Collaborative Research: Land-Atmosphere Interactions in Beringia Over the Last 21,000 Years: An Investigation of Climate Feedback Using the Arctic Regional Climate System Model

Investigator: Mary E. Edwards Mary.Edwards@sv.ntnu.no  (Principal Investigator current)

Abstract 

The award is for a collaborative study involving the Universities of Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, aimed at improving the understanding of the characteristics, mechanisms, and feedback processes associated with changes in vegetation, sea level, and standing surface water in Beringia during the last 21,000 years, and to use this understanding to aid in the development of predictive tools for future pan-Arctic climate change. The specific research objectives and tasks are based on refining a modeling strategy for simulating regional paleoclimatic variations and for diagnosing the interactions between different components of the climate system, utilizing global and regional climate models and an equilibrium vegetation simulation model. Simulations will be performed at key times, compared to observational data, and diagnosed to understand potential feedbacks.