Dr. Peter Griffith is the founding director of NASA’s Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Office, and is Chief Support Scientist for the Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE). He also directs the team that supports the Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Focus Area at NASA HQ, NASA’s Carbon Monitoring System (http://carbon.nasa.gov); and the North American Carbon Program (http://www.nacarbon.org), a component of the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

Abstract: The Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) is part of a broad international effort to study the environmental and societal effects of climate change. Over the next decade, scientists from NASA and other public and private organizations are focusing on this northern region that spans about 2.5 million square miles. The multi-year field campaign will investigate ecological impacts of the rapidly changing climate in Alaska and northwestern Canada, and examine such topics as the thawing of permafrost, the expansion of wildfires, and changes to wildlife habitats. Come and participate in a discussion with NASA’s Dr. Peter Griffith, Chief Support Scientist for NASA’s Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Office and the ABoVE campaign. Peter will describe the scope of these studies, the focus of the research into the vulnerability and resilience of ecosystems, the implications of changing systems on society and human activities, and they’ll detail how individuals can get involved as the campaign progresses. They will also explore the significance of this work for other regions of the world. For more info: http://above.nasa.gov.