Collaboration to better understand Arctic change

Abstract:

Permafrost shifts, changing riverine flow, and alterations in snow, rain, and evapo-transpiration processes all impact the high latitude regions of the globe and are strongly affecting the stakeholder communities that reside in, and rely on, this land. Two projects focused on examining the coupled human-physical system, capturing changes, and producing collaborative science that will assist Arctic communities better adapt, and mitigate these changes, are described herein. The "Interdisciplinary Research for Arctic Coastal Environments" (InteRFACE) project, funded by the Department of Energy, focuses on how coupled, multi-scale feedbacks among land processes, such as permafrost, snow, and water, and human systems, such as transportation and resource availability, will impact the trajectory of change across the Arctic coastal interface. InteRFACE brings together multiple DOE funding streams, researchers at several US National Labs, and scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The NOAA "Experimental Framework for Testing the National Water Model: Operationalizing the Use of Snow Remote Sensing in Alaska" project seeks to evaluate the National Water Model for Alaska, and operationalize the use of the system for improved river prediction and forecasting. This project is a collaboration between the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and the New Mexico Consortium. Research results, with a focus on the collaborative partnerships, will be described and shared.