Arctic Biosphere Atmosphere Coupling at Multiple Scales
The university research consortium Arctic Biosphere Atmosphere Coupling at Multiple Scales ( ABACUS ) investigates the changes in the carbon balance in the arctic tundra using various methods on different scales.
The three-year (2006–2009) research project is led by the University of Edinburgh and includes researchers from Durham , Sheffield , York , Stirling , University College London , the Center for Ecology and Hydrology in Wallingford and the Mcauley Institute in Aberdeen. It is part of the framework program of the International Polar Year .
Background and research questions
In connection with global warming , significant changes in temperature and water balance have been observed in the Arctic for several decades. There are complicated feedback links between these climate factors and the biosphere. The vegetation removes the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but on the other hand also releases carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere and thus changes the global greenhouse effect. Some research questions have not yet been very well investigated:
- Do the arctic tundra areas absorb more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere overall (i.e. are they a sink and thus reduce the greenhouse effect), or do they emit more greenhouse gases overall?
- Will these carbon flows change significantly as a result of the global changes to be expected in this century? Could the Arctic as a whole go from being a sink to a source, drastically accelerating feedback warming ?
Methods
To answer these questions, the ABACUS consortium is examining the carbon balance of the tundra more closely. This is done with various methods on different scales, from individual soil samples to instruments on towers several meters high and measurements from research aircraft to satellite observations. The various results are supplemented and summarized by geostatistics as well as climatological and biological modeling .
Two regions in Northern Europe were selected as study areas. The first region is located near Abisko in Sweden, an area with a loose birch stand and an area in the transition to the Fjäll zone are being investigated. The second region is located north of Inarijärvi in Finland; Here, a wet tundra / moor area and a dry birch forest tundra area are explored.