Climatic variability, Northern Labrador, and

tundra ecosystems

Sarah Chan

Dept. of Geography

CiCATClimate impacts on Canadian Arctic Tundra

OBJECTIVE: To assess the past, present and future impacts of climate changes on arctic tundra ecosystems in Canada and the consequences of changes in tundra systems for northern communities, Canada and the globe.

Nakvak Brook

Research Objectives

• Climatology of Northern Labrador– Data interpolation from network of climate stations in

Northern Labrador and Quebec– Regional climate downscaling from GCMs: to increase

the spatial resolution of climate modeling – How consistent are seasonal trends over

annual/decadal time scales?

• TMNP research site climatology– For descriptive purposes, and for baseline data for long-

term monitoring

Research Objectives

• Linking the climate to the ecosystem= bioclimatology

– Active layer/permafrost and soil: how will the ground temperature respond to changes in air temperature?

– Can we detect changes in growing season length?

– What will the effects of changes in precipitation patterns have on the ecosystem?

2007 Field Season:Mealy Mtns

2007 Field Season:Torngats

• Climate station set-up• Snowstick network• Ground temperature loggers• OTC mission

Data & Outcomes

• Environment Canada– Data mining for past climate records

• NCAR-NCEP reanalysis project (historical atmospheric data)

• 4 days worth of climatic data from TMNP– Air temperature, ground temp., solar radiation,

wind direction/speed– Here’s hoping for a few more days of data upon

return…

Challenges• Anomalous atmospheric patterns

– Wind and precipitation?

– NAO signal; atypical 2007-8 conditions?

• Climate station destruction by a bear…

• Torngats precip gauge?

2008…

• Mealys?

• Torngats– Climate station: collect data, maintenance,

reposition station?– Gridded permafrost probing?– Collect data from mini ground temperature loggers