Site Number/Name:

GFL No.:

Name: Arctic LTER

State, Country: Alaska, USA

Priority: 1

Site designation(s): LTER, Bureau of Land Management Area of Critical Environmental Concern/Research Natural Area (BLM ACEC/RNA)

Other sponsoring/interested agencies, if any: NSF, BLM

Core Area: Area surrounding Toolik Lake, Alaska

Location and size:

USGS Quad: Philip Smith Mountains, Alaska

Center: 68° 37’ 42" N, 149° 35’ 46" W

NE corner: 68° 48’ N, 149° 5’ W

SE corner: 68° 30’ N, 149° 5’ W

SW corner: 68° 30’ N, 149° 45’ W

NW corner: 68° 48’ N, 149° 45’ W

Center elevation: 760 meters

Size (N-S x E-W): 35 km x 29 km

Secondary Study Area: Kuparuk River Basin

Location and size:

Center: 68° 37’ 42" N, 149° 35’ 46" W

NE corner: 70° 33’ N, 148° 18’ W

SE corner: 68° 30’ N, 148° 18’ W

SW corner: 68° 30’ N, 151° 11’ W

NW corner: 70° 33’ N, 151° 11’ W

Size (N-S x E-W): 227 km x 89 km

Resource to be monitored: Vegetation composition, chlorophyll and biomass amount. Snow distribution, soil moisture, snow and ice cover duration.

[Environmental change]

Detailed description, management issues (e.g. ecosystem represented):

Arctic tundra, lakes, streams. Tussock tundra; heath tundra; wet sedge tundra, riverine willows; oligotrophic lakes; headwater streams

Frequency and time(s) of collection: [six-week window]

Resolution/scale: 10 meters

Special characteristics (spectral values, thermal anomalies, underwater/ground, etc.): none

Existing maps of area (digital?):

See http://www.mbl.edu/html/ECOSYSTEMS/lterhtml/datbase1.html under the section called GIS/Maps

MEDEA sponsor (active/passive):

Sponsoring agency: National Science Foundation (NSF)

NSF agency point of contact: [Alan M. Gaines, Scott L. Collins]

NSF site point of contact (current security clearance, if any):

[John Vande Castle, Security Clearance YES