NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: physical sciences, vegetation, climate change, atmospheric sciences

Objective(s): To increase the knowledge of how tundra environments interact with the atmosphere and predict how changing tundra vegetation will affect future climates.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5115. The overall goal of this project is to increase our knowledge of how tundra environments interact with the atmosphere and predict how changing tundra vegetation will affect future climates. Tundra ecosystems exchange energy, water and carbon gases with the atmosphere, which are important elements of the climate system. As tundra vegetation reorganizes in response to global warming, these exchange will be altered and affect the rate and extent of warming. The research is based around 4 semi-permanent flux tower sites, having been previously established in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. These sites represent four tundra types common in the Daring Lake region: sedge meadow, heath upland tundra, low shrub and tall shrub. At each site, the research team has a semi-permanent tower (3-4 m high) outfitted with equipment to monitor meteorological variables (e.g., temperature, humidity and wind speed), energy fluxes of heat and water, and carbon dioxide exchange. Two of the towers (meadow and heath) also have equipment that measures methane exchange. At each tower, soil temperature and soil water status are measured. The measurements from this equipment are logged on data loggers and retrieved for later computer analysis. In addition to these continuous measurements, observations of snow depth, soil thaw and vegetation leaf cover are made whenever there are researchers in the field. On occasion, additional experiments are conducted to spot measure water and carbon exchange at the leaf and /or soil levels by chambers. The research team engages with northerners by making public presentation of our research in Yellowknife when requested (e.g., Ecology North) and frequently make presentation to the research team’s host GNWT agency, Wildlife Division of Environment and Natural. The research team also participates in annual Tundra Science Camp at Daring Lake, discussing and demonstrating the research to students and instructors and participating in science camp activities. The research team has participated in local conferences in Yellowknife as they arise, as well as in the Tundra Science camp at TERS (in non-COVID years) The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from July 25, 2023 to September 30, 2023.