Effects of and Recovery from a Major Regional Disturbance in an Arctic Landscape, the Anaktuvuk River Fire of 2007

这是对2007年7月至9月发生在阿拉斯加北坡的阿纳克图武克河大火的初步影响和景观恢复的调查。pi将开始记录包括陆地和水生成分在内的景观恢复情况。“阿纳克图维克河”大火在7月下旬至9月下旬期间烧毁了350平方英里（9万公顷）的北坡冻土带，大部分大火发生在9月底，当时气温接近或低于冰点，大多数植物已经停止生长。这在任何一年都是一场非常大的火灾，2007年在阿拉斯加发生了最大的火灾，但这次火灾发生在苔原上，那里偶尔会发生小火灾，但很少发生大火灾。这场大火的规模之大，似乎包括了几个完整的1 -3级流域。这一场火灾烧毁的面积比1950年以来北坡所有已知火灾烧毁的面积总和还要大。这片土地大部分位于山麓地区，包括海拔200-600米的多种苔原植被、溪流、湖泊和湿地。该小组将立即开始计划于2008年4月或5月初开始的调查和抽样计划，并将持续到次年夏天。研究成果将包括关于烧伤分布、强度和斑块的独特数据集，并记录对元素循环和陆地和水生群落的初步影响。在现有仪器可能的情况下，还将记录对地表能量平衡和二氧化碳交换的影响。

This is an investigation of the initial impacts and recovery of the landscape affected by the Anaktuvuk River fire that occurred on the North Slope of Alaska in July-September 2007. The PIs will begin documenting recovery of the landscape including terrestrial and aquatic components. The "Anaktuvuk River" fire burned over 350 square miles (90,000 ha) of North Slope tundra between late July and late September, with most of the burning at the end of September when air temperatures were near or below freezing and most plant growth had ceased. This would be a very large fire in any year, and it was the largest in Alaska in 2007, but this fire was on the tundra where small fires occasionally burn but large ones are quite rare. The fire was large enough that it appears to include several complete 1st-3rd order watersheds. The area burned in this one fire was greater than the total area burned by all known fires on the North Slope since 1950. Most of this land is in the foothills region, including diverse tundra vegetation, streams, lakes, and wetlands at elevations of 200-600 m. This team will begin immediate planning for a survey and sampling program to begin in April or early May 2008 to continue through the following summer. Products of the research will include a unique data set on distribution, intensity, and patchiness of the burn, with documentation of initial impacts on element cycles and terrestrial and aquatic communities. Where possible with available instrumentation, impacts on surface energy balance and CO2 exchange will also be documented.