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Resilience and Change in Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems:
A Key Role in the Arctic System
Terry Chapin
University of Alaska Fairbanks
1949
Chandler River, 50 miles S. of Umiat: Sturm, Racine and Tape: Fifty Years of Change in Arctic Alaskan Shrub Abundance
Shrub density has increased
1949
2000
Matthew Sturm
Discharge is increasing inmajor Euroasian rivers
these 6 rivers accountfor half of river flux to the Arctic Ocean
Peterson et al.
1949
Chandler River, 50 miles S. of Umiat: Sturm, Racine and Tape: Fifty Years of Change in Arctic Alaskan Shrub Abundance
Vegetation is changing
1949
2000
Matthew Sturm
Regional problems and opportunities (examples)
• Problems– Permafrost thaw– Increased fire– Changing economy– Changing institutions– Globally diverse problems
• Opportunities– Identify critical areas– Mitigate regional warming?– New options available– Fresh look for solutions– More options for solutions
University of Alaska’s
Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT)
Terry Chapin and Gary Kofinas
Regional Resilience and Adaptation
Focal issue of program
• How can we build a sustainable future, if the global environment is directionally changing ecologically, economically, politically, and culturally?
Our underlying philosophy
• Solutions to regional problems must be– Ecologically, economically, socially, and
culturally sustainable– Must treat region as a system with an
integrated set of variables