Collaborative Research: Quantifying changes in the Arctic hydrological cycle at the landscape scale using advances in water vapor isotope (18O & D) techniques and aircraft

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The hydrological cycle has a central role in Arctic climate change, and is coupled toalterations of terrestrial, aquatic and cryosphere processes, including shifts in biogeochemical cycles. Monitoring these changes is a central part of the NSF Arctic Observing Network (AON), a consortium of projects with site-specific responsibilities and measurement packages. The next frontier for AON is facilitation of approaches that better quantify landscape and regional ecohydrological process by employing new analytical technologies (laser spectroscopy based water isotope analyzers) and integration of platforms, such as aircraft and satellites. This transformation of AON will initiate studies that quantify and integrate the heterogeneous landscapes of the Arctic tundra, while developing parallel capabilities to the NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) program, thereby extending the relevance of AON to the continental-scale. We propose an EAGER project that applies a novel interdisciplinary approach by combining isotope geochemistry with boundary layer processes and measurements to monitor and measure the ecohydrology of tundra ecosystems and landscapes. This is a high-risk approach because it is a novel use of this particular instrument and it will change how Arctic ecohydrology is monitored and assessed. EAGER is the correct venue for our project because this novel application of water isotope spectroscopy in an aircraft is ?high risk, high reward? research and represents a radically different approach from laboratory-based studies that are the status quo. The intellectual merit of this project will be accomplished by addressing these primary questions: a) What are the spatial and temporal patterns in water vapor isotopes during the growing and shoulder seasons across the tundra ecosystems in the Arctic Foothills and Foothill-Coastal Plain boundary in Northern Alaska? To a more limited extent, we also ask: b) What is the ET isotope signature associated with different ecosystem types and disturbances (fire and thermokarst) relative to background moisture? c) What is the strength of the ecosystem ET signal in the overlying atmosphere (above the ecosystem boundary height)? The first question focuses on flight measurements, the second on ecosystem tower easurements, and the third on integrating the two measurement scales. The broader impacts and outreach of our project will be accomplished by initially sharing our findings with the scientific community at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union and with students as part of our teaching and seminars at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). We will also collaborate with AON colleagues on data sharing and data posting after post-processing our flight data and information. Our primary aim with this AON EAGER is to take the transformation step in ourcapacity to quantify hydrological processes at the landscape and region scale by: a) collaborating with Picarro Inc. (http://www.picarro.com/) in modifying the L2120-i for aircraft and thus landscape scale purposes and b) conducting a series of field/aircraft campaigns on the North Slope of Alaska. Our program would transform the measuring and monitoring of the terrestrial hydrological cycle beyond the point-based measurements of the past and that are currently in place with AON support (ie. Oberbauer and Welker at Toolik, Bret-Hart and Shaver at Imnaviat Creek). Our EAGER project would also provide a critical linkage between AON and NEON as the Alaska network of sites are planned to come on-linein 2012 and/or 2013. Landscape-scale monitoring is critical for stitching together the intricacies of the changing ecohydrolgy in the north.Non-technical abstract: The water cycle has a central role in Arctic climate change, and is coupled to alterations of land, rivers and lakes as well as permafrost processes, including shifts in the cycles of nutrients. Monitoring these changes is a central part of the NSF Arctic Observing Network (AON), a consortium of projects with site-specific responsibilities and measurement packages. The next frontier for AON is facilitation of approaches that better quantify landscape and regional eco-hydrological process by employing new analytical technologies (laser spectroscopy based water isotope analyzers) and integration of platforms, such as aircraft and satellites. This transformation of AON will initiate studies that quantify and integrate the heterogeneous landscapes of the Arctic tundra, while developing parallel capabilities to the NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) program, thereby extending the relevance of AON to the continental-scale. We propose an EAGER project that applies a novel interdisciplinary approach by combining isotope geochemistry with boundary layer processes and measurements to monitor and measure the ecohydrology of tundra ecosystems and landscapes. This is a high-risk approach because it is a novel use of this particular instrument and it will change how Arctic ecohydrology is monitored and assessed. Our primary aim with this AON EAGER is to take the transformation step in our capacity to quantify hydrological processes at the landscape and region scale by: a) collaborating with Picarro Inc. (http://www.picarro.com/) in modifying the L2120-i for aircraft and thus landscape scale purposes and b) conducting a series of field/aircraft campaigns on the North Slope of Alaska. Our program would transform the measuring and monitoring of the terrestrial hydrological cycle beyond the point-based measurements of the past and that are currently in place with AON support at Imnaviat Creek. This project would also provide a critical linkage between AON and NEON as the Alaska network of sites are planned to come on-line in 2012 and/or 2013. Landscape-scale monitoring is critical for stitching together the intricacies of the changing ecohydrolgy in the north.