Understanding Circumpolar Ecosystems in a Changing World
Outcomes of the International Polar Year, 3-6 November 2010
University of Alberta Conference Centre, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Northern ecosystems are increasingly becoming a high-profile topic on the political agenda. Most of the circumpolar regions are seen as pristine landscapes, which have experienced radical changes in climate, vegetation, and animals. Air temperature rises during the last 30 years have been associated with warming and disappearing permafrost, changes in growth rates of dominant trees, natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and changes in vertebrate populations. The causal links among these changes and their implications for the functioning of the circumpolar region and the people who live there are not completely understood. To understand the current and future structure, diversity, and functioning of the circumpolar region, it is important to understand how climate and disturbance interact and the implications of these interactions for ecological, economic, and cultural sustainability of the circumpolar region. The conference will include sessions on these and related topics in terrestrial environments (not oceans).
Conference objectives:
- To present and discuss the current scientific understanding of climate-disturbance interactions in the circumpolar region;
- To discuss the unique ecological, economic, and social conditions that are influenced by disturbance, climate change impacts, and adaptation to climate change in the circumpolar region.
- To bring a circumpolar perspective to research initiatives;
- To foster cooperation and an exchange of ideas among countries in the circumpolar regions.
