The Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Science Initiative (CAVSI) - A framework to guide the next decade of Arctic Vegetation Research: A white paper for consideration in the ICARP IV process

The Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Science Initiative (CAVSI) is an international Arctic research effort motivated by widespread and accelerating changes in Arctic vegetation and the need to understand their ecological, climatic, and biodiversity impacts. The goal of the initiative is to coordinate observations, harmonize classifications and mapping, and build an integrated data system—including shared archives - to improve models, support biodiversity assessments, and inform global change research. Moreover, a key component of CAVSI is to support and train the next generation of Arctic vegetation scientists through mentorship, collaboration, and shared research infrastructure. The initiative creates the framework to answer where and why Arctic vegetation is changing—or remaining stable—how these patterns affect ecosystem function and feedbacks, and what scalable observation systems are needed to track and model them. A vegetation component is needed for U.S. and international Arctic observing networks to coordinate ongoing Arctic vegetation research during the next ten years of Arctic research, including the Fifth International Polar Year (IPY5, 2032–2033). Currently, there is not a cohesive circumpolar framework to observe and monitor changes to Arctic vegetation that includes: (1) a network of sites across the full range of Arctic climates, phytogeographic regions, habitats, and disturbance regimes; (2) standardized methods to describe and monitor local floras, vegetation composition, and key environmental factors; (3) a pan-Arctic vegetation plot archive to store legacy, recent, and future plot data; (4) a consistent hierarchical classification of Arctic vegetation; and (5) an archive of Arctic vegetation maps. CAVSI is a response to the above needs.

The CAVSI Workshop was held March 21-23, in Boulder, Colorado, at Arctic Science Summit Week 2005. Eighty-five participants, including online participants, from 15 countries attended the workshop. In addition, two CAVSI science sessions were held on March 25 and 27. These included 24 oral presentations and 17 posters. Two CAVSI outcomes are part of the ICARP IV CAVSI activity: (1) This white paper addresses ICARP IV research priorities that focus on the role of the Arctic in the global systems and observing, reconstructing, and predicting future Arctic climate dynamics and ecosystem responses. It outlines a framework for vegetation sampling, data archiving, classification, description, mapping, monitoring, and applications of this framework. The appendices of this document contain details and outcomes of the CAVSI workshop, including: (a) List of CAVSI Workshop participants; (B) CAVSI Workshop agenda; (C) Abstract of keynote address by Prof. Vladislav Mucina; (D) Panel and breakout session summaries and recommendations; and (E) the CAVSI Workshop Resolution. (2) A separate Proceedings from the CAVSI Science Sessions at Arctic Science Summit Week includes abstracts from 24 oral presentations and 17 posters presented at Science Session 2.6 “Back to the Future II: Linking past and future IPY terrestrial biodiversity efforts, and Science Session 2.8, “Building a time machine out of a Delorean: Observing, reconstructing, and predicting vegetation change in the Arctic”.

The CAVSI Organizing Group (COG) is composed of recognized experts for each CAVSI topic and major Arctic-vegetation-related projects, and is responsible for overall program development, organization, and communication. The Early Career Arctic Vegetation Researchers group was formed at the CAVSI Workshop to develop a communications and online platform for the group, foster connections for career development, promote Arctic vegetation-science-related education and training opportunities; and develop cooperative cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural connections with other Arctic-related early-career groups. The core of CAVSI is an Arctic Vegetation Observation Network (AVON) that will leverage exiting observations within established Arctic observation stations and networks to: (a) Aid in site and project management with development of comparable frameworks for locating and tracking vegetation plot data across the Arctic; (b) Promote long-term sustained observations at well-marked permanent vegetation plots; (c) Coordinate vegetation observations with other geo-ecological surveys; (d) Identify geographic and topical gaps for sampling, archiving, classifying, and mapping Arctic vegetation; and (e) Establish new observatories in understudied vegetation-habitat types and regions. Arctic vegetation-observing sites will be encouraged to use standardized methods that will be spelled out in methods manuals containing protocols for: species lists and local floras, plot-based vegetation and environmental sampling; archiving and classification of vegetation plot data; and vegetation mapping. Each topic will have a team of researchers and data specialists to develop and harmonize the protocols in methods manuals and databases. Several prototype products already exist and have been applied to a wide range of circumpolar research activities, most of which will remain relevant for IPY5, including Arctic Research Station management, and a framework for IPY5 Arctic terrestrial research projects. Several ideas for IPY5 initiatives
are presented here, including: (1) Back to the Future II; (2) Pan-Arctic Greening; (3) Circumpolar Arctic Species Diversity; (4) Arctic Edges; (5) Arctic-Boreal Transects; and Biomes of the Circumpolar Arctic. Priority ICARP IV research recommendations include:

1. Establish a Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Science Initiative (CAVSI) to help address priority vegetation-related science questions across disciplines and a hierarchy of spatial scales in relationship to, for example: landscape dynamics and change, biodiversity monitoring and mapping, climate change and disturbance regimes.
2. Establish an early career vegetation scientists’ network to foster career development in Arctic vegetation-related disciplines to promote Arctic vegetation-science-related education and training activities and develop cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural connections with other Arctic-related early-career groups.
3. Develop an Arctic Vegetation Observation Network (AVON) within existing interdisciplinary observing networks to (1) aid in site and project management and development of comparable frameworks for locating and tracking vegetation plot data and mapped information, (2) promote long-term sustained observations at well-marked permanent vegetation plots and mapped areas; (3) coordinate vegetation observations with other Arctic system observations; (4) identify geographic and topical gaps
for sampling, archiving, classifying, and mapping Arctic vegetation, and (4) establish new observatories in understudied vegetation-habitat types and regions.
4. Update, maintain, and publish a Pan Arctic Species List (PASL) and local floras (complete species lists, including vascular plants, bryophytes, and
lichens) at Arctic research stations and other research sites.
5. Adopt standardized protocols for vegetation and environmental plot surveys that are widely used by the international vegetation science community, that include traditional plot survey methods, and where feasible, use new transformative methods appropriate for observing, modelling, reconstructing, and predicting Arctic vegetation change.
6. Develop regional Arctic vegetation archives for vegetation plot data and map data and merge the regional archives into a circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Archive (AVA), including methods to harmonize and standardize the data.
7. Develop local, regional, and circumpolar Arctic vegetation classifications (AVCs) and checklists of classified vegetation units based on standardized approaches developed by the international community of vegetation scientists, including crosswalks to
equivalent units in other regional and national classification approaches.
8. Revise, edit, and publish a new version of the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map (CAVM v. 3) with increased resolution and a hierarchical legend approach that can be applied to maps at global, regional, landscape, and plot scales.
9. Apply CAVSI products to priority ICARP IV and IPY5 research topics.