Climate Change at the Arctic's Edge - Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

From £1350 per person

Tour Code: SUP_EW_ Climate Change at the Arctic's Edge

Research Mission
Help monitor the Arctic's vast stores of greenhouse gasses.

Situation Report
Churchill, Manitoba, Canada - Global warming is being felt first and most dramatically at the edge of the Arctic, where the world's peatlands run in a broad strip around the globe. These wetlands contain as much as 20 percent of the world's carbon, often locked in permafrost. If global warming thaws the permafrost, the decomposing peat could release carbon dioxide and methane, the most important greenhouse gases. What happens to the peat here will not only alter the local ecosystem, but could also have dramatic consequences for the ecology of the entire planet. You can help Dr. Peter Kershaw monitor ecosystem responses to global warming at the Churchill Northern Studies Center, perched on the edge of the Arctic tundra in Manitoba.

On the Expedition
In this inimitable Arctic landscape, you will take measurements at study plots extending from the tundra into the forest to monitor changes affecting the carbon stores in these peat-rich ecosystems. Summer and fall teams will use ground-penetrating radar, microclimate dataloggers, and soil coring to measure the permafrost and organic carbon stores. You'll also live-trap small mammals, sample trees and shrubs to evaluate their growth rings, and monitor plant development. February teams offer a unique opportunity to experience the edge of the Arctic in its most dramatic season: winter. Traveling by qamutik towed by snowmobiles, you'll classify ice crystals, measure snowpack thickness, density, hardness, and temperature. You can also build an igloo and sleep in it comfortably, even when the temperature outside is -30 or -40 degrees Celsius.

Meals and Accommodations
You'll be based at the Churchill Northern Studies Center, with dramatic scenery and a dome for watching the Arctic sky, and possibly the Northern Lights. You'll stay in dormitory rooms with up to eight beds in each, a quiet lounge for reading, and shared modern washroom facilities with hot showers, and meals provided by the Center's cafeteria.

Click here to visit the Climate Change at the Arctic's Edge page at Earthwatch.org