Tundra Domain

The NEON candidate core site for Tundra Domain is located at Toolik Lake, in the northern third of Alaska. The site offers researchers access to three key areas of scientific interest: the Brooks Range, the arctic foothills, and the arctic coastal plain. The Toolik Lake Research Natural Area has hosted extensive ecological studies since it was established by the Bureau of Land Management in 1975, including the Arctic Long-Term Ecological Research program. Vegetation in the Toolik Lake area is characteristic of the tundra landscape, which represents a variety of ecosystems in mountains, foothills, and the coastal plain. NEON will focus on climate research in the region, as well as permafrost and water-related monitoring. The Toolik Lake site anchors the northern end of a Pacific climate change research corridor that extends to the NEON Pacific Southwest site in central California.

Domain: Tundra (Domain 18)

Science Focus: Climate change.

Candidate Core Site Name: Toolik Lake

Representativeness: The landform of the Toolik Lake Research Natural Area (RNA) is rolling hills and small watersheds typical of the northern foothills of the Brooks Range. The vegetation in the Toolik RNA is characteristic of the foothills province of the North Slope of Alaska and is dominated by tussock tundra, which is extremely widespread in the Alaskan Arctic. Vegetation types include wet sedge tundra, riparian shrub tundra, and dry heath tundra. The Toolik RNA contains both acidic and non-acidic tundra, which are found throughout the Tundra domain.

Location: Latitude: 68.661; Longitude: -149.376.

Existing Infrastructure: Housing for researchers in six modular dormitories, laboratory space for researchers in seven multi-use modular laboratories, and central diesel generation facility to supply electrical power to the station.

Unique Feature: TFS is a terrestrial site for the US Arctic Observatory Network (AON) as the US contribution to the International Polar Year (IPY), and is linked to other arctic observatories in Russia, Sweden, Greenland, and Canada.