This project is a significant contribution to the Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Land/Atmosphere/Ice Interactions (LAII) study. The research proposed will determine CO2 and water, momentum, and energy fluxes at three spatial scales (plot, landscape, and mesoscale) using chamber, tower-based eddy correlation techniques, and aircraft-based eddy correlation techniques. The information obtained from each of these techniques will be analyzed and compared, especially in light of defining the most efficient approaches for estimating large spatial scale CO2 flux in the arctic. Remotely sensed spectral indices, GIS, process model, and phenomenological models will be used to develop a methodology for efficiently estimating ecosystem CO2 flux over meso- and global scales. Initial testing of the applicability of these methods will be undertaken during the 1993-1996. The research will yield the current CO2 flux for the area studied (east central north slope of Alaska), the contribution to CO2 flux of various elements of the landscape, the sensitivity of net ecosystem CO2 flux to altered environmental conditions, models and methodology to predict CO2 flux in the Arctic and efficient techniques for estimating meso- and global scale CO2 and other trace gas fluxes.
