More Like this

1. Field-based Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) measurements at three adjacent tundra ecosystems at Imnavait Creek, Alaska, 2016-2023

   https://doi.org/10.18739/A2CJ87N30  

   Bret-Harte, Syndonia; Euskirchen, Eugenie; Edgar, Colin (January 2024, NSF Arctic Data Center)

   This Arctic Observing Network (AON) project focuses on maintaining and expanding our long-term network of measurements of carbon, water, and energy exchange in terrestrial systems in Alaska. These exchanges help regulate the Arctic System and its feedbacks to global climate. Thus, extending long-term observations is a key science priority for the observing-change component of the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH). Detecting and interpreting change in arctic carbon (C), water, and energy fluxes requires a continuous year-round record over multiple years. Recent data syntheses and modeling studies of Arctic Carbon balance suggest that tundra is either a carbon dioxide (CO2) sink, a source, or neutral (e.g., McGuire et al., 2009, McGuire et al., 2012) . This uncertainty arises mainly from a lack of data on winter CO2 flux and how tundra responds to recent warming. Because of harsh, remote environments and the lack of line power, long-term measurements of arctic CO2 fluxes over the full year are rare. We have been measuring year-round C, water, and energy fluxes for eleven years in two broadly representative flagship observatories with long-term histories of research, at Imnavait Creek near Toolik Lake, Alaska. To help interpret inter-annual variability we began making plot-based Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) measurements three times a summer at our Imnavait Creek sites. 

   more » « less
2. Ideas and perspectives: Strengthening the biogeosciences in environmental research networks

   Richter, Daniel D; Billings, Billings; Groffman, Peter M. (August 2018, Biogeosciences)

   Long-term environmental research networks are one approach to advancing local, regional, and global environmental science and education. A remarkable number and wide variety of environmental research networks operate around the world today. These are diverse in funding, infrastructure, motivating questions, scientific strengths, and the sciences that birthed and maintain the networks. Some networks have individual sites that were selected because they had produced invaluable long-term data, while other networks have new sites selected to span ecological gradients. However, all long-term environmental networks share two challenges. Networks must keep pace with scientific advances and interact with both the scientific community and society at large. If networks fall short of successfully addressing these challenges, they risk becoming irrelevant. The objective of this paper is to assert that the biogeosciences offer environmental research networks a number of opportunities to expand scientific impact and public engagement. We explore some of these opportunities with four networks: the International Long-Term Ecological Research Network programs (ILTERs), critical zone observatories (CZOs), Earth and ecological observatory networks (EONs), and the FLUXNET program of eddy flux sites. While these networks were founded and expanded by interdisciplinary scientists, the preponderance of expertise and funding has gravitated activities of ILTERs and EONs toward ecology and biology, CZOs toward the Earth sciences and geology, and FLUXNET toward ecophysiology and micrometeorology. Our point is not to homogenize networks, nor to diminish disciplinary science. Rather, we argue that by more fully incorporating the integration of biology and geology in long-term environmental research networks, scientists can better leverage network assets, keep pace with the ever-changing science of the environment, and engage with larger scientific and public audiences. 

   more » « less
3. Synergies Among Environmental Science Research and Monitoring Networks: A Research Agenda

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EF001631  

   Jones, J. A.; Groffman, P. M.; Blair, J.; Davis, F. W.; Dugan, H.; Euskirchen, E. E.; Frey, S. D.; Harms, T. K.; Hinckley, E.; Kosmala, M.; et al (March 2021, Earth's Future)

   Abstract Many research and monitoring networks in recent decades have provided publicly available data documenting environmental and ecological change, but little is known about the status of efforts to synthesize this information across networks. We convened a working group to assess ongoing and potential cross‐network synthesis research and outline opportunities and challenges for the future, focusing on the US‐based research network (the US Long‐Term Ecological Research network, LTER) and monitoring network (the National Ecological Observatory Network, NEON). LTER‐NEON cross‐network research synergies arise from the potentials for LTER measurements, experiments, models, and observational studies to provide context and mechanisms for interpreting NEON data, and for NEON measurements to provide standardization and broad scale coverage that complement LTER studies. Initial cross‐network syntheses at co‐located sites in the LTER and NEON networks are addressing six broad topics: how long‐term vegetation change influences C fluxes; how detailed remotely sensed data reveal vegetation structure and function; aquatic‐terrestrial connections of nutrient cycling; ecosystem response to soil biogeochemistry and microbial processes; population and species responses to environmental change; and disturbance, stability and resilience. This initial study offers exciting potentials for expanded cross‐network syntheses involving multiple long‐term ecosystem processes at regional or continental scales. These potential syntheses could provide a pathway for the broader scientific community, beyond LTER and NEON, to engage in cross‐network science. These examples also apply to many other research and monitoring networks in the US and globally, and can guide scientists and research administrators in promoting broad‐scale research that supports resource management and environmental policy. 

