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{"Abstract":["This project is integrating scientific research in the Arctic with education and outreach, with a strong central focus on engaging undergraduate students and visiting faculty from groups that have had little involvement in Arctic science to date. The central element of the project is a month-long research expedition to the Yukon River Delta in Alaska. The expedition provides a deep intellectual and cultural immersion in the context of an authentic research experience that is paramount for "hooking" students and keeping them moving along the pipeline to careers as Arctic scientists. The overarching scientific issue that drives the research is the vulnerability and fate of ancient carbon stored in Arctic permafrost (permanently frozen ground). Widespread permafrost thaw is expected to occur this century, but large uncertainties remain in estimating the timing, magnitude, and form of carbon that will be released when thawed. Project participants are working in collaborative research groups to make fundamental scientific discoveries related to the vulnerability of permafrost carbon in the Yukon River Delta and the potential implications of permafrost thaw in this region for the global climate system.\n This data set includes vegetation biomass and elemental analysis, thaw depth, and point intercept results from the 2019 expedition."]}
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Polaris Project 2018-2019: Weather station data, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
{"Abstract":["This project is integrating scientific research in the Arctic with education and outreach, with a strong central focus on engaging undergraduate students and visiting faculty from groups that have had little involvement in Arctic science to date. The central element of the project is a month-long research expedition to the Yukon River Delta in Alaska. The expedition provides a deep intellectual and cultural immersion in the context of an authentic research experience that is paramount for "hooking" students and keeping them moving along the pipeline to careers as Arctic scientists. The overarching scientific issue that drives the research is the vulnerability and fate of ancient carbon stored in Arctic permafrost (permanently frozen ground). Widespread permafrost thaw is expected to occur this century, but large uncertainties remain in estimating the timing, magnitude, and form of carbon that will be released when thawed. Project participants are working in collaborative research groups to make fundamental scientific discoveries related to the vulnerability of permafrost carbon in the Yukon River Delta and the potential implications of permafrost thaw in this region for the global climate system.\n This data set contains pressure, Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), air temperature, wind direction, wind speed, wind gust speed, rain, relative humidity, soil moisture at 15 centimeter (cm) depth, and two measurements of soil temperature at 15 cm depth from the 2018 and 2019 expeditions."]}
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- Award ID(s):
- 1915307
- PAR ID:
- 10438455
- Publisher / Repository:
- NSF Arctic Data Center
- Date Published:
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- weather Arctic temperature wind speed precipitation Alaska
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Other: text/xml
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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{"Abstract":["This project is integrating scientific research in the Arctic with education and outreach, with a strong central focus on engaging undergraduate students and visiting faculty from groups that have had little involvement in Arctic science to date. The central element of the project is a month-long research expedition to the Yukon River Delta in Alaska. The expedition provides a deep intellectual and cultural immersion in the context of an authentic research experience that is paramount for "hooking" students and keeping them moving along the pipeline to careers as Arctic scientists. The overarching scientific issue that drives the research is the vulnerability and fate of ancient carbon stored in Arctic permafrost (permanently frozen ground). Widespread permafrost thaw is expected to occur this century, but large uncertainties remain in estimating the timing, magnitude, and form of carbon that will be released when thawed. Project participants are working in collaborative research groups to make fundamental scientific discoveries related to the vulnerability of permafrost carbon in the Yukon River Delta and the potential implications of permafrost thaw in this region for the global climate system.\n This data set includes vegetation biomass and elemental analysis, thaw depth, and point intercept results from the 2018 expedition."]}more » « less
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Abstract Northern circumpolar permafrost thaw affects global carbon cycling, as large amounts of stored soil carbon becomes accessible to microbial breakdown under a warming climate. The magnitude of carbon release is linked to the extent of permafrost thaw, which is locally variable and controlled by soil thermodynamics. Soil thermodynamic properties, such as thermal diffusivity, govern the reactivity of the soil‐atmosphere thermal gradient, and are controlled by soil composition and drainage. In order to project permafrost thaw for an Alaskan tundra experimental site, we used seven years of site data to calibrate a soil thermodynamic model using a data assimilation technique. The model reproduced seasonal and interannual temperature dynamics for shallow (5–40 cm) and deep soil layers (2–4 m), and simulations of seasonal thaw depth closely matched observed data. The model was then used to project permafrost thaw at the site to the year 2100 using climate forcing data for three future climate scenarios (RCP 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5). Minimal permafrost thawing occurred until mean annual air temperatures rose above the freezing point, after which we measured over a 1 m increase in thaw depth for every 1 °C rise in mean annual air temperature. Under no projected warming scenario was permafrost remaining in the upper 3 m of soil by 2100. We demonstrated an effective data assimilation method that optimizes parameterization of a soil thermodynamic model. The sensitivity of local permafrost to climate warming illustrates the vulnerability of sub‐Arctic tundra ecosystems to significant and rapid soil thawing.more » « less
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Data from this study originate from the NSF (National Science Foundation) Polaris Project. The Polaris Project integrates scientific research in the Arctic-boreal region with education and outreach, with a primary focus on engaging and inspiring the next generation of scientists. The overarching scientific issue that drives the Polaris Project is the vulnerability and fate of ancient carbon stored in perennially frozen ground, permafrost. Although extensive permafrost thaw is expected to occur across the northern permafrost region this century, large uncertainties remain in the timing, magnitude, and form of carbon that will be released. Participants of the Polaris Project conducted field research in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD), collaborating to make fundamental scientific discoveries related to the transformation and fate of thawed permafrost carbon, and implications for global climate. This data set includes aquatic chemistry data from expeditions to the YKD during 2015–2019. Parameters measured include water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, nitrogen species, phosphorous, greenhouse gases, stables isotopes of carbon and water, optical properties of water, and fluxes of methane and carbon dioxide made in the field. These data were compiled and underwent quality assurance / quality control specifically for the scientific objectives of the manuscript published by Zolkos et al. (2022). Consequently, this dataset contains a modified version of Polaris Project YKD aquatic chemistry data previously published for 2015–2016 (http://doi.org/10.18739/A22804Z8M) and 2017 (http://doi.org/10.18739/A23775V7T). Data from 2018–2019 were not previously published. Therefore, users interested in the original datasets for 2015–2017 are encouraged to access them via the provided links, while users interested in the data and metadata specific to the associated manuscript by Zolkos et al. are encouraged to use this companion dataset.more » « less
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