AmeriFlux US-ICh Imnavait Creek Watershed Heath Tundra. 2007-

The research approach of the US Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) program, created by Arctic Observatory Networks (AON), is to seek development and deployment of a pan-arctic observing system that will measure the full range of continuing changes now underway in the Arctic. This project focuses on simultaneous measurements of carbon, water, and energy fluxes of the terrestrial landscape at hourly, daily, seasonal, and multi-year time scales. These are major regulatory drivers of the Arctic system and form key linkages and feedbacks between the land surface, the atmosphere, and the oceans. There are three automated weather stations deployed at Imnavait Creek in support of the AON objectives: The Ridge Station, the Biocomplexity Station, and the Fen Station. These stations will provide a comprehensive description of the state of the regional Arctic system with respect to these variables, its overall regulation and controlling features, and its interaction with the global system. In the longer-term, this project will provide a legacy of data, a network of observing platforms, and a set of clear protocols for long-term observation and further analysis.