North American Arctic Transect

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North American Arctic Transect
Walker DA
The broad vision for the network of terrestrial observatories includes both the established flagship observatories and a more widely dispersed network of sites that are currently not represented. It is also important to consider how the terrestrial network is coordinated with the ocean and sea-ice observing networks. The North American Arctic Transect was established as part of a Biocomplexity of the Patterned Ground project (http://naat.geobotany.org/index.html). Of particular importance are the locations of Mould Bay and Isachsen in the coldest part of the Canadian Archipelago. These sites are cold because they are in the region of perennial sea ice where summer air temperatures are held close to 0°C all summer. These areas are likely to undergo major changes in climate if the perennial sea ice vanishes.
2008 Annual Meeting and Arctic Forum, Washington, D.C., 13-15 May 2008
Abstract

Cassiope tetragona - Dryas integrifolia Non-acidic Snowbed Communities Along the Thompson River, Banks Island, Canada
Kuss P
This student's research is the result of the three weeks lasting Arctic Ecology Course 2003 that was taught along the Thomson River on Banks Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (N 73° 13´ W 119° 32´ – N 73° 50´ W 119° 53´). The Thomson River lays within Bioclimatic subzone C with a mean July temperature of 5 – 7° C. Using the Braun-Blanquet approach of vegetation description it was attempted to gain an overview of Cassiope tetragona-dominated snowbed communities of different expositions on non-acidic substrates. 23 releves from five transects allowed him to classify the distinct vegetation units and to suggest a northern vicarant of the Tetragono-Dryadetum integrifoliae Barret 1972.

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