Resilience and Vulnerability in a Rapidly Changing North: The Integration of Physical, Biological and Social Processes

阿拉斯加EPSCoR研究基础设施改善项目侧重于在资源管理、可持续性和复原力的背景下研究自然和人类系统的耦合。通过在现有优势的基础上进行战略投资，阿拉斯加EPSCoR创建了一个整合了物理、生物和社会科学的研究计划，在气候变化的背景下解决阿拉斯加的社会生态可持续性问题。这项研究涉及对了解北方变化至关重要的主题：(1)永冻层的可变性、变暖和退化；(2)生物多样性和生态系统脆弱性的变化；(3)农村社区在快速变化条件下的复原力和福祉。一套交叉活动--综合核心--使科学组成部分能够协同和综合。这项研究使用复杂性理论方法，因为它关注动态对扰动的响应；现有的和新的数据集；以及生物信息学和创新的网络基础设施工具(例如，基于主体的建模、情景开发)来探索关于快速变化条件下物理、生物和社会系统相互作用的假设。永久冻土研究使用一种新的范式来检验这一假设，即气候不仅直接影响连续多年冻土带的永久冻土，还通过与不连续带的植被和火灾干扰的相互作用间接影响永久冻土。生物研究试图首次记录阿拉斯加动植物过去、现在和未来可能发生的生物地理变化的广泛模式，重点放在生存物种上。这项研究涉及植物-微生物相互作用所介导的渐进性和突发性变化。社会科学部分综合了对粮食系统、机构和社会网络的研究，以描述农村土著社区如何应对气候和社会变化。由于支持土著人民的资源受到气候变化的影响，该研究从城乡迁移、社会网络和文化阻力三个方面考察了变化对人类社会结构和行为的影响。最终，这项研究解决了快速的环境和社会变化对机构(例如，州和联邦机构、非政府机构)的影响。该项目的教育和推广工作侧重于培养新一代跨学科研究人员。学生(K-12、本科生、研究生)、博士后助理和初级教员接受高水平的培训和指导。特别强调促进阿拉斯加原住民、妇女和其他在科学和技术方面代表性不足的少数群体的参与。已建立的研究组致力于在整个州的城市和农村校园发展能力。外联工作针对广泛的利益攸关方，所有利益攸关方都对阿拉斯加人力和自然资源的可持续性具有既得利益--从当地社区成员到私营企业和州和联邦机构的专业人员。这些利益相关者反过来又为将研究成果应用于资源管理、政治和经济发展领域的努力做出贡献。

The Alaska EPSCoR research infrastructure improvement project focuses on the study of coupled natural and human systems in the context of resource management, sustainability, and resiliency. Through strategic investments that build on existing strengths, Alaska EPSCoR creates a research program that integrates physical, biological, and social sciences to address social-ecological sustainability in Alaska within the context of climate change. The research addresses topics critical to understanding change in the North: (1) permafrost variability, warming and degradation; (2) changing biodiversity and ecosystem vulnerability; and (3) resilience and well-being of rural communities in conditions of rapid change. A set of cross-cutting activities, the Integration Core, enables synergy and synthesis of science components. The research uses complexity theory methodology because of its focus on dynamics in response to perturbations; existing and new data sets; as well as bioinformatics and innovative cyberinfrastructure tools (e.g., agent-based modeling, scenario development) to explore hypotheses about the interaction of physical, biological, and social systems under conditions of rapid change.The permafrost research uses a new paradigm to test the hypothesis that climate not only directly affects permafrost in the continuous permafrost zone, but also indirectly affects it through interactions with vegetation and fire disturbance in discontinuous zones. The biological research attempts to document, for the first time, broad patterns of past, present, and potential future bio-geographic shifts in plants and animals across Alaska, with an emphasis on subsistence species. This research addresses both gradual and abrupt changes mediated by plant-microbial interactions. The social science component integrates research on food systems, institutions, and social networks to describe how rural indigenous communities respond to climatic and social change. Since resources sustaining indigenous people are affected by climate change, the research examines the effects of change on human social structure and behavior in terms of rural-urban migrations, social networks, and cultural resistance. Ultimately the research addresses the impact of rapid environmental and social change on institutions (e.g., state and federal agencies, non-governmental bodies).The education and outreach efforts of this project focus on generating a new generation of interdisciplinary researchers. Students (K-12, undergraduate, graduate), post-doctoral associates, and junior faculty receive high-levels of training and mentoring. Particular emphasis is placed on promoting involvement of Alaska Natives, women, and other minorities underrepresented in science and technology. Established research clusters work to develop capacity throughout the State's urban and rural campuses. Outreach efforts target a broad array of stakeholders, all with vested interest in sustainability of Alaska's human and natural resources-from local community members to professionals in private business and state and federal agencies. These stakeholders, in turn, contribute to efforts that apply research findings to the realms of resource management, politics, and economic development.