The Alaskan interior contains enormous carbon reserves in vegetation and soils. We are assessing carbon reservoirs and their interaction with fire, permafrost and surface-water interactions.

We are testing a number of hypotheses through:

• Field Research
• Modeling

Specifically, we hypothesize that:

1. Soil drainage exerts a major control over carbon exchange at the landscape scale and is closely associated with (i) decomposition rates, (ii) fuel structure and storage, (iii) fire severity, and (iv) rates of permafrost degradation and recovery.
2. Gradual warming, fire disturbance, and permafrost/active layer changes will influence interactions among soils, nutrients, and hydrology that control the uptake and release of carbon dioxide, dissolved carbon and nutrients, and methane.
3. A regional understanding of the carbon budget can be constructed from process-based ecosystem models and detailed site measurements of fire extent and severity, permafrost, and hydrology.