   more » « less
4. Terrestrial carbon, water and energy fluxes measured by eddy covariance, and associated biomet variables, at three adjacent tundra ecosystems at Imnavait Creek, Alaska, 2022

   https://doi.org/10.18739/A22Z12R2G  

   Bret-Harte, Syndonia; Euskirchen, Eugenie; Edgar, Colin (January 2023, NSF Arctic Data Center)

   This Arctic Observing Network (AON) project focuses on maintaining and expanding our long-term network of measurements of carbon, water, and energy exchange in terrestrial systems in Alaska. These exchanges help regulate the Arctic System and its feedbacks to global climate. Thus, extending long-term observations is a key science priority for the observing-change component of the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH). Detecting and interpreting change in arctic carbon (C), water, and energy fluxes requires a continuous year-round record over multiple years. Recent data syntheses and modeling studies of Arctic Carbon balance suggest that tundra is either a carbon dioxide (CO2) sink, a source, or neutral (e.g., McGuire et al., 2009, McGuire et al., 2012) . This uncertainty arises mainly from a lack of data on winter CO2 flux and how tundra responds to recent warming. Because of harsh, remote environments and the lack of line power, long-term measurements of arctic CO2 fluxes over the full year are rare. We have been measuring year-round C, water, and energy fluxes for eleven years in two broadly representative flagship observatories with long-term histories of research, at Imnavait Creek near Toolik Lake, Alaska, and near Cherskiy, Siberia. Similar versions of these eddy covariance and biomet data are available from Ameriflux as sites US-ICx. https://ameriflux.lbl.gov/data/download-data/ Our three Imnavait Creek Alaska sites retained multiple names over the years. The following clarification is needed. The 'official' site name is followed by the technical station name (IC_xxxx), the positional name (Ridge), and the Ameriflux site name (US-ICx), and finally the site coordinates. Wet Sedge tundra (IC_1523, Fen, US-ICs) 68.6058 -149.3110 Tussock tundra (IC_1993, Tussock, US-ICt) 68.6063 -149.3041 Dry Heath tundra (IC_1991, Ridge, US-ICh) 68.6068 -149.2958 

   more » « less
5. Terrestrial carbon, water and energy fluxes measured by eddy covariance, and associated biomet variables, at three adjacent tundra ecosystems at Imnavait Creek, Alaska, 2020

   https://doi.org/10.18739/A2Z02Z983  

   Bret-Harte, Syndonia; Euskirchen, Eugenie; Edgar, Colin (January 2021, NSF Arctic Data Center)

   This Arctic Observing Network (AON) project focuses on maintaining and expanding our long-term network of measurements of carbon, water, and energy exchange in terrestrial systems in Alaska. These exchanges help regulate the Arctic System and its feedbacks to global climate. Thus, extending long-term observations is a key science priority for the observing-change component of the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH). Detecting and interpreting change in arctic C, water, and energy fluxes requires a continuous year-round record over multiple years. Recent data syntheses and modeling studies of Arctic Carbon balance suggest that tundra is either a carbon dioxide (CO2) sink, a source, or neutral (e.g., McGuire et al., 2009, McGuire et al., 2012) . This uncertainty arises mainly from a lack of data on winter CO2 flux and how tundra responds to recent warming. Because of harsh, remote environments and the lack of line power, long-term measurements of arctic CO2 fluxes over the full year are rare. We have been measuring year-round C, water, and energy fluxes for eleven years in two broadly representative flagship observatories with long-term histories of research, at Imnavait Creek near Toolik Lake, Alaska, and near Cherskiy, Siberia. Similar versions of these eddy covariance and biomet data are available from Ameriflux as sites US-ICx. https://ameriflux.lbl.gov/data/download-data/ Our three Imnavait Creek Alaska sites retained multiple names over the years. The following clarification is needed. The 'official' site name is followed by the technical station name (IC_xxxx), the positional name (Ridge), and the Ameriflux site name (US-ICx), and finally the site coordinates. Wet Sedge tundra (IC_1523, Fen, US-ICs) 68.6058 -149.3110 Tussock tundra (IC_1993, Tussock, US-ICt) 68.6063 -149.3041 Dry Heath tundra (IC_1991, Ridge, US-ICh) 68.6068 -149.2958 

   more » « less