CAREER: A Multiscale Study of Heavy Particle Transport in Sparse Canopies

职业：稀疏冠层中重粒子输运的多尺度研究

• 批准号: 1255662
• 负责人: Rob Stoll
• 金额: $ 49.21万
• 依托单位: University of Utah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-03-01 至 2018-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1255662&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Multiscale; Study; Heavy; Particle

Particle Dispersion in Plant Canopies is an innovative and comprehensive project designed to integrate research and education at the university level and to extend the learning to outreach at local area high schools in Salt Lake City. It is designed to peak student interest in scientific research while they participate in lab activities focused on key hypotheses regarding atmospheric transport of particles through and above plant canopies with applications to atmospheric scalar transport and plant pathology in agricultural and natural ecosystems. The project is well founded in learning theory and integrates the disciplines of meteorology, biology, physics, engineering and mathematics. It is part of the long-range career plan of the PI, is aligned with the University's mission, and meets College and Departmental goals.Particle transport through the atmosphere plays an important role in many ecosystems. Significant portions of these ecosystems interface with the atmosphere through plant canopies. Understanding the transport through these canopies, between canopies and the overlying atmosphere, and between disconnected canopies is critical to understanding how these ecosystems function, and how to manage any positive or negative effects. The research objectives of the project are designed to investigate these issues and are critical towards developing improved models for net ecosystem fluxes and to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens that cause plant diseases.The educational objectives address the NSF priority of encouraging more women and minorities to enroll in academic courses preparatory to STEM-related careers. An extensive evaluation plan is included that will track participating students' attitude toward STEM careers in high school and follow course enrollment in STEM courses for three years. Likewise, student tracking will occur at the undergraduate level, as enrollment data is available from each of the Utah high schools that feed into the University of Utah.Intellectual MeritThe intellectual merit of the project comes from the use of different approaches to develop a new comprehensive understanding of the impact of canopy geometry on flow dynamics and particle transport across a wide range of spatial scales. This understanding will lead to new models that can account for momentum transport and particle dispersion in and above plant canopies facilitating the asking and answering of questions related to how canopy geometry affects ecosystem functioning and services, how ecosystems are connected across landscapes, food production, the economic security of agricultural producers, and general heavy particle dispersion. Existing models for the dispersion and deposition of heavy particles to and from plant canopies fail to include the effect of horizontal heterogeneity (e.g., non-vegetated space between plants and land-cover transitions) on flow dynamics. The PI's goal is to develop improved models that can capture the effect of horizontal heterogeneity over a wide range of spatial scales to benefit natural and agricultural systems.Broader ImpactsThrough direct collaboration with biologists, this project will contain a strong interdisciplinary component giving graduate students unique experience working outside their core discipline and promoting interaction between engineering, atmospheric science and biology. These interdisciplinary benefits will extend to undergraduate students and to the high school level in Utah. The active (hands-on) laboratory experiences will be designed to promote teaching, training, and learning at all of these levels, and to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups. While the goal is to engage the students, a critical component of this program will be the involvement and training of high school teachers and their effect upon STEM enrollment. Results of the project will be disseminated broadly through the project's web site and conference attendance at high school and college science education conferences. Society in general will benefit from research leading to better management of natural resources and crop production.

植物檐篷中的粒子分散是一个创新且全面的项目，旨在整合大学一级的研究和教育，并将学习扩展到盐湖城当地高中的学习。 它旨在使学生对科学研究的兴趣达到最高兴趣，而他们参加了实验室活动，这些实验室活动集中在有关颗粒通过植物檐篷中和以上的大气传输的关键假设，并应用于大气标量运输和植物病理学在农业和自然生态系统中。 该项目在学习理论中良好建立，并整合了气象，生物学，物理，工程和数学的学科。它是PI远程职业计划的一部分，与大学的任务保持一致，并达到了大学和部门的目标。在大气中，粒子运输在许多生态系统中都起着重要作用。这些生态系统的重要部分通过植物檐篷与大气接口。 了解通过这些檐篷的运输，檐篷和上覆的气氛之间以及断开的檐篷之间的运输对于了解这些生态系统的运作方式以及如何管理任何积极或负面影响至关重要。该项目的研究目标旨在调查这些问题，并至关重要的是开发改进的净生态系统通量模型，并防止引起植物性疾病的空气传播病原体的传播。教育目标解决了NSF的优先事项，以鼓励更多的妇女和少数群体招募招募与与与STAM相关的职业的学术课程。 包括广泛的评估计划，该计划将跟踪参与学生对高中STEM职业的态度，并遵循STEM课程的入学率三年。 同样，学生跟踪将在本科层面上进行，因为从犹他州的每所高中都提供了入学数据，这些犹他州高中都可以使用该项目的智力优点，因此该项目的知识优点来自使用不同的方法来开发对盖层几何影响对流动动力和粒子跨越广泛范围的跨质量量表的影响的新综合理解。 这种理解将导致新的模型，这些模型可以解释植物檐篷中的动量运输和颗粒分散，从而促进了与冠层几何形状如何影响生态系统功能和服务相关的问题，生态系统如何在景观中连接，粮食生产，农业生产者的经济安全以及一般重颗粒颗粒的经济安全。 现有的用于植物檐篷的重颗粒的分散和沉积的模型未能包括水平异质性的影响（例如，植物和土地覆盖过渡之间的非植被空间）对流动动力学的影响。 PI的目标是开发改进的模型，以在各种空间尺度上捕获水平异质性的影响，以使自然和农业系统受益。Broader与生物学家的直接合作影响，该项目将包含强大的跨学科组成部分，为研究生提供了核心学生的独特经验，在他们的核心学科和促进互动和促进互动式和生物学之间的独特经验。这些跨学科的福利将扩展到本科生和犹他州的高中阶段。积极的（动手）实验室经验将旨在促进所有这些水平的教学，培训和学习，并扩大代表性不足的群体的参与。尽管目标是吸引学生，但该计划的关键组成部分将是对高中教师的参与和培训及其对STEM入学的影响。该项目的结果将通过该项目的网站和在高中和大学科学教育会议上的会议上大规模传播。通常，社会将受益于研究，从而更好地管理自然资源和作物生产。