Biocomplexity of Patterned Ground: Isachsen Expedition

A team of 25 people from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and other organizations worked at Isachsen, Ellef Ringnes Island during July 2005, as part of the "Biocomplexity associated with biogeochemical cycles in arctic frost-boil ecosystems" project. This year's work was the fourth in a 5-year project. The main objective of the research is to investigate the properties of small patterned-ground ecosystems along a climate gradient from the coldest parts of the Arctic to the northern boreal forest. The team is studying earth hummocks, non-sorted circles, small non-sorted polygons, and turf hummocks - how they form, how they vary with climate and substrate, and their role in total ecosystem functions.