Project Funding: 2014 - 2017

NRA: 2013 NASA: Carbon Cycle Science   

Funded by NASA

Abstract:
5-year series of intensive aircraft campaigns to the Alaskan Arctic to bridge critical gaps in our knowledge and understanding of Arctic ecosystems, linkages between the Arctic hydrologic and terrestrial carbon cycles, and the feedbacks from fires and thawing permafrost. CARVE-CAN (2013NRA-Carbon Cycle Science) Dramatic increases in warming, fire severity and frequency, and other natural disturbances have made the vast stores of carbon sequestered in the pristine Arctic-boreal ecosystems (ABEs) of NW Canada vulnerable to rapid release as atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), potentially triggering a large positive climate feedback. However, there are no long-term CO2 or CH4 measurements for this region, nor systematic study of the spatial and temporal variability of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 concentrations or total columns in ABEs of NW Canada in response to climate change. We propose incrementing flight hours to Alaskan deployments of the Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (CARVE) to characterize atmospheric CO2 and CH4 over vulnerable ABEs in the Mackenzie River basin of NW Canada during 2014 and 2015 (CARVE-CAN). CARVE-CAN flights will be anchored by Environment Canada sites at Inuvik NT and Behchoko NT, where surface in situ measurements of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 will provide a temporal context for our intensive airborne measurements. We will generate observationally driven CO2 and CH4 flux estimates for the Mackenzie basin using state-of-the-art WRF/STILT Lagrangian particle dispersion modeling and analysis tools developed for CARVE and operational on NASA's Pleiades supercomputer CARVE-CAN's objectives of are: Quantify surface-atmosphere CO2 and CH4 fluxes and the spatial and temporal variability of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 for the Mackenzie River basin, and Compare and contrast these fluxes with fluxes observed over Alaska and with fluxes estimated by process-based land surface models. CARVE-CAN leverages the investment made by NASA in CARVE to achieve high impact science at substantial cost savings. The fully integrated and operational CARVE flight system would be available in Fairbanks for CARVE-CAN-funded flights during June - August in 2014 and 2015. CARVE-CAN also employs a data analysis framework that enables synergistic interactions with related Atmospheric Composition and Carbon Monitoring System studies. CARVE-CAN addresses Theme 1: Carbon Research in Critical Regions/3.1.2 Carbon Dynamics in Arctic-Boreal Ecosystems of the solicitation by characterizing the spatial and temporal variability of CO2 and CH4 atmospheric concentrations, total columns and surface-atmosphere fluxes for the vulnerable, carbon-rich ABEs of the Mackenzie basin, an area for which the current and future carbon balance is highly uncertain. CARVE-CAN also addresses priorities from the US Carbon Cycle Science Plan by delivering 'Short-term but focused studies in ecosystems vulnerable to carbon loss, including permafrost, forests, and ... boreal peatlands' (Sec. 5.2.1). Our observations and CO2 and CH4 flux estimates will provide important new insights for these undersampled and largely uncharacterized ABEs and critical baseline data for the Canadian domain (eastern transect) of NASA's Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE). CARVE-CAN data will challenge the detailed process models developed under DOE's Next Generation Ecological Experiment (NGEE-Arctic) given the distinct differences in soil carbon content, above ground biomass, ecosystems and climate between the North Slope tundra near Barrow, AK and the boreal forests and peatlands of the Mackenzie basin. CARVE-CAN flux estimates may be used to validate those from the OCO-2 and SMAP Decadal Survey missions. CARVE-CAN can also be used to help validate OCO-2 XCO2 at high northern latitudes. CARVE-CAN research extends the understanding gained from the ABLE, BOREAS, ARCTAS, and CARVE field campaigns, and helps focus the spectrum of interdisciplinary assets from NASA and other agencies towards the challenges of ABoVE and NGEE-Arctic. Finally, CARVE-CAN results will accelerate understanding of the Arctic as a bellwether for the impacts of climate change on the entire Earth system.

