NSF Org:	OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP)
Recipient:	YUKON RIVER INTER-TRIBAL WATERSHED COUNC
Initial Amendment Date:	April 22, 2019
Latest Amendment Date:	May 29, 2025
Award Number:	1753389
Award Instrument:	Continuing Grant
Program Manager:	Roberto Delgado robdelga@nsf.gov  (703)292-2397 OPP  Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO  Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date:	May 1, 2019
End Date:	April 30, 2026 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$625,345.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$634,345.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2019 = $233,533.00 FY 2020 = $198,788.00 FY 2021 = $202,024.00
History of Investigator:	Edda Mutter (Principal Investigator) emutter@yritwc.org RYAN TOOHEY (Co-Principal Investigator) Paul Schuster (Co-Principal Investigator) Nicole Herman-Mercer (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council 201 E 3RD AVE ANCHORAGE AK  US  99501-2503 (907)258-3337
Sponsor Congressional District:	00
Primary Place of Performance:	Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council 725 Christensen Drive, Suite 3 Anchorage AK  US  99501-2131
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	00
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	VXAKR5FHBCB6
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	NNA-Navigating the New Arctic, AON-Arctic Observing Network
Primary Program Source:	01002122DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 0100XXXXDB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):	072Z, 1079, 116E, 9178, 9231, 9251
Program Element Code(s):	104Y00, 529300
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.078

ABSTRACT

Part 1: This continuation of the Indigenous Observing Network (ION) project (now ION 2.0) will be led by the Yukon River Intertribal Watershed Council (YRITWC) in partnership with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. ION 2.0 will continue measurement of water quality constituents and expand the observation and monitoring program to include measurements of changes in permafrost depth due to thawing of the active layer at numerous of the long-term water quality monitoring sites. The ION project has documented the long-term changes in major ion chemistry that have occurred over three decades throughout the Yukon River Watershed. The investigators have interpreted these changes as being driven by thawing of discontinuous permafrost throughout this large Arctic watershed and complementary measurements of the active layer will support further interpretation and modelling. This project involves significant co-production of knowledge with members of Indigenous communities and capacity building through training in sampling methods, and sample and data analysis.

Part 2: This project will continue the long-term water quality monitoring at many sites in the Yukon River Watershed that have been conducted by the Indigenous Observing Network (ION) project. The ION 2.0 project will be led by the Yukon River Intertribal Watershed Council (YRITWC) in partnership with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. ION 2.0 will expand the observation and monitoring program to include measurements of changes in permafrost depth at numerous of the long-term water quality monitoring sites. These changes occur due to thawing of the active layer driven by the changing Arctic climate. The ION project has shown that changes in major ion chemistry have occurred over three decades throughout the Yukon River Watershed due to the thawing of discontinuous permafrost. The investigators have interpreted the complementary measurements of the active layer will support further interpretation and modelling. This project involves significant co-production of knowledge with members of Indigenous communities and capacity building through training in sampling methods, and sample and data analysis.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

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