some background, finally!

It has been a very busy start to my time here in Alaska but things are calming down. I have been waiting to find time to write some posts that lay out what I am doing up here. In this post I want to give a broad overview of the research topics of the project I am a part of. This one will be short, but after this I'll be able to talk about how we go about studying things and then can describe my day-to-day tasks. Here goes...

Permafrost, which is ground that remains frozen for two consecutive years, contains more than twice as much carbon than is found in the atmosphere. If permafrost thaws, carbon stored in the soil as organic matter (i.e. decomposing plant material) becomes available for breakdown by microbes. This means that this carbon is available to go into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. You can see how there is the potential for a positive feedback with permafrost thaw and increase carbon release... But nothing in nature is that simple. Warmer temperatures can promote increased plant growth, and plants take up CO2 to do photosynthesis. So maybe increased plant growth can offset carbon losses due to respiration by microbes in the soil. This is a very basic framework to begin thinking about the questions our research project looks at concerning permafrost and plants.

If you want to read more about the science of permafrost, here is a link to a NY Times article from the winter that talk a lot about current concerns (and quotes the UF professors I work under at the end!).

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/17/science/earth/warming-arctic-permafrost-fuels-climate-change-worries.html?pagewanted=all 

Next time I write it'll be about how we go about studying permafrost and what questions we are hoping to answer. For now I am going to bed - it was a long and sunny afternoon in the field and I am beat.