Observing functional change in Canadian arctic & boreal ecosystems

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Climate change and disturbance are altering the composition and function of terrestrial ecosystems. Northern ecosystems, including tundra and boreal forests, are particularly affected due to warming and drying of the surface and increased exposure to drought, fire and insect damage. Wide-scale human disturbance, including timber harvesting and oil sands extraction, provide additional perturbations to vast boreal regions. While we understand the general direction of change, many functional details and their full implications for larger earth system processes remain unclear. For example, terrestrial ecosystems exert critical "feedbacks" on atmospheric composition and climate, and these feedbacks are changing as surface composition shifts, yet accurate quantification of these effects remain elusive(1). Due to the isolation and enormous extent of northern terrestrial ecosystems, we face tremendous sampling challenges that hinder our understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of these changes in these vast regions. Fortunately, emerging technologies now offer the potential for a greater understanding of both the pace and significance of change in northern ecosystems. Remote sensing and automated monitoring - coupled with careful experiments, field measurements, and models - will be essential to addressing these issues. This proposal examines these new technologies and outlines a strategy for applying these novel methods to improve our understanding of ecosystem change in the North.