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Arctic Field Courses, Summer 2002: Section 1Notice: positions are currently available for the summer 2002 course |
Dates in the field:
- Section 1: Integrating
research, education, and traditional knowledge in the Alaskan Arctic.
EEB4842, call #83890.
June 25 to July 21.
This section offers students an
opportunity to get a sense of both the wilderness nature of the Arctic
landscape, and the excitement of discovery. Our class will work with scientists in the
field as they study of biocomplexity along a climatic gradient from treeline
to the High Arctic.
We will meet at the University of Alaska campus in Fairbanks. We will travel by van up the Dalton Highway and over the Brooks Range. Along the way we will investigate the transitions from forest to taiga to tundra. From the North Slope of the Brooks Range we will travel by kayak down the Sagavanirktok River, along the western edge of the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, to the Arctic coast. We will be camping out as we conduct classes and field investigations.
One component of our studies will be the integration of
our curriculum with the National Science Foundation funded study Biocomplexity in Arctic frost-boil ecosystems
(OPP -
0120736). This presents a
fascinating opportunity for students to learn about cutting edge research
in the Arctic, to meet the scientists in the field, and to get a first hand
look at how they study soils, vegetation, climate, permafrost, and nutrient cycling
using field data, remote sensing, and modeling.
The course will focus on ecological
variation along gradients at different scales: local variation
related to topography and moisture, and large scale variation related to climate. We
will study natural history, ecology,and how the interaction of climate, topography, vegetation, disturbance, and ecological processes shape the landscape. The course will be led by Bill Gould, who has been teaching and doing research in the Arctic for many years. He will be joined by soil biologist Grizelle Gonzalez and ecologist
Andrew
Borner. Stidents
will be responsible for cooperating with camping and cooking activities.
On our river portion of the course (approximately three weeks) each student will paddle their own inflatable kayak. Instruction will be provided. At some
point along the river we hope to camp and visit with local residents and learn about TEK or Traditional Ecological Knowledge, an Inuit view of the land.
Additionally, we will visit several active research sites involved in the
Biocomplexity study. Scientists, students, and research assistants will be
working at these sites throughout the summer. We will coordinate our
visits in order to get a chance to interact with the scientists.
Our class will have planned field activities at each of these sites as
well.
The course will offer an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to learn about the history and ecology of this Low Arctic region and offer a chance to see denning wolves, muskoxen, nesting raptors, caribou, wolverine and bear. Additional Information: Please read carefully.