Publications:

Commane, R., Lindaas, J., Benmergui, J., Luus, K. A., Chang, R. Y., Daube, B. C., Euskirchen, E. S., Henderson, J. M., Karion, A., Miller, J. B., Miller, S. M., Parazoo, N. C., Randerson, J. T., Sweeney, C., Tans, P., Thoning, K., Veraverbeke, S., Miller, C. E., Wofsy, S. C. 2017. Carbon dioxide sources from Alaska driven by increasing early winter respiration from Arctic tundra. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 114(21), 5361-5366. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1618567114

Miller, S. M., Miller, C. E., Commane, R., Chang, R. Y., Dinardo, S. J., Henderson, J. M., Karion, A., Lindaas, J., Melton, J. R., Miller, J. B., Sweeney, C., Wofsy, S. C., Michalak, A. M. 2016. A multiyear estimate of methane fluxes in Alaska from CARVE atmospheric observations. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 30(10), 1441-1453. DOI: 10.1002/2016GB005419

Dupont, F., Tanguay, F., Li, M., Perron, G., Miller, C. E., Dinardo, S. J., Kurosu, T. P. 2012. CARVE-FTS observations of arctic CO2, CH4, and CO: overview of the instrument. Remote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, Coastal Waters, and Large Water Regions 2012. DOI: 10.1117/12.979826

Fisher, J. B., Sikka, M., Oechel, W. C., Huntzinger, D. N., Melton, J. R., Koven, C. D., Ahlstrom, A., Arain, M. A., Baker, I., Chen, J. M., Ciais, P., Davidson, C., Dietze, M., El-Masri, B., Hayes, D., Huntingford, C., Jain, A. K., Levy, P. E., Lomas, M. R., Poulter, B., Price, D., Sahoo, A. K., Schaefer, K., Tian, H., Tomelleri, E., Verbeeck, H., Viovy, N., Wania, R., Zeng, N., Miller, C. E. 2014. Carbon cycle uncertainty in the Alaskan Arctic. Biogeosciences. 11(15), 4271-4288. DOI: 10.5194/bg-11-4271-2014

Sedano, F., Randerson, J. T. 2014. Multi-scale influence of vapor pressure deficit on fire ignition and spread in boreal forest ecosystems. Biogeosciences. 11(14), 3739-3755. DOI: 10.5194/bg-11-3739-2014

Miller, C. E., Dinardo, S. J. 2012. CARVE: The Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment. 2012 IEEE Aerospace Conference. DOI: 10.1109/AERO.2012.6187026

Oechel, W. C., Laskowski, C. A., Burba, G., Gioli, B., Kalhori, A. A. M. 2014. Annual patterns and budget of CO 2 flux in an Arctic tussock tundra ecosystem. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. 119(3), 323-339. DOI: 10.1002/2013JG002431

Zona, D., Lipson, D. A., Richards, J. H., Phoenix, G. K., Liljedahl, A. K., Ueyama, M., Sturtevant, C. S., Oechel, W. C. 2014. Delayed responses of an Arctic ecosystem to an extreme summer: impacts on net ecosystem exchange and vegetation functioning. Biogeosciences. 11(20), 5877-5888. DOI: 10.5194/bg-11-5877-2014

Rogers, B. M., Soja, A. J., Goulden, M. L., Randerson, J. T. 2015. Influence of tree species on continental differences in boreal fires and climate feedbacks. Nature Geoscience. 8(3), 228-234. DOI: 10.1038/NGEO2352

2015 NASA Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Joint Science Workshop Poster(s)

• The Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (CARVE) Measurements of Seasonal to Interannual Variability in Alaskan CO2 and CH4 Fluxes   --   (Charles Miller)   [abstract]

More details may be found in the following project profile(s):

• NASA Terrestrial Ecology (TE) Project Profile
• North American Carbon Program (NACP) Project Profile
• NASA Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) Project Profile