Causes and consequences of Arctic environmental change: a multiscale approach

加拿大北极地区的气温上升是地球上最快的地区之一。除了变暖，北方生态系统正在经历更大和更频繁的干扰(包括自然和人为的)。这些变化的相加效应和相互作用可能对北极生态系统和依赖它们的北方社区产生重大影响。然而，目前在以下方面仍然存在不确定性：1)干扰制度的变化速度；2)气候和干扰对北部植被和地热制度的影响和相互作用；3)植被和环境持续变化的长期轨迹。为了了解北极环境变化的原因、速度和后果，我的研究项目结合了：1)广泛的变化检测和模式分析以及2)精细的实地调查。这笔赠款将支持我实验室的以下研究：1)陆地盐碱化后植被的恢复；2)多边形地形中的植被和永久冻土动态；3)灾难性湖泊排水的速度；4)湖泊排水对演替和永久冻土沉积的影响；5)人为和自然干扰对北极植被的累积影响。北极生态系统的变化对保护区管理、北方土著人民的传统生计以及将北方开发的影响降至最低的努力具有重大影响。我的研究将为制定适应加拿大北部正在发生的变化的弹性战略提供关键信息。北极生态系统也在全球气候系统中发挥着重要作用，通过增加我们对植被变化及其与永久冻土相互作用的低估；我的研究还将为全球气候模型提供宝贵的信息。

Temperature increases in Canada's Arctic have been among the most rapid on the planet. In addition to warming, northern ecosystems are experiencing larger and more frequent disturbances (both natural and anthropogenic). The additive effects and interactions of these changes are likely to have significant impacts on Arctic ecosystems and the northern communities that depend on them. However, at present there is still uncertainty regarding: 1) the rate of change to disturbance regimes, 2) the effects and interactions of climate and disturbance on northern vegetation and ground thermal regime, and 3) the long-term trajectory of ongoing changes in vegetation and environment. To understand the causes, rate, and consequence of Arctic environmental change, my research program uses a combination of: 1) broad-scale change detection and pattern analyses and 2) fine-scale field investigations. This grant will support research in my laboratory on: 1) the recovery of vegetation following terrestrial salinization, 2) vegetation and permafrost dynamics in polygonal terrain, 3) the rate of catastrophic lake drainage, 4) the effects of lake drainage on succession and permafrost aggradation, and 5) the cumulative impacts of anthropogenic and natural disturbance on Arctic vegetation. Changes to Arctic ecosystems have significant implications for protected areas management, the traditional livelihoods of northern indigenous peoples, and efforts to minimize the impact of northern development. My research will provide information critical to the development of resilient strategies to adapt to ongoing changes in Canada's north. Arctic ecosystems also play an important role in the global climate system and by increasing our understating of changes in vegetation and its interaction with permafrost; my research will also provide valuable information for models of the global climate.