Abstracts are now being accepted for oral and poster presentations for the four-day ISAR/ICARP III symposium at the Arctic Science Summit Week 2015 in Toyama, Japan. Abstracts will be accepted until 10 November, 2014.
Two sessions currently accepting abstracts include:
B3: Changing permafrost and its impact on the physical, ecological, economic and cultural Earth system
C7: Arctic freshwater system, changes and effects on Arctic freshwater ecosystems
For a full listing of the available sessions, please visit this link.
Session B3 Description:
Permafrost is a widespread feature of polar regions that underlies virtually all of the non-glaciated terrestrial Arctic and Antarctic. Permafrost has become one of the focal points of modern environmental polar science because of the impacts associated with the widespread thawing currently occurring and its potential impact on the Earth system. Further, permafrost landscapes play a vital role in both historical and contemporary subsistence practices, yet there are today few studies of human interaction (i.e. land use) with permafrost dynamics and a clear need for integration of physical and social sciences in permafrost research. The session will identify future directions for permafrost research in the ICARPIII process. In particular, this session will investigate the implications of degrading permafrost for northern communities, industry, wildlife, as well as the storage, decomposition and release of carbon (as carbon dioxide or methane) and nitrogen in and from frozen ground. It will feature results from interview and participant observations, field process studies, monitoring programs, remote sensing, modelling, and interdisciplinary efforts to include local processes in global climate models and vice-versa. Introduction of international collaboration among diverse scientific and social communities, outreaches and social involvements to scientific activities are also welcomed. Since this session offers various discussions of changing permafrost, the regional coverage is not only Arctic in the narrow sense but also mid-latitude and high mountainous regions with potential permafrost. By encompassing all aspects of cold land processes, including those related to geology, geomorphology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, microbiology, engineering, anthropology, policy studies and social science, and their interactions, this session will highlight the role of permafrost in the Earth System and the impact of its changes on the environment and society.
CONVENERS:
Ylva Sjöberg
Hiroki Takakura
Mamoru Ishikawa
Session C7 Description:
Climate change and variability are affecting freshwater systems within the Arctic and subarctic. As water integrates and propagates effects across the Arctic, these transformations will have a profound effect on both society and environment, also beyond the Arctic. This session focuses on how major Arctic freshwater sources, fluxes and storage components are being modified, including: atmospheric and river transport, precipitation-evaporation-permafrost/soil moisture regimes, glacier and ice cap mass balances, sea-ice formation and dynamics, and marine exchanges including oceanic storage and release of low-salinity water. Also of interest are ecological and socio-economic effects that cascade from changes in these freshwater components and related processes. Freshwater ecosystems that are rapidly changing due to warming will be of specific focus, including effects on their biodiversity, food webs, and ecosystem function as well as ecosystem services. This session will be presenting key results concerning the Arctic freshwater system, and aims to collate information on current studies on the biodiversity and ecosystem function of Arctic and sub-arctic freshwater ecosystems. For these reasons, the format of the session will be of both presentation and workshop/brainstorming type. Presentations of key results synthesized from studies related to the Arctic freshwater system is followed by brief presentations on current research activities concerning Arctic freshwater ecosystems. The session will end with a discussion forum to synthesize some of the main topics of the session and draft a plan for possible dissemination i.e. roadmap for future research activities. The outcome of the proposed session will enable us to understand the cumulative effect of current changes in the Arctic, which will be applicable for enhanced management of freshwater resources in the Arctic.
Scientific fields: Hydrology, with links to atmosphere, ocean, ecosystems (freshwater), and social and human dimensions
CONVENERS:
Alexander Milner, University of Birmingham, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Warwick Vincent, Université Laval, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Terry Prowse, University of Victoria, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Johanna Mård Karlsson, Stockholm University, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
