Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

The Arctic is warming at four times the global average rate, and Arctic permafrost stores ~1500 gigatons of organic carbon (C). Warming permafrost and changing precipitation are altering plant communities, soils, and the availability of C, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Permafrost degradation is changing sources, pathways and volumes of water moving from land to streams, and the export of N, P, and organic matter (OM). These processes will modify the C-N-P cycles in Arctic watersheds and impact the storage/release of C to the atmosphere that may further accelerate climate change (i.e., create a positive feedback). Hence, understanding how permafrost watershed OM and N-P inputs, storage, transfers and C emissions respond to warming is crucial to predict how permafrost change will feedback on global climate. The proposed equipment will allow our Canadian research team to take part in an innovative, multiyear coordinated international Arctic field research program. In collaboration with field teams from the France 2030 funded PEACE project, our team will leverage infrastructure and knowledge gained from two decades of research at the Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory (CBAWO) on Melville Island NU, to include this High Arctic polar desert environment in this work. The objectives for this multi-site field research, are to i) accurately map watershed variables (e.g. vegetation, soils, and permafrost thaw) that regulate C, N, P sources, ii) identify and define key events that drive C-N-P transfers between soils and streams, iii) accurately quantify the composition of stream C-N-P exports, and iv) to relate landscape and environmental variables to C-N-P dynamics and the fate of permafrost C. The three components of our request are: 1) dedicated high capacity Lithium-ion batteries and a global positioning system for precision drone LiDAR, multispectral and thermal imaging of terrain characteristics, 2) YSI EXO series multiparameter sondes for high resolution monitoring of C-N in streams, and groundwater tracing for flow and pathway characterisation; and 3) Upgraded solar power for our field lab to supply the power required for drone operations (battery charging, image processing) and powering the state of the art in situ analyses of molecular properties of dissolved organic matter. The requested equipment will sustain and enhance the unique and highly valuable long-term investigations at a one-of-a-kind Canadian Arctic research station, and ensure that research at the CBAWO is recognized as an essential contributor to the global network of Arctic observatories. Furthermore, this equipment will ensure that Canadian researcher teams remain at the forefront of advancing understanding of how climate and permafrost changes impact global C budgets, Arctic ecosystems, biogeochemistry and hydrology, and finally that communities and decision makers in the Inuit Nunangat have the best possible knowledge to ensure their food and water security.