Research Themes

Ecosystem Studies and Conservation Biology (ESCB)

The ESCB research group focuses on ecosystem processes of northern terrestrial and aquatic systems including: plant and soil controls on carbon, water and nitrogen cycling, the population and community dynamics of biodiversity, invasive species ecology and physiology, and the spatial distribution of plants, invertebrates and animals of conservation importance. Long-term experimental studies in northern Alaska and Greenland along with the inventory and monitoring of plants, animals and invertebrates in Alaska are emphasized, involving populations and communities, biogeochemistry, and ecophysiology. Modern tools include geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and in situ monitoring devices.  Our access to steep environmental gradients, changing landscapes, ecosystems dominated by winter and habitats that are in natural states offer a world-class complex of field research opportunities. This research group is supported by four programs: a) Ecosystem Process Studies, b) Alaska Natural Heritage Program (AKNHP), c) Aquatic and Riparian Ecology, and the d) Stable Isotope Laboratory.

Earth and Climate Processes (ECP)

The ECP research group focuses on the climatological/atmospheric, geochemistry and hydrological components of northern systems including:  surface hourly weather observations, the quantification of inorganic and organic minerals and nutrient cycles, contaminant biogeochemistry as well as catchment processes. The climatological emphasis addresses local and regional weather dynamics while the atmospheric emphasis focuses on boreal forest microclimatology, trace gas dynamics and gradients of weather along altitudinal transects as part of our Boreal Forest Observatory. Our geochemistry focus is on contaminates such as perchlorate and arsenic with an isotope geochemistry emphasis on local, state and continental patterns and processes governing the isotopes of water in precipitation.  Our hydrological emphasis addresses stream and river discharge, patterns and processes in sub-, low, and high arctic systems. This research group is supported by: a) The Alaska State Climate Center (ASCC), b) The Geochemistry Unit and c) The Applied Science and Engineering Technology Laboratory (ASET).

Human Ecology and Native Studies (HENS)

The HENS research group focuses on basic and applied archaeological and anthropological studies, thematic history investigations, subsistence studies, and cultural resources consultations. Culture contact and change, human ecology in changing environments, and ethnogenesis of historic indigenous Alaska cultures are  major themes that are currently being addressed.  This group has long history of studies addressing cultural practices, past and present in NW Alaska where whaling has been a critical way of life for 100’s of years.  The rich cultural history of Alaska and the wealth of Native communities and issues provide a rich environment to address the human dimensions of arctic and boreal systems.  This group is supported by the Cultural Heritage Studies Program.

Stable Isotope Laboratory

This laboratory is a state-of-the-art analytical facility that uses stable isotopes (dD, d¹³C, d¹⁵N, d¹⁸O) to understand biological, hydrologic, climatic and atmospheric processes on short and long time scales. Portions of our research focuses on: a) marine-terrestrial nutrient linkages using d¹⁵N, b) leaf and plant-level carbon (d¹³C), water (d¹⁸O & dD) and nutrient relations in response to natural gradients and climate change experiments and c) metabolic processes of small arctic mammals.  The laboratory is leading the analysis of precipitation samples collected each Tuesday across the entire US as apart of the US Network for Isotopes in Precipitation (USNIP) and in the studies of migratory dynamics of waterfowl in Alaska using isotope forensic in bird feathers.  

The laboratory houses a ThermoFinnigan Delta Plus XP continous flow mass spectrometer with four gas preparation systems for analysis of stable isotopes of oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen.  The lab shares a strong collaboration with the National Atmospheric Deposition Network (NADP) as part of the USNIP.  Additional collaborators include the USGS and colleagues across UAA and Anchorage. The laboratory director is Dr. Jeff Welker, and is managed by Brian Cohn.  The facility trains undergraduate and graduate students in mass spectrometer techniques and isotope geochemistry and assists in teaching a graduate course on isotope biogeochemistry.

