NNA Planning: Collaborative Research: A holistic approach to monitoring abrupt environmental shifts in the Kluane Lake region

该奖项的全部或部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)。航行新北极(NNA)是NSF的十大想法之一。NNA项目解决了快速变化的北极地区汇聚的科学挑战。北极研究需要为国家、更大区域和全球的经济、安全和韧性提供信息。NNA增强了从地方到国际的新的研究伙伴关系，使下一代北极研究人员多样化，加强正式和非正式教育的努力，并在适当的情况下整合共同创造知识。该奖项通过支持具有明显潜力的规划活动来实现这一目标的一部分，以开发新的、前沿的研究想法和方法来解决NNA的目标。它整合了 自然环境和社会制度的方方面面， 解决了重大的社会挑战， 创造了重要的教育机会， 在国际上与当地和土著社区接触。快速变化的北极条件需要多角度的方法来创造新的知识，并使受这些变化影响最大的社区参与进来。因此，需要规划和共同制作有效的北极研究，其结果将为国家和全球范围的社会和生态安全提供信息。育空地区的克鲁恩湖地区最近经历了许多突然的环境变化。2016年，后退的卡斯卡武尔什冰川切断了来自Lhü‘án Mán(Kluane Lake)的水流，有效地切断了该湖最大的水量输入之一。此外，最近的昆虫暴发损害了附近的森林，气候变暖改变了冬季冰层的形成和积雪的发展。虽然这些复杂的环境变化将在未来几十年对生态系统产生巨大影响，但它们对当地社区的影响将更加迅速。虽然正式的研究界观察到了这些生态影响，但与当地社区密切合作，了解他们对关键研究问题和自然资源问题的看法也是至关重要的。因此，研究团队与当地社区合作，如克鲁恩第一民族、香槟和爱知第一民族，作为研究问题和设计的联合生产者。这个融合研究团队正在共同创造研究问题，寻找与克鲁恩湖地区相关并可推广的问题，特别是育空地区，以及泛北极范围内的问题。正在通过纳入社区的经验和当地知识来确定研究问题。具体地说，规划活动围绕项目雇用的在湖泊周围社区具有公信力的社区联络员展开，包括两次启动范围确定旅行(研究团队)，然后是社区主导的研讨会，以确定当前理解和现有方法方面的差距，以制定：1)公民科学监测计划，以生成可靠和一致的气候和湖泊条件数据；2)汇编数据集、数据库和工具，以获得并融入教育产品；3)了解社区接受程度，以及对新技术和数据工具的看法。研究人员在联合制作过程中采用了一种混合的方法--三角方法，在研讨会期间收集现有的定量数据、关键的线人访谈以及结构化和非结构化的定性数据。然后，研究人员将根据共同制作的最终研究问题，扩大团队，包括专业知识方面的差距。最后，研究团队让来自多个机构的代表性不足的学生参与规划过程，这样他们可能会看到知识联合生产的混合模式(传统和西化的知识观)是如何发生的。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) is one of NSF's 10 Big Ideas. NNA projects address convergence scientific challenges in the rapidly changing Arctic. The Arctic research is needed to inform the economy, security and resilience of the Nation, the larger region and the globe. NNA empowers new research partnerships from local to international scales, diversifies the next generation of Arctic researchers, enhances efforts in formal and informal education, and integrates the co-production of knowledge where appropriate. This award fulfills part of that aim by supporting planning activities with clear potential to develop novel, leading edge research ideas and approaches to address NNA goals. It integrates aspects of the natural environment and social systems, and addresses important societal challenges, builds significant educational opportunities, and engages internationally and with local and Indigenous communities. Rapidly changing Arctic conditions necessitate multi-perspective approaches to creating new knowledge and engaging communities that are most affected by these changes. Thus, planning and co-producing effective Arctic research is needed, results of which will inform social and ecological security on a national, and global scale. The Kluane Lake Region in the Yukon Territory has recently experienced many abrupt environmental shifts. In 2016, the retreating Kaskawulsh Glacier cut off flow from Lhù’ààn Mân (Kluane Lake), effectively removing one of the largest water inputs to the lake. Additionally, recent insect outbreaks have harmed nearby forests, and warming climate regimes have shifted winter ice formation and snowpack development. While these compounding environmental changes will have drastic impacts to the ecosystem for decades to come, their impacts on the local communities will be more rapid. While these ecological impacts have been observed by formal research communities, it is also critical to work closely with local communities to understand their perspectives on critical research questions and natural resource concerns. Thus, the research team works with local communities like the Kluane First Nations and Champagne and Aishihik First Nation, as co-producers of research questions and design. This convergence research team is co-creating research questions, seeking questions that are relevant and generalizable to the Kluane Lake region specifically, the Yukon generally, and broadly at a pan-Arctic scale. Research questions are being identified by incorporating the experiences and local knowledge of communities. Specifically, planning activities center around a community liaison employed by the project with credibility in the communities around the lake, with two kick-off scoping trips (research team), and then a community-driven workshop to identify gaps in current understanding and existing methodologies to develop: 1) a citizen-science monitoring program to generate reliable and consistent data for climate and lake conditions; 2) compilations of datasets, databases, and tools for accessibility and integration into educational offerings; and 3) knowledge of community acceptance and perspectives on new technologies and data tools. Researchers are employing a mixed methods triangulation approach during the co-production process, via assembly of existing quantitative data, key informant interviews, and structured and unstructured qualitative data collection during the workshop. Researchers will then expand the team to include gaps in expertise, based on final co-produced research questions. Finally, the research team is involving underrepresented students from multiple institutions in the planning process, so they may see how a hybrid model of knowledge co-production (traditional and westernized view of knowledge) takes place.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.