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映射气候引起的景观变化对水和碳平衡的影响，在生态和文化上重要的湖泊丰富的景观在加拿大北方。老乌鸦平地（OCF），YK是众多湖泊丰富的永久冻土景观之一，在北方地区非常突出。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，14，500平方公里的OCF盆地经历了急剧变化的水位和灌木丛的繁殖。对野生动物的潜在影响引起了人们对当地粮食安全的担忧。此外，很可能是变暖的地面温度正在加速现有的解冻下滑沿着老乌鸦河，在加拿大西北部的其他地方经历。然而，目前还不清楚北方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。我的研究项目将建立在我以前在OCF的工作基础上，并为9名HQP提供培训，以确定这些关系，并完善对这一重要景观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.