The Applied Science and Engineering Technology Laboratory (ASET)

This modern analytical facility specializes in the analysis of fatty acids in fish, birds and mammals, inorganic nutrients (NO3 and NH4) in waters, as well as organic and inorganic pollutants such as perchlorate and dissolved carbon and nitrogen in waters.  The laboratory also specializes in heavy metal analysis in plants, soils and waters.  The facility consist of a Agilent ICP-MS 700C with a reaction cell, Dionex Ion Chromatography, HP-High Pressure Liquid Chromatography, and a Tekmar 900HS total and dissolved carbon analyzer for water samples.

Arctic Environment and Information Data Center (AEIDC)

The AEIDC is becoming an electronic information and data center that serves as a foci for ENRI data compilation, data archiving, data synthesis activities, data collection, sample storage, data sharing and the provision of data and information to scientists and society. AEIDC focuses on organizing data sets from large and small scale monitoring and measurement networks that include Alaska, the north and across the US.  The scale of data compilation ranges from archiving data sets from individual projects lead by ENRI faculty and staff to compiling data that represents entire programs at the national level.  AEIDC is upgrading it’s computing and personnel capacity to serve these needs. 

Due to an increase in requests for information on the Kodiak Launch Complex research done at ENRI in the late 1990s through 2002, the reports are now available for downloading below:

 
NatureServe: NatureServe is committed to developing a complete inventory of plants, animals and organisms of conservation concern across the US and in Alaska.  Contributing to this network’s data compilation of the spatial and temporal distribution of plants and animals is central to the Alaska Natural Heritage Program.  This data contribution effort entails collecting field information on plant and animal populations, current and past distributions of invasive species and the attributes of disturbed landscapes in Alaska. 

USNIP: The US Network for Isotopes in Precipitation (USNIP) is articulating the spatial and temporal patterns of the isotope geochemistry (d¹⁸O and dD) of precipitation collected weekly across the US and Alaska using collaborations with the National Atmospheric Deposition Network (NADP) (http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/).  This network has analyzed precipitation samples from over 80 sites across the US for d¹⁸O and dD between the years 1989-1995 and from a few sites between 1989-2001.  In addition, this network is analyzing the isotope geochemistry of the AIRMoN (http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/AIRMoN/) network that collects daily precipitation at a suite of sites in the eastern US.  We have been using back trajectory analysis to articulate the role of storm track on the isotope geochemistry of precipitation. This activity has been conducted in part with collaborators at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and published journal articles resulting from the data and research have involved colleagues from University of Michigan, University of Utah, Oregon State University, and the University of South Carolina.  The network has supported over 10 undergraduates, two postdoctoral scientists and two PhD students.

ITEX: The International Tundra Experiment (ITEX)  examines tundra (arctic and alpine) ecosystem responses to natural and simulated changes in climate using common methods and common field experiments (http://www.geog.ubc.ca/itex/).  We have maintained an ITEX experiment at Toolik Lake, AK (http://www.uaf.edu/toolik/) since 1994 (J Welker and colleagues) and have contributed to synthesis and integration studies of plant phenology, community composition changes and alterations in the magnitudes and patterns of trace gas (CO2) exchange.  Our contribution to the ITEX network also includes our experimental studies in NW Greenland that uses both ITEX chambers for warming experiments but also includes infra-red heaters that allow us to examine the consequences of multiple levels of warming on tundra system dynamics. 

IPY: The International Polar Year (IPY) (2007-2009) is an emerging program (www.ipy.org) that focuses on the state and fate of the arctic today using a network of simultaneous studies in the biological, earth and social sciences supported by all of the arctic countries (US, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, United Kingdom, Iceland, Canada and Japan).  ENRI has received IPY funding from the National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs (J Welker and colleagues) to study snow-shrub processes and feedbacks in northern Alaska at the Toolik Lake Field Station.  This network activity will leverage our long-term ITEX experiments at Toolik Lake and facilitate establishing a large array of real-time data monitoring devices for CO2 flux measurements year-long and to study soil and plant processes.

ARLIS: The Alaska Resources Library Information Services (ARLIS) is a consortium of agencies and units that provide hard- and electronic information and material to the UAA Consortium Library.  ENRI is a founding member of ARLIS and contributes significant financial resources and hard copy documents to the success of this consortium.  ARLIS provides ENRI faculty and staff with electronic journal access, assistance in library searches and retains all of the ENRI hard copy reports and documents.