OPP-9318535 Kane Development of climatic models has intensely highlighted the fact that almost all of the important processes controlling climate are interactive and that it is vital to understand the linkages between these processes; for example, what is the role of the hydrologic system in connecting atmospheric and terrestrial processes. As a component of the ARCSS LAII Flux study, the objective of this project is to improve the understanding of the linkages between atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic systems; specifically, this means developing a quantitative understanding of the energy and mass transfer processes of the hydrologic regime. A primary component of this study is a field measurement program to quantify the water balance of watersheds that are physically quite different (for example, watersheds in the Foothills compared to those on the Coastal Plain) and an energy balance of the entire region from the Arctic Ocean to the Brooks Range. One goal is to develop a physically based, spatially distributed hydrologic model that, when combined with the results of cooperating LAII researchers, can be coupled with the biogeochemical processes of a watershed. Other goals are to develop an understanding of the mechanisms which impact snow distribution and a working model of lateral and vertical fluxes of water and energy in the entire Kuparuk watershed. ***
