Plot level CO2 and CH4 Flux in Beringia 2005-2007

This project developed and tested a methodology for the rapid assessment of the patterns of decadal time scale land cover change at multiple sites throughout the Beringia region and estimate the probable impact these changes have had on ecosystem carbon balance. The project was made possible by participation in the Swedish Beringia 2005 Expedition. At the landscape level, land cover change is wass assessed using modern high-spatial resolution satellite imagery to derive supervised land cover classifications that will be compared to land cover maps derived from newly archived historical air photos and/or recently declassified military spy imagery. Component land-atmosphere fluxes of carbon dioxide and methane will be measured in collaboration with a Swedish colleague in multiple land cover types at each site visited. Component fluxes will be extrapolated to the landscape level for each multi-temporal land cover assessment and the probable changes in carbon balance over time and space will be estimated. Monolith, soil, and vegetation samples will be collected for controlled laboratory experiments and analyses that will enable cross-site comparison of a range of biogeochemical processes.