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{Arctic}
WELCOME to EarthWatch Institute's
LIVE from the FIELD ...
"Climate Change at Arctic's Edge"
Research Site: Churchill Northern Studies Centre,
Churchill MB, Canada
58E 45' N, 93E 50'W
13-23 February 2007 Earthwatch Institute Fellows* Ms. Jana Dean from Tumwater, Washington and Mr. John Moore from BCIT, will be at the Arctic's Edge to participate as part of the Winter Team V expedition at the Churchill study area in Manitoba Canada. Join us as we report LIVE from the FIELD and kickoff the 2007 International Polar Year!
Key Research Objectives:
- Evaluate Climate Change impacts on key environmental factors regulating dominant terrestrial ecosystems at the Arctic treeline.
- Establish and monitor permanent Long-Term Environmental Monitoring Sites.
- Maintain year-round monitoring of key abiotic ecosystem components (e.g., microclimate, soils, snowpack, and permafrost).
- Conduct growing season studies to quantitatively characterize key biotic ecosystem components (e.g., organic carbon budgets, plant phenology, plant species diversity and composition, small mammal populations.
- Conduct winter studies to characterize the ecosystems during the freeze season (e.g., snowpack depth, density, temperature profiles).
- Experimentally manipulate microenvironments to (1) facilitate revegetation on anthropogenic disturbances and (2) asses what factors limit tree growth on the tundra and control the position of the Arctic treeline.
*** VISIT THE ARCTIC'S EDGE BLOG FOR CONTINUING UPDATES ***
* Ms. Dean's Earthwatch Institute fellowship is made possible by a grant to Earthwatch from the National Geographic Education Foundation.
* Mr. Moore's fellowship and Live from the Field are made possible by a fellowship award from Earthwatch Institute with funding from the Geraldine R Dodge Foundation and National Geographic Education Foundation. Contact information: jmoore@bcit.cc
Partial travel support provided for Mr. Moore by First Presbyterian Church of Merchantville, NJ.
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