As ABoVE so below - how the 2022 ABoVE airborne campaign engaged community members on the ground
Section 1: Publication
Publication Type
Conference Poster
Authorship
Lecavalier, B., Sonnentag, O., Cornette, L.
Title
As ABoVE so below - how the 2022 ABoVE airborne campaign engaged community members on the ground
Year
2023
Publication Outlet
NASA ABoVE 9th Science Team Meeting, San Diego, United States of America, (January 23-26)
DOI
ISBN
ISSN
Citation
Abstract
In late August 2022, the ABoVE Airborne campaign visited the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories, Canada. NASA’s Gulfstream III (AFRC) flew a microwave radiometer (L-Band) above the Mackenzie Valley to gather data on ground properties such as active layer depth, soil moisture and canopy structure. On its way to Tuktoyaktuk, a small coastal community nested where the land meets the Arctic Ocean, the flight intersected two established research sites: Trail Valley Creek research station, in the Arctic tundra, and Havikpak Creek, a sub-arctic woodland. Meanwhile, 41000 feet below, a team of two Inuvialuit residents of Inuvik, NWT, Canada and two Université de Montréal students visited these sites. The goal: gather ground truthing data destined for the calibration and validation of the measurements taken onboard. In a race against the rain, the campaign spanned five days and the team was able to acquire much data on various ground and ecological properties. The key to this field campaign's success was the integration of the team members' respective experiences, knowledge and grit. For one, the students provided needed insight on the use of scientific equipment, while the Inuvialuit residents brought essential information as to the land, which was crucial to characterize the plots. Notwithstanding the scientific objectives this campaign supported, perhaps the main achievement of this effort lies in the scientific fieldwork training that the Inuvialuit residents acquired. In line with current efforts to build capacity in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, this campaign showed how ABoVE could contribute towards establishing field research capabilities in the local community
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