Plant biomass studies in the Arctic (ArcticBiomass)

The main purpose is to establish a joint American-Norwegian research team dealing with research on the combination of field and satellite remote sensing based above-ground plant biomass, vegetation productivity and growing season mapping in northern Alask a and in Svalbard, as well as on a circumpolar scale. A sub-objective is to compile existing plant biomass and productivity data from the North Slope of Alaska and from Svalbard, and to evaluate existing remote sensing data and remote sensing based biomas s products throughout the Arctic. This will provide a bench market to measure improvements in remote sensing based plant biomass and productivity mapping and monitoring. Of particular interest are areas where there has not been a positive NDVI trend. The re are various explanations for this, including drought and increased winter perturbation, but there has not been an overall study of the relationship between potential stress factors and non-increasing NDVI trends. A key question is whether areas with a positive trend will experience declines in NDVI due to increased frequency of perturbations in the next decades. To achieve the main aim of the project the work will be carried out in different work packages. The ArcticBiomass project will continue the m apping of vegetation and extraction of vegetation parameters in already established research regions. At general level the project will establishment of a joint American-Norwegian research team dealing with research on the combination of field and satelli te remote sensing based plant biomass and plant productivity mapping in northern Alaska and in Svalbard, as well as on a circumpolar scale. The project will perform exchange of remote sensing data, climatic data and field data, arrange workshops and joint field campaigns on Svalbard (Ny-Ålesund and Nordenskiøldland) and promote exchange of students and researchers.