The report of the exciting field course!
Field science center of northern biosphere (FSC) organized “WINTER forest ecology course JAPAN” at Teshio Experimental Forest of Hokkaido University, one of the JaLTER core site. The aim of this course is to enhance our understanding about winter ecology and winter climate change. Totally nine students and five lecturers from Russia, Indonesia, USA, Canada and Japan joined the course from 25th to 28th February, 2020.
Why field course in the middle of cold winter?
At high latitude including here Hokkaido, substantial part of the year is characterized as "Winter". For the severe cold temperature and frost event, organism develop unique strategy to survive and are sometime even active in winter, to drive biogeochemical cycle in forest ecosystem. On the other hand, winter climate is changing worldwide, and its influence on the structure and function of forest ecosystem is being predominant. However, as compared to the influence during growing season, the consequence of climate change in winter is less investigated.
How do forest organisms survive in winter?
How do biogeochemical cycles proceed under snow?
How are these being influenced by climate change?
To know the answers to these questions, the students learnt basic knowledge about snow function as insulator, plant ecology in cold biome, soil nutrient dynamics under snow, carbon flux and silvicultural activity in winter forest. In the end, each student conducted presentation about the influence of the winter climate change in forest ecosystem.
Under the blue sky, when the temperature was even less than -20℃, the students leant how winter is important driver of forest structure and function and also enjoyed the beautiful nature in the middle of snowy forests. For some students, this was even the first time to take ski (!). Based on the experience here, we organizers wish the more students get interested in the winter ecology and winter climate change issue.
Maybe see you next year?
Makoto Kobayashi, on behalf of the organaizers
(Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University)
Lab. Webpage: https://makoto-plant-soil-english.weebly.com/
Field science center of northern biosphere (FSC) organized “WINTER forest ecology course JAPAN” at Teshio Experimental Forest of Hokkaido University, one of the JaLTER core site. The aim of this course is to enhance our understanding about winter ecology and winter climate change. Totally nine students and five lecturers from Russia, Indonesia, USA, Canada and Japan joined the course from 25th to 28th February, 2020.
Why field course in the middle of cold winter?
At high latitude including here Hokkaido, substantial part of the year is characterized as "Winter". For the severe cold temperature and frost event, organism develop unique strategy to survive and are sometime even active in winter, to drive biogeochemical cycle in forest ecosystem. On the other hand, winter climate is changing worldwide, and its influence on the structure and function of forest ecosystem is being predominant. However, as compared to the influence during growing season, the consequence of climate change in winter is less investigated.
How do forest organisms survive in winter?
How do biogeochemical cycles proceed under snow?
How are these being influenced by climate change?
To know the answers to these questions, the students learnt basic knowledge about snow function as insulator, plant ecology in cold biome, soil nutrient dynamics under snow, carbon flux and silvicultural activity in winter forest. In the end, each student conducted presentation about the influence of the winter climate change in forest ecosystem.
Under the blue sky, when the temperature was even less than -20℃, the students leant how winter is important driver of forest structure and function and also enjoyed the beautiful nature in the middle of snowy forests. For some students, this was even the first time to take ski (!). Based on the experience here, we organizers wish the more students get interested in the winter ecology and winter climate change issue.
Maybe see you next year?
Makoto Kobayashi, on behalf of the organaizers
(Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University)
Lab. Webpage: https://makoto-plant-soil-english.weebly.com/
Snow sampling
Carbon flux tower
A lecture by Prof. Wilson S.D., University of Regina, Canada.
