Investigating the influence of climate-induced landscape changes on water and carbon balances in permafrost landscapes

拟议的研究解决了迫切需要确定和绘制气候引起的景观变化对加拿大北部具有重要生态和文化意义的湖泊富含景观的水和碳平衡的影响。伊利诺伊州的老乌鸦平原(Old Crow Flats，OCF)是北部地区众多富含湖泊的永久冻土景观之一。这些景观是生态热点，为北方社区提供了重要资源。有广泛的证据表明，这些地区对不断变化的气候条件高度敏感。特别是，近几十年来，14500平方公里的OCF盆地经历了水位的剧烈变化和灌木的繁殖。对野生动物的潜在影响引发了对当地粮食安全的担忧。此外，地面温度变暖很可能正在加速老乌鸦河沿岸现有的融化滑坡，就像加拿大西北部其他地方所经历的那样。然而，目前尚不清楚北部湖泊丰富的景观的水和碳平衡是如何应对土地覆盖变化和干扰的。我的研究计划将建立在我之前在OCF的工作基础上，并为九名HQP提供培训，以确定这些关系，并完善对这一重要景观将如何应对未来气候变化的预测。

The proposed research addresses the urgent need to identify and map the implications of climate-induced landscape changes on water and carbon balances in an ecologically and culturally significant lake-rich landscape in northern Canada. Old Crow Flats (OCF), YK is one of many lake-rich permafrost landscapes that are prominent across northern regions. These landscapes are ecological hotspots and provide important resources for northern communities. There is widespread evidence that these areas are highly sensitive to changing climate conditions. In particular, the 14,500-square-kilometre OCF basin has experienced drastically changing water levels, and shrub proliferation during recent decades. Potential impacts on wildlife have raised concerns about local food security. Furthermore, it is likely that warming ground temperatures is accelerating existing thaw slumps along the Old Crow River, as experienced elsewhere in northwestern Canada. However, it is unclear how the water and carbon balance of northern lake-rich landscapes are responding to land cover changes and disturbance. My research program will build on my previous work in OCF and provide training for nine HQP in pursuit of identifying these relations and refine predictions of how this important landscape will respond to future climate change.