Enhancing the Merriam-Powell Research Station to support climatic change research and education

加强梅里亚姆-鲍威尔研究站以支持气候变化研究和教育

• 批准号: 0934398
• 负责人: Amy Whipple
• 金额: $ 12.35万
• 依托单位: Northern Arizona University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-04-01 至 2012-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0934398&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Enhancing; Merriam; Powell; Research; Station

Northern Arizona University is awarded a grant to enhance opportunities for experimental and observational field research on climate change and the population and ecosystem impacts of climate change at the Merriam-Powell Research Station (MPRS). MPRS is jointly operated with The Arboretum at Flagstaff, where it is located. Improvements will: 1) make available common garden research space with water, 2) make data collection from weather stations on elevation gradient research sites more reliable, and 3) improve data collection from flux towers in three forest stands under different management treatments. Understanding climate change and what can be done to mitigate for climate change impacts is one of the major scientific challenges of our time. This is especially important in the American Southwest, which is currently 12 years into a record drought that is producing vegetation shifts among the most severe in North America. The project will enhance the infrastructure for climate change research at three multi-user research sites. The first site is a set of five research areas along an elevation gradient used for monitoring climate change impacts and for manipulative experiments. The second site is a set of three eddy flux tower sites that are being used to examine how forest management influences carbon balance. The third site is a set of common gardens to be used for climate change and restoration research. Common gardens will focus on the genetics of climate change (i.e., which genotypes and source populations do best), and the consequences of climate change for biodiversity, community structure and ecosystem function. Results from this research will be critical for management decisions for the regions large tracts of public land and will enhance outreach programming offered jointly by MPRS and The Arboretum. MPRS's ability to offer high quality undergraduate research experiences, such as the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program geared towards Tribal and Community Colleges, will be enhanced by these improvements. A course at NAU on "Climate Change Effects on Forest Ecology" will have distance learning and field experience components and will accommodate both educators pursuing masters degrees and undergraduates in the sciences. An undergraduate with strong interests in math and biology will receive continued training as an assistant on setting up data management systems to serve researchers.

北亚利桑那大学获得了一项赠款，以增加有关气候变化的实验和观察现场研究的机会，以及在Merriam-Powell研究站（MPRS）的气候变化的人口和生态系统影响。 MPRS与位于弗拉格斯塔夫的植物园共同操作。 改进将：1）用水提供通用的花园研究空间，2）从高程梯度研究站点上的气象站收集数据，而3）3）改善来自三个森林林座中的Flux Towers的数据收集在不同的管理处理下。了解气候变化以及为减轻气候变化影响的措施是我们时代的主要科学挑战之一。这在美国西南部尤其重要，目前已经进入了创纪录的干旱，在北美最严重的植被转变中。该项目将在三个多用户研究站点上增强气候变化研究的基础设施。第一个地点是一组五个研究区域，沿着用于监测气候变化影响和操纵实验的高程梯度。第二个地点是三个涡流塔站点，用于检查森林管理如何影响碳平衡。第三个地点是一组通用花园，用于气候变化和恢复研究。共同的花园将重点关注气候变化的遗传学（即，基因型和来源人群最佳）以及气候变化对生物多样性，社区结构和生态系统功能的后果。这项研究的结果对于大量公共土地的管理决策至关重要，并将加强MPRS和植物园共同提供的外展计划。 MPRS提供高质量的本科研究经验的能力，例如针对部落和社区学院的本科计划的研究经验，将通过这些改进来增强。 NAU在“气候变化对森林生态学的影响”的课程将具有远程学习和现场经验的组成部分，并将容纳在科学中攻读硕士学位和本科生的教育工作者。对数学和生物学有浓厚兴趣的本科生将继续作为建立数据管理系统为研究人员提供服务的助手。