Firstly, new data were collected to build a unique and large dataset of biogeochemical variables from different arctic regions (Alaska, Canada and Sweden). The new data were merged with other data that had been already collected in subarctic and arctic permafrost peatlands by the researcher in previous research projects. In summer 2022 the Belgian team (FROSTLAND) joined forces with a research team from the University of Vienna to conduct an expedition in Northern Canada. The expedition was based in Inuvik, and was logistically supported by the Aurora Research Institute (ARI). Once the research permissions were approved the expedition took place. From this town the tundra in the continuous permafrost area was easily reached. We selected a sampling area where we could follow a similar sampling strategy as that done in Sweden and Alaska in previous campaigns, thereby encompassing areas with intact permafrost and degraded permafrost. To do so, we selected several study sites, including areas with intact permafrost and areas where permafrost had thawed across different types of peatlands. We collected a total of 21 soil cores with an engine coring auger, from intact permafrost features and collapsed features that were highly representative of the landscape of the region. The plant and soil samples were then processed in the lab.
Over the course of the project part of this large dataset was analysed. This led to a first scientific manuscript entitled 'Major biogeochemical changes in soils, microbes and plants along gradients of permafrost thaw in a subarctic mire', that will be published in a scientific journal. The remaining data will be presented for the first time in the European Conference on Permafrost in June, where a comparative study amongst subarctic and arctic zones will be presented. The results have also been disseminated to the general audience by participating in workshops, conferences and seminars or by posting in a blog.The researcher has also raised awareness of the importance of permafrost on global climate regulation as member of the scientific committee of the Master in Planetary Health (Open University of Barcelona)
Another aspect that was addressed in this project was the collection of imagery data from an Alaskan region for which biogeochemical data was available from a previous campaign and also for the Canadian sites that were sampled in 2022. For this task we used high-resolution imagery obtained with drone-based technology to examine fine-scale variability of permafrost condition across the peatlands studied in Alaska. This allows a better modelisation of the permafrost condition across a large area and the upscaling of the results at a coarser scale.
