Research at Toolik Lake began in 1975, and the site became part of the LTER Network in 1987.  The overall aim of the ARC-LTER has been to develop a landscape understanding of ecological functioning based on the interactions among tundra, stream, and lake ecosystems near Toolik Lake, Alaska.  The specific focus evolves continuously and changes with each renewal cycle, as understanding has grown and as new opportunities and questions are recognized.

2023-2029: The Role of Climate Variability in Controlling Arctic Ecosystem Function.

Personnel

• Kevin Griffin, Columbia University, Professor, PI, responsible for overall project management
• Natalie Boelman, Columbia University, Research Professor, Co-PI, ARC-LTER Executive Committee
• Duncan Menge, Columbia University, Associate Professor, Co-PI, ARC-LTER Executive Committee
•  Rose Cory, University of Michigan, Associate Professor, Co-PI, ARC-LTER Executive Committee
• George W. Kling, University of Michigan, Professor, Co-PI,  ARC-LTER Executive Committee

The Arctic is rapidly warming. Some responses to this warming are similar to other ecosystems around the world (e.g., shifts in plant species), whereas others are unique to the Arctic but with global consequences for society (e.g., carbon loss from permafrost thaw).  The objectives of the Arctic Long-Term Ecological Research (ARC-LTER) project for 2023-2029 are to determine how climate change and especially climate variability are changing arctic ecosystem structure and function.  We will extend our use of the concepts of biogeochemical and community “openness” and “connectivity,” a focus of our previous award, to help understand these changes.  These objectives will be met through continued long-term monitoring of undisturbed and disturbed ecosystems along the terrestrial to aquatic continuum in the vicinity of Toolik Lake, Alaska.  In addition, we will measure the recovery of these ecosystems from natural or imposed disturbances, maintain existing long-term experiments, and initiate new experimental manipulations and observational studies.  Based on the data generated, carbon and nutrient budgets and indices of species composition will be compiled for each component of the arctic landscape. Through a combination of data analysis and modeling, we will use these budgets and indices to assess how the biogeochemistry and community dynamics of ecosystems respond to climate change and climate variability, and to scale those responses across the landscape.

Past Projects

• ARC-LTER I (1987-1992):  Descriptions of tundra, stream, and lake ecosystems; long-term change versus short-term controls on ecosystem components.
• ARC-LTER II (1992-1998):  Ecological variability and long-term change; top-down versus bottom-up controls on tundra, streams, and lakes.
• ARC-LTER III (1998-2004):  Prediction of the future characteristics of arctic ecosystems and landscapes; controls by physical, climatic, and biotic factors. (1998 proposal)
• ARC-LTER IV (2004-2010):  Understanding changes in the arctic system at catchment and landscape scales through knowledge of linkages and interactions among ecosystems. (2004 proposal)
• ARC-LTER V (2011-2017):  Understanding changes in the arctic system resulting from (i) direct effects of climate change on states, processes, and linkages of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and (ii) indirect effects of climate change on ecosystems through a changing disturbance regime. (2010 proposal)
• ARC-LTER VI (2017-2023): The Role of Biogeochemical and Community Openness in Governing Arctic Ecosystem Response to Climate Change and Disturbance. (2016 proposal)