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Projects > A - C > ACCO-NET

Preferred term

ACCO-NET  

Definition

  • Short Title: ACCO-Net Project URL: http://www.awi-potsdam.de/acd/acconet/ Proposal URL: http://classic.ipy.org/development/eoi/proposal-details.php?id=90 The coastal zone is the interface through which land-ocean exchanges in the Arctic are mediated and it is the region of most high-latitude human activities. The coastal margin hosts a complex interaction of marine, terrestrial and atmospheric processes that are extremely vulnerable to predicted environmental changes and anthropogenic stressors. These high-latitude coasts are typically permafrost-dominated and suffer from rapid erosion with serious implications for ecosystems and communities (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) - key finding #5). Furthermore, changes in inputs of water and constituents (nutrients, sediments, dissolved inorganic matter and contaminants) from major Arctic rivers have the potential to fundamentally alter biogeochemical cycling and productivity in the coastal zone and in the Arctic marginal seas (continental shelves). Changes in the Arctic coastal zone, including coastal erosion and riverine fluxes, will not only affect regional biological and human systems, but are also likely to influence the global system. For example, degradation of coastal and offshore permafrost may lead to the release of greenhouse gases (GHG), and increases in freshwater inputs may alter regional as well as large-scale ocean circulation and climate patterns. To detect and quantify trajectories in coastal/shelf systems, their components and transformations must first be monitored. A coordinated monitoring programme incorporating diverse regions and providing site-specific, fine-scale baseline and time-series data will yield maximum value, facilitating local and circum-Arctic studies, such as validation of multiscale biodiversity and coastal community models. To address these issues, it is proposed that an internationally coordinated circum-Arctic network of coastal and marginal seas observatories (~20 key sites including deltas and estuaries of major Siberian and North American rivers) be established within the IPY 2007-2008 framework based on ecoregion representation criteria. The sites will be loci for multi-disciplinary, multi-resolution studies set within a broader eco- and socio-regional frame of reference and will include sensitive areas with varying degrees of human impact. Site selection will be coordinated with local communities and will build upon existing monitoring programmes and data availability. In particular, the circum-Arctic coastal key sites established within the IASC/IPA/IGBP-LOICZ project Artic Coastal Dynamics (ACD), the river monitoring stations installed at down-stream locations on the 6 largest rivers draining the pan-Arctic watershed (Yenisey, Lena, Ob, Kolyma, Yukon, Mackenzie) as part of the NSF-ARCSS Freshwater Initiative (FWI), and the pilot version of the Hudson Bay Complex Observatory (MERICA) will be considered. The recommended strategy is outlined in five steps: (1) Initial site characterisation and representation assessment: (a) acquisition of comprehensive, high-resolution imagery of the circum-Arctic coastline, ( b) physical (atmospheric, terrestrial, inter-tidal and marine coastal conditions), (c) ecological (marine and terrestrial classification, habitat mapping, assessment of biodiversity indicators and components), (d) biogeochemical fluxes of major and minor elements and greenhouse gases (e) Socio-economic (general situation, interaction of resource users, assessment of resources used, local knowledge of coastal processes, state of legal and administrative regulations); (2) Monitoring of changes: (a) physical (atmospheric and oceanographic forcing, permafrost parameters, coastal terrestrial and marine morphology, riverine fluxes), (b) ecological (habitats, biodiversity, living resource assessment) (c) biogeochemistry, (C, N, and gas fluxes, environmental quality, biological production and biogeochemical cycles), (d) socio-economic (industrial production, plans and potential constraints for development, quality of life, local economy, population and demography, social problems of native peoples); (3) Data analyses: (a) change detection, (b) identification of interdependencies amongst physical, biological, social, and ecological parameters; (4) Data/information management: (a) metadata standards, (b) Arctic spatial data infrastructure, (c) web accessible databases and products (e.g. maps), (d) data accessibility to local and scientific communities; (5) Synthesis: formulation of models at multiple levels (conceptual to regional and global numerical) incorporating interdependent physical, biological and environmental changes in response to natural and anthropogenic forcing, development of response strategies. (en)

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https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concept/1fffaa58-72f8-4044-a4cc-f7cc57c07b09

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