alaska - Lake Rhonda | 08 / 11 / 2008 | 09 / 03 / 2008 | 9 |
| 2008 | Alaska - Seward Peninsula | 08 / 10 / 2008 | 09 / 04 / 2008 | 9 |
| 2008 | Alaska - Shishmaref | 07 / 06 / 2008 | 10 / 31 / 2008 | 9 |
| 2009 | Alaska - Cape Espenberg | 03 / 27 / 2009 | 04 / 25 / 2009 | 15 |
| 2009 | Russia - Cherskii | 7 | ||
| 2010 | Alaska - Cape Espenberg | 06 / 21 / 2010 | 08 / 31 / 2010 | 7 |
| 2010 | Russia - Cherskii | 7 | ||
| 2011 | Alaska - Seward Peninsula | 06 / 19 / 2011 | 06 / 23 / 2011 | 2 |
| 2011 | Alaska - Toolik | 04 / 06 / 2011 | 07 / 25 / 2011 | 7 |
| 2011 | Russia - Cherskii | 07 / 29 / 2011 | 08 / 18 / 2011 | 6 |
| 2012 | Alaska - Seward Peninsula | 2 | ||
| 2012 | Alaska - Toolik | 2 |
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