Researcher: Yongwon Kim
Funding Source: IJIS
Collaborators: Dr. Enomoto (Kitami Institute of Technology, Japan) and his MS
student; Dr. Chikita (Hokkaido University, Japan) and his Ph.D. student
The goals are 1) to develop new algorithm of snow depth based on the remote sensing image analysis and the ground truth observation, and 2) to estimate the emissions of CO2 and CH4 along the trans-Alaska pipeline.
The project is to conduct the field-based observation along the trans-Alaska pipeline during the growing and winter seasons. There are 11 observation sites in boreal forest, 11 in tundra, and 1 in tundra-boreal forest ecotone for snow pit-wall observation and CO2/CH4 flux-measurements during the winter. There are 4 in boreal forest, 3 in tundra, and 1 in eoctone sites for the retrieval of temperature and moisture data and CO2/CH4 flux-measurements for the growing season.
The expected results are 1) unexpected increase of air temperatures in the end of January in tundra and boreal forest sites, 2) the winter emissions of CO2 as well as CH4 through the snowpack in tundra and boreal forest soils despite the oxidation of CH4 in these sites during the growing season.
To validation of snow depth with remote sensing and ground-truth data is provided hydrological modelers with synthetic data for the hydrological cycle in the Arctic.