Collaborative Research: AON: The Arctic Great Rivers Observatory (Arctic-GRO)

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Just like changes in blood chemistry can be used to diagnose an individual?s health, so too can changes in river water chemistry be used to evaluate the condition of a river?s watershed. In the Arctic, six massive rivers capture freshwater runoff from two-thirds of the land area that drains to the Arctic Ocean. The chemistry of this runoff reflects watershed characteristics (e.g. soil composition), and carries essential nutrients to the marine environment. The overarching scientific objective of the Arctic Great Rivers Observatory (Arctic-GRO) is to make sustained observations of the chemistry of these six large rivers, which is vital for assessing changes on land that subsequently impact physical, chemical, and biological properties of the Arctic Ocean. The project involves partnerships with the Yukon River Intertribal Watershed Council, The Pilot Station Traditional Council, the Gwichya Gwich?in Renewable Resource Council, and with the University of Alaska at Kuskowkwin community college that serves the largely Yup?ik residents of the Yukon-Kuskowkwim Delta. . The six rivers included in the Arctic Great Rivers Observatory are the Yukon and Mackenzie in North American and the Ob?, Yenisey, Lena, and Kolyma in Eurasia. The rivers will be sampled near their mouths, every two months for three years, using identical sample collection and preservation protocols. Approximately 40 parameters will be measured on all samples including dissolved and particulate organic carbon concentrations and isotopic compositions, concentrations of dissolved nutrients, major ions, and trace elements, and optical properties of dissolved organic matter, including UV absorbance and fluorescence excitation-emission matrices. For QA/QC purposes, every analysis will be conducted at a single laboratory. The resulting data, along with complementary data on river discharge, will be made available without restriction at the Arctic-GRO website (arcticgreatrivers.org) and through the NSF Arctic Data Center. Arctic-GRO data, which build on observatory records that extend back to 2003, provide valuable end-members for the oceanographic research community as well as for analyses of terrestrial landscape change.