Monday, January 31, 2022, 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Speaker
Dr. Kim Wickland
Location:
Sievers Conference Room (SEEC S228)
4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO
Full title
Changing Water Distribution and Greenhouse Gas Dynamics of Alaska Landscapes
Abstract
Arctic and boreal landscapes are undergoing significant change due to warming temperatures, changing precipitation, and disturbance events. In areas of continuous and discontinuous permafrost, degrading permafrost and ground ice are impacting hydrology and resulting in the major restructuring of ecosystems. Effects on surface water distribution and carbon cycling across these landscapes are highly uncertain because of spatial variability in terrain, topography, and permafrost and ground ice characteristics. Understanding the impacts on greenhouse gas emissions and uptake is critical for assessing the potential for feedbacks to the Earth’s climate and requires studies that integrate multiple disciplines and approaches. I will present our group’s research on carbon dioxide and methane dynamics in two distinct landscape types in Alaska that are undergoing major ecosystem restructuring: 1) degrading Arctic tundra near Prudhoe Bay, AK, and 2) drying lakes in interior Alaska. We combine ground-based measurements with time-series imagery to demonstrate that surface water distribution is an overriding and variable control on greenhouse gas exchange of changing Alaska landscapes on annual to decadal time scales.
Dr. Wickland’s seminar will be held In Person in the Sievers Conference Room (SEEC S228). Dr. Wickland is available to meet with INSTAARs following her talk; please email Sarah Elmendorf (sarah.elmendorf@colorado.edu) if you would like to set up an individual meeting, or feel free to stay for informal discussion after the seminar.
For those who are unable to attend in person, the talk will be also be available via Zoom.
Audience
All are welcome: please contact instaar@colorado.edu for Zoom link and password if you'd like to attend virtually.