Tracking Change in the Arctic Tundra

This event will be hosted outdoors on the Swimming Pool Terrace under a large tent.

Atmospheric temperatures are rising twice as fast in the Arctic as the average global temperature. Rising temperatures are changing the tundra environment: permafrost soils are thawing; long-frozen organic matter is decomposing; soil moisture and the area covered by water are changing.

These environmental changes are altering the tundra ecosystem in a variety of ways that affect plant growth and productivity, local wildlife and people, and have the potential to induce climate feedbacks with significant global climate effects.

Remote sensing offers unique tools for studying this dynamic, vast, and difficult to access region.

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Presenter: Dr. Huemmrich

Fred Huemmrich is a Research Associate Professor in the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. He earned a B.S. degree in physics from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Maryland College Park. His research interests involve the use of remote sensing to study terrestrial ecosystem characteristics and processes. Fred has decades of experience working at field sites in a variety of different vegetation types and landscapes and is presently a member of the science team for NASA’s Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE), a large-scale study of environmental change and its implications for social-ecological systems focusing on northern Alaska and northwest Canada.

Limited Capacity for this event. Please RSVP in advance.