In an effort to study the societal and environmental effects of climate change in Alaska and northwestern Canada, NASA launched the Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE), bringing together on-the-ground research and data from the agency's satellites, airborne instruments and programs.
Jack Kaye, Earth Science Division research associate director, said that tundras and boreal forests are crucial for understanding how the changing climate is affecting the environment as these ecosystems house a third of all carbon that are stored on land, which represent a lot of greenhouse gases that could potentially be released and could affect communities not just regionally, but globally as well.
ABoVE is made up of three project phases and will use intensive airborne surveys for two seasons. NASA will be coordinating with partner organizations in the U.S. and Canada in carrying out the 21 projects chosen as part of the first phase. Topics to be investigated by these projects include the effects of insect outbreaks on forest health and the impact of wildfires on ecosystems.
The field campaign will offer researchers the chance to observe how Arctic ecosystems are responding to massive fires on a regional scale. Just this year, Alaska already lost over 5 million acres of land to wildfires while Canada recorded 9.7 million acres lost. This makes 2015 the second most devastating year for fires in Alaska, with the most intense three-week burning period ever recorded.
Peter Griffith, chief support scientist for ABoVE, explained the dangers of climate change effects to tundras and boreal forests by using an unplugged deep freezer as an example. When permafrost melts, carbon and vegetation that were frozen will begin to decay and rot, much like how food deteriorates in an unplugged freezer. He noted that the resulting increase in greenhouse gases warms air temperatures further which supports a cycle that involves more thawing and more gases released.
ABoVE will also be studying climate change impacts on Alaskan and Canadian wildlife, including migration and habitat changes in songbirds, raptors, moose, Dall sheep, wolves, brown bears and caribou. More societal impacts will be the focus of future projects, with the next phase expected to be carried out after 12 to 18 months.
Griffith reiterated that what's happening in the Arctic is no longer staying in the Arctic. While effects are immediately felt by people living in the region, their consequences are felt beyond the area defined by ABoVE.
