Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Utah
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

The Arctic is rapidly warming. Some responses to this warming involve acceleration of processes common to other ecosystems around the world (e.g., shifts in plant species), whereas others are unique to the Arctic but with global consequences for society (e.g., carbon loss from permafrost thaw). The objectives of the Arctic Long-Term Ecological Research (ARC-LTER) project for 2023-2029 are to determine how and how fast trends in climate change and especially climate variability are changing arctic ecosystem structure and function. The research will use synthesis of ongoing, long-term observations and experiments, and new activities combining observations, experiments, and modeling. These activities will answer the research questions about how trends in mean climate, climate variability, and disturbances all interact to control arctic ecosystem structure and function, now and in the future. Partners inlcude the Alaska Dept. of Game and Fish and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Associated researchers, postdocs, and students benefit from access to long-term data and the ability to conduct complementary studies in our monitoring and experimental sites. Education and outreach to non-scientists will be expanded, and a new ARC-DEI plan guides our efforts to broaden diversity and participation in all our activities.