The Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring Network--CALM III (2009-2014): Long-term Observations on the Climate-Active Layer-Permafrost System

This award will support the continuation of the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) program as an integral part of the Arctic Observing Network (AON) and the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH). The active-layer network of 168 sites represents the only coordinated and standardized program of observations using standard measurement protocols designed to observe and detect decadal changes in the dynamics of seasonal thawing and freezing in high-latitude soils. The 'Intellectual Merit' of this study lies in the need for long-term time series of active layer depth, ground temperature, and thaw settlement measurements at the same locations and across diverse terrain types and regions in order to identify scales of spatial variation, establish trends, and validate models. The data will also contribute to detailed process studies, and validating and developing climate change, ecology, hydrology and geocryology models. Education and outreach are essential components of the 'Broader Impacts' of CALM. The project will provide opportunities for field experience and educational participation at levels ranging from elementary school through postdoctoral. Local, predominantly indigenous people, will assist with the observations at remote sites. CALM will continue to incorporate data into its Web-based database, and transfer all existing and new data to the AON archive CADIS.