Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research • (907) 474-5818

The Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research is a focal point for interdisciplinary research and education related to the Arctic and global environmental change.

Created in 1990, the center concentrates on global climate concerns and pollution in the Arctic, and their impacts on people and the environment. Polar regions play a key role in global climatic fluctuations and provide repositories of information on past climates and causes of climatic fluctuations.

Global change and arctic system research encompasses the physical, biological and social sciences and their interactions. Topics include ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns; terrestrial ecosystems, including tundra and boreal forest; natural resources such as forests and fisheries; sea ice; glaciers; permafrost; freshwater resources; paleoenvironments; and socio-economic aspects of global change. Researchers use several techniques to integrate these interdisciplinary studies: regional impact assessments through field studies, mesoscale climate modeling, satellite remote sensing and analysis and synthesis of data.

The Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research facilitates collaborative research by faculty and students in environmental science and earth system studies. It funds research projects, sponsors annual competitions and outreach activities on global climate change, and brings visiting speakers to UAF.

The center also supports collaborative research through external funding mechanisms such as NOAA funds to the Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research; National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and international funds for the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment; and NSF funds for the Land-Atmosphere-Ice Interactions studies in the Arctic. Project offices or secretariats for these large-scale research and assessment programs are co-located and staffed at the center.

For information on education opportunities in earth system and environmental sciences, see Interdisciplinary Studies in the Degrees and Programs section of this catalog.