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月在阿拉斯加北坡发生的阿纳克图武克河火灾对景观的初步影响和恢复情况的调查。PIS将开始记录景观的恢复情况，包括陆地和水生部分。从7月下旬到9月下旬，“阿纳克图武克河”大火烧毁了超过350平方英里(9万公顷)的北坡冻土带，大部分燃烧发生在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。这在任何一年都会是一场非常大的火灾，这是2007年阿拉斯加最大的火灾，但这场火灾发生在苔原上，那里偶尔会有小火燃烧，但大火非常罕见。这场大火足够大，似乎包括几个完整的一至三级分水岭。这一次火灾的烧毁面积超过了自1950年以来北坡所有已知火灾烧毁的总面积。这些土地大部分位于丘陵地区，包括海拔200-600米的各种苔原植被、溪流、湖泊和湿地。该小组将立即开始规划调查和采样计划，从2008年4月或5月初开始，一直持续到第二年夏天。这项研究的产品将包括关于烧伤的分布、强度和斑块的独特数据集，并记录对元素循环以及陆地和水生群落的初步影响。在可能的情况下，如果有可用的仪器，也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.