1. VuRSAL Scoping Study

2. Background NASA’s 2008 ROSES Solicitation (NNH08ZDA001N-TE) called for proposals to carry out “Scoping studies to identify the scientific questions and develop the initial study design and implementation concept for a new NASA Terrestrial Ecology field campaign or related team project.”

3. In response to NNH08ZDA001N-TE, a group developed a proposal titled Vulnerability and Resiliency of Arctic and Sub- Arctic Landscapes (VuRSAL) - the Role of Interactions between Climate, Permafrost, Hydrology, and Disturbance in Driving Ecosystem Processes NASA selected this proposal for funding in February 2009, with one year of support beginning in June 2009

4. Initial VuRSAL Team Co-Principal Investigators Eric S. Kasischke – Univ. of Maryland Scott J. Goetz – Woods Hole Res. Center John S. Kimball – Univ. of Montana Michelle C. Mack – Univ. of Florida Collaborators Jennifer Harden – USGS (YRB Project) Larry Hinzman – Int. Arctic Res. Center Masami Fukuda – Int. Arctic Res. Center Roger Ruess – Univ. of Alaska (LTER) Scott Rupp – Univ. of Alaska (SNAP)

5. U.S. Climate Change Science Program NASA is sponsoring this scoping study as part of it’s involvement in the US CCSP, which has a number of Inter-agency Working Groups focused on specific topic For example, the IWG on Carbon Cycle Science currently involves planning and coordination of research involving the following agencies – DOE, DOI (USGS), NSF, NOAA, USDA, USFS, and NASA Examples of this planning/coordination is the US Carbon Cycle Science Plan, the NA Carbon Program, and the CarboNA Program

6. NASA desires that the scoping study consider study sites located across a broad geographic region that includes Alaska and northwestern Canada and involves the international scientific community

7. Previous NASA Terrestrial Ecology Field Campaigns FIFE: First ISLSCP Field Campaign (1985-1995) –Field campaigns in 1987 and 1989 BOREAS: Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (1992 – 2000) –Field campaigns in 1994 and 1996 LBA: Large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (1998 – present)

8. BOREAS Goal: Improve the understanding of the exchanges of radiative energy, sensible heat, water, CO2 and trace gases between the boreal forest and the lower atmosphere.

10. A key element of the BOREAS Project was the installation and continuous operation of nine (9) eddy covariance towers to measure fluxes of water, energy, and trace gases between the land surface and atmosphere

11. Scoping Study Goals Goal 1 - Identify scientific issues and questions and underlying rationale in three specific areas: A.Interactions between climate and the permafrost, hydrologic, and disturbance regimes that control the vulnerability and resiliency of arctic and sub-arctic ecosystems (i.e., what processes are driving ecosystem changes?); and B.The role these interactions have in forcing the surface environment and ecosystem processes C.The feedbacks from variations in ecosystems and surface conditions to the climate and the forcing processes

12. VARIATIONS IN SOIL DRAINAGE VARIATIONS IN PERMAFROST CLIMATE CHANGE AND VARIABILITY 1. Direct Impacts Peatlands/ wetlands Lakes/ Rivers Forests Shrub- lands Wet/Dry Tundra 3. Ecosystem Processes and Responses Fire regime Insects-disease Changes to surface hydrology Permafrost warming 2. Indirect Impacts 2. Forcing Processes 4. Feedbacks Sub-Arctic and Arctic Landscapes Surface organic layer VARIATIONS IN TOPOGRAPHY

13. Scoping Study Goals Goal 2 - To develop a plan for a research program to address these questions and issues that includes a field experiment/campaign

14. The VuRSAL scoping study is not intended to supersede or supplant existing research programs The VuRSAL team views ongoing and planned programs as the foundation upon which a large-scale field campaign should be built The VuRSAL scoping study can be viewed as an opportunity for coordination between and across the large number of activities that already exist

15. Steps in the Scoping Study Feb – Jul 2009: Recruit Study Participants Mar – Jul 2009: Solicit themes, issues, questions from the broader scientific community Aug 2009: Convene Workshop to make recommendations to address project goals Sep – Nov 2009: Prepare Draft Plan Dec 2009 – Jan 2010: Community Review of Plan Feb – Mar 2010: Revision of Plan April 2010: Final Review of Plan May 2010: Final Revisions and Submission of Plan

16. Participation in the Scoping Study 1.Provide suggestions for the major science issues and questions to be addressed 2.Participate in the August Workshop 3.Assist writing portions of the scoping study report 4.Review the scoping study report