Concept information
Preferred term
PAN-AME
Definition
- Short Title: PAN-AME Proposal URL: http://classic.ipy.org/development/eoi/proposal-details.php?id=26 Rationale The extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice vary considerably from year to year and over decadal time scales. Assessing the processes of oceanic and atmospheric forcing on this ice cover is critically important in understanding the response of the Arctic marine ecosystem to climate variability and change. Security of food sources is a key element in this change as is the stability of traditional lifestyles, sustainable exploitation of new resources and education of the next generation of Arctic Scientists. The present variability in sea ice cover on Arctic marine ecosystems and regional climate requires a substantial improvement in our understanding of the links between freshwater and sea ice, sea ice and climate, and sea ice and biogeochemical fluxes. The need for data is particularly strong for the shallow coastal shelf regions (30% of the Arctic basin), the shelf-basin interface and within the marginal ice zones and polynyas of the Arctic.The environmental, socio-economic and geopolitical consequences of an eventual sustained reduction of Arctic sea ice are bound to be tremendous: marine Arctic ecosystems will be displaced, a new ocean will open to exploitation, climate warming may accelerate, global ocean circulation may be modified, and traditional use will change. Given our Arctic responsibilities the PAN-AME cluster is an essential element in the international efforts to understand the current a near future changes on the physical-biological coupling within the Arctic marine ecosystem. Science The PANA-AME cluster will focus on testable hypotheses integrated across several research projects in a coordinate effort to examine the role of that changing oceanic and atmospheric forcing have over the Arctic marine ecosystem. Space limits the presentation of these but we illustrate with these core questions to be addressed: What is the role of hydrologic, oceanographic and meteorological processes in ice growth, decay and transport in each of the cluster regions of interest (ROI) and what is the large scale context within which they are embedded? What are the hydrodynamic (including ice and snow cover dynamics) control of Arctic shelf photosynthetic production and its export to the benthos and the pelagic food web. What is the flux of carbon associated with these processes and how does this change in our various ROI? What is the potential impact of increased UV radiation on biological productivity? What is the role of microheterotrophs and mesozooplankton in transforming autochthonous and allochthonous particulate and dissolved matter? What are the trophic linagkages in various ROI within our cluster how is energy transfer between trophic levels affected by changes inn the physical system? How are contaminants linked to changes in the physical and biological systems and what is the nature of source, sink and transport these elements? Detailed physical and biological measurements will be used to constrain and calibrate physical models of ocean-sea ice-atmosphere coupling and biophysical models of ecosystem function and carbon flows within the IPY-AME regions of interest. Field work will focus on significant time scales pertinent to each of our ROI with ranges from weekly to interannually. Observatories will be a key element in the cluster with installation within the IPY timeframe and continuation of these observatories as a legacy of the IPY. Benefits This cluster marshals the majority of existing international expertise in Arctic marine ecosystem research. It also marshals involvement of circumarctic aboriginal peoples through involvement in individual ROIs. By clustering we agree to integrate our geographically separate projects into a coordinated pan-Arctic IPY program through standardization of sampling methods, coordination of people, resources, and access to a wealth of existing arctic logistics (field stations, ice camps, ships, aircraft). We agree to archive a coordinated data repository which will remain as a legacy of this project. We also intend to share data amongst science teams working in different ROIs as a means of assessing marine ecosystem response to pan-arctic climate variability and change. (en)
Broader concept
- P - R (en)
URI
https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concept/5ee55466-e6e4-486d-a556-42713a8d0eb3
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