NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: physical sciences, soil, landscape disturbance, vegetation, prediction models, botany, biomass, geotechnology, satellite imagery, organic carbon, topography, ground truth survey, biophysics, anthropogenic impacts, ground cover

Project Description: The research team is working to become familiar with the impact of human disturbances on vegetation in northern Canada for their carbon studies. The objective of this study is to collect vegetation and biophysical data for use as verification of ground cover type and disturbance for use in satellite imagery classification and biomass and soil sampling for carbon modeling along the Ingraham Trail. The team will collect information at 50 reconnaissance sites. At these sites, the researchers will gather: the GPS coordinates; digital photos of the landscape; close-up digital photos of major plant species; vegetation composition; crown closure; and, a description of topographic features. The researchers will collect additional information at 10-15 of these sites. At the measurement sites, the researchers will measure: soil organic carbon (30cm by 1m auger, 3 per site); biomass of leaves, stems, and roots for point samples o... Show moref herbaceous and shrub tundra vegetation (invasive sampling on an area of about 1 square metre, 5 per site); soil bulk density (1 square metre pit, to a maximum depth of 1m, 1 per site); and, the Leaf Area Index (LAI) of each vegetative type. The researchers will give Environment Canada a report on the results and also give a report to the Aurora Research Institute. The team is happy to give presentations to any interested parties on this project and their research regarding climate change and land use change using satellite imagery. The study will be conducted along the Ingraham Trail, at a series of picnic spots, hiking trails and territorial campgrounds. The field work will be conducted from July 18 to July 23, 2005. Show less