APPLICATION FOR RESEARCH STAY IN CANADA FOR VIRVE RAVOLAINEN

One of the most dramatic, on-going changes in the circumpolar terrestrial arctic is expansion of shrubs in tundra. How and why state of shrub tundra changes is not understood, warranting an increased research and monitoring effort. Collaboration at a scal e that matches the circumpolar extent of the issue is needed to achieve understanding of the processes involved in different arctic regions. I apply for a research stay in Canada in 2013, with the general aim to strengthen circumpolar collaboration betwee n researchers that work with climate change impacts in arctic vegetation, in particular in shrub tundra. I will collaborate with Greg Henry (University of British Columbia, UBC) who has extensive experience in circumpolar research collaboration), with Isl a Myers-Smith (UBC) who chairs the research network Shrub Hub, and with other researchers involved in this network. I. Myers-Smith is a current collaborator, and the proposed research stay will strengthen this collaboration and facilitate future research endeavours. My first specific objective is to write a paper that develops the concepts of alternative states for shrub tundra. Following this work I will initiate a circumpolar collaborative research group for a project that will investigate relative stre ngth of drivers that determine the state of shrub tundra, for which funding will be applied in 2013. As for a second objective, a stay in Canada will allow me to collaborate with researchers within the network Shrub Hub to compare shrub measurements in si tes around the arctic. I will use these results to develop a circumpolar shrub monitoring protocol that can be used by scientists, managers and local communities from locations around the Arctic. The proposed research stay will contribute to improved rese arch and monitoring efforts for shrub tundra, one of the tundra types where climate change is exerting most pressing impacts, and lead to the establishment of new circumpolar collaborations.