A new project on Canopy Structure and CO2 Exchange of Arctic Vegetation will begin at the Ecosystems Center in 2009. The project will include one new postdoctoral position, to be filled sometime before the start of the 2009 field season (April, May, or June 2009). The long-term goal of this research is to identify the general characteristics of arctic vegetation and soils that can be used to make broad predictions of the magnitude and trajectory of ecosystem response to climate change across the Arctic. Over the next three years the project will have two core aims:
1. The first aim is to improve understanding of relationships among arctic vegetation canopy structure, canopy N allocation, and whole-system CO2 exchange by measuring these variables in the field in the widest possible range of High- and Low-Arctic vegetation types and by modeling these relationships. 2. The second aim is to develop improved models of ecosystem respiration and its main components, plant and soil respiration, in Arctic ecosystems by measuring these components separately and together in the field in a wide range of natural and experimentally-manipulated sites. The postdoctoral associate will be expected to play a significant role in defining the specific approaches to be used, the field research designs, and the data synthesis and modeling approaches. Long-term collaborations with other arctic scientists, with international and PanArctic synthesis programs, and with the LTER network will provide additional opportunities. The ideal candidate for this position will have a PHD with strong background in primary production processes, carbon balance at leaf, whole- plant, ecosystem, and regional scales, and resource interactions in regulation of element cycles and plant growth. The project will be based at the Ecosystems Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, during each winter but will include extensive field research at Toolik Field Station, Alaska, and other arctic sites, in 2009-2011. Special Instructions to Applicants: Please provide the names and contact information for at least 3 individuals who may be contacted for letters of support. Apply online at mbl.simplehire.com An Equal Opportunity Employer
