The Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) is a NASA field campaign being conducted in Alaska and western Canada over the next decade. It is a diverse large-scale study of the impacts of environmental change on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems in arctic and boreal regions. The airborne component of this research seeks to link studies conducted on the ground with data collected via satellite remote sensing, enabling a deeper understanding of the vulnerability and resilience of these ecosystems and how people within and beyond this region are responding to change.

We are proposing to fly an aircraft (Dynamic Aviation A-200) with a hyperspectral (passive) sensor that detects light reflected back from the earth’s surface. The aircraft will fly at 17,500’ on dates between 20 July and 22 July 2017. This information will be used to map the land and types of vegetation – sometimes hyperspectral data can even distinguish between species on the landscape.

There will be no structures built or any land activities other than landing, refueling, and takeoff from Cambridge Bay.

While it is possible to collect hyperspectral data from satellites, the spatial resolution of satellite data is much coarser than that which can be acquired via aircraft and so less information can be gleaned from the data. Thus there is no alternative method for collecting the data required.