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

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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.