Showing papers by "Matthew Sturm published in 2003"

The snow cover on lakes of the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska, U.S.A.

Abstract: Shallow lakes cover >25% of Alaska’s Arctic Coastal Plain. These remain frozen and snow-covered from October to June. The lake snow is thinner, denser, harder and has less water equivalent than snow on the surrounding tundra. Itcontains less depth hoar than land snow, yet paradoxically is subject to stronger temperature gradients. It also has fewer layers and these have been more strongly affected by wind. Dunes and drifts are better developedon lakes; they have wavelengths of 5–20 m, compared to <5 m on land. Because of these differences, lake snow has roughly half the thermal insulating capacity of land snow. The winter mass balance on lakes is also different because (1) some snow falls into the water before the lakes freeze, (2) some snow accumulates in drifts surrounding the lakes, and (3) prevailing winds lead to increased erosion and thinner snow on the eastern lake sides. Physical models that extrapolate land snow over lakes without appropriate adjustments for depth, density, distribution and thermal properties will under-predict ice thickness and winter heat losses.

Five Stages of the Alaskan Arctic Cold Season with Ecosystem Implications

Abstract: We divide the Alaskan Arctic cold season into five stages based on transitions in climatological and thermophysical conditions in the atmosphere, snowpack, and soil active layer. Each of these stages has distinct characteristics which drive ecosystem processes. During the two autumnal stages (Early Snow and Early Cold) soils remain warm, unfrozen water is present, and the highest rates of cold-season soil respiration occur. The next two stages (Deep Cold and Late Cold) are characterized by a frozen active layer with decreasing temperature. Thaw is critical in determining the length of the growing season and the resumption of biological processes. Deep Cold and Late Cold result from a radiation deficit, show little interannual variation, and will be resistant to change under almost any reasonable climate change scenario. These are also the stages with the least amount of biological activity and have the least impact on the ecosystem. However, Early Snow, Early Cold and Thaw stages vary significant...

Arctic Transitions in the Land–Atmosphere System (ATLAS): Background, objectives, results, and future directions

Abstract: [1] This paper briefly reviews the background, objectives, and results of the Arctic Transitions in the Land–Atmosphere System (ATLAS) Project to date and provides thoughts on future directions. The key goal of the ATLAS Project is to improve understanding of controls over spatial and temporal variability of terrestrial processes in the Arctic that have potential consequences for the climate system, i.e., processes that affect the exchange of water and energy with the atmosphere, the exchange of radiatively active gases with the atmosphere, and the delivery of freshwater to the Arctic Ocean. Three important conclusions have emerged from research associated with the ATLAS Project. First, associated with the observation that the Alaskan Arctic has warmed significantly in the last 30 years, permafrost is warming, shrubs are expanding, and there has been a temporary release of carbon dioxide from tundra soils. Second, the winter is a more important period of biological activity than previously appreciated. Biotic processes, including shrub expansion and decomposition, affect snow structure and accumulation and affect the annual carbon budget of tundra ecosystems. Third, observed vegetation changes can have a significant positive feedback to regional warming. These vegetation effects are, however, less strong than those exerted by land–ocean heating contrasts and the topographic constraints on air mass movements. The papers of this special section provide additional insights related to these conclusions and to the overall goal of ATLAS.