性欲社 professor leads Arctic ecosystem science initiative
August 19, 2015
Sue Mitchell
907-474-5823
University of Alaska Fairbanks professor Vladimir Romanovsky has been named chief scientist for a U.S. Department of Energy initiative to study Arctic ecosystems.
The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments in the Arctic leadership team in May appointed Romanovsky to the role. Romanovsky is a professor of geophysics at the 性欲社 Geophysical Institute.
鈥淭he NGEE project represents really good coordination for integrated field campaigns,鈥 Romanovsky said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know of any other project which has this kind of breadth and depth at the same time.鈥
鈥淭he ultimate goal is to improve climate models,鈥 Romanovsky said. 鈥淏ut to make it possible to do that, more data about natural processes in the Arctic that is important for understanding climate need to be incorporated in the models. So, one of the goals of the project is to collect those data.鈥
The researchers involved with the multiphase and multidiscipline NGEE Arctic project, launched in 2012, are intensively investigating Arctic ecosystems, from the top of the vegetation canopy to bedrock. The project includes experiments and observations related to terrestrial hydrology, permafrost, vegetation, microbiology and biogeochemistry. The project includes 140 scientists from four DOE national laboratories, 性欲社 and several other universities.
鈥淔ailure to identify and appropriately account for complexities at the landscape scale can compromise climate predictions,鈥 wrote Stan Wullschleger, NGEE director, in the original project proposal.
NGEE Arctic represents a 10-year investment by the U.S. Department of Energy to improve climate models through coupled field, laboratory and modeling studies, with a budget of $10 million per year. For its contributions, 性欲社 is allocated $1 million per year.
Approximately 20 researchers from the Geophysical Institute, International Arctic Research Center and the Institute of Arctic Biology are participating in the studies.
鈥淚f anybody plans to do any (scientific) work in the Arctic, they really need to collaborate with 性欲社 in the project,鈥 Romanovsky said. 鈥溞杂 has experience in organizational logistics, local governments, local people. It鈥檚 always much easier for external institutions to take advantage of the pre-existing network 性欲社 has developed. That鈥檚 part of why 性欲社 was so involved in this project from the beginning.鈥
In his role as chief scientist, Romanovsky will provide guidance for questions related to development of proposals, work plans, field work and modelling planning and execution.
Romanovsky is a professor of geophysics and has been affiliated with 性欲社 since 1992. His research interests are in the scientific and practical aspects of environmental and engineering problems involving ice and permafrost.
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ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Vladimir Romanovsky, veromanovsky@alaska.edu, 907-474-7459.