Landscape carbon cycling in temperate grasslands

温带草原景观碳循环

• 批准号: 298460-2006
• 负责人: Mitchell, Scott
• 金额: $ 1.14万
• 依托单位: Carleton University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2007-01-01 至 2008-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=362043
• 关键词: Landscape; carbon; cycling; temperate; grasslands

Environmental models are important tools that (1) represent our current understanding of environmental processes, and (2) allow us to make predictions of how environmental systems are likely to respond to change, whether it is caused by global environmental change, human management, or interactions between them. As computing power increases, our ability to make calculations improves, but there is a risk of allowing this capability to introduce more sources of potential uncertainty in predictions, which can lead to misinformed decision making. Effective use of environmental models requires an understanding and continuous testing of the science behind them, both to improve the models, and to inform decision makers on relative confidence in different scenarios or types of predictions. My research improves models which predict how ecosystem carbon cycling will react to potential changes in climate and management. I am concentrating on grasslands, which cover about 20% of Earth's surface, and have an important role in global carbon cycling and economics. I have developed models for use in Grasslands National Park, which concentrate on the strong effect of drought on grass growth. I have developed new routines to predict drought constraints on leaf emergence and photosynthesis. This project will allow the models to be tested and improved, and then applied to new sites. The research is accomplished through a combination of testing the model using a wide range of input conditions, and field measurements to help set up the model and then validate it. In addition to improving the techniques for further research, specific predictions regarding environmental change in the study regions will add to our understanding of impacts of global change for Canadians, and help make decisions about the management of Grasslands National Park.

环境模型是（1）代表我们当前对环境过程的理解的重要工具，并且（2）允许我们对环境系统如何响应变化进行预测，无论是由全球环境变化，人类管理还是它们之间的互动引起的。随着计算能力的增加，我们进行计算的能力会有所提高，但是有允许这种能力引入更多潜在不确定性来源的风险，这可能会导致错误的决策做出。有效使用环境模型需要对它们背后的科学进行理解和连续测试，以改善模型，并向决策者提供对不同情况或预测类型的相对信心。我的研究改进了模型，这些模型可以预测生态系统碳循环将如何对气候和管理的潜在变化做出反应。我专注于草原，占地约20％，在全球碳循环和经济学中起着重要作用。我已经开发了用于草原国家公园的模型，该模型集中在干旱对草生长的强烈影响上。我开发了新的例程来预测叶片出现和光合作用的干旱限制。该项目将允许测试和改进这些模型，然后应用于新站点。通过使用广泛的输入条件和现场测量来帮助建立模型然后验证该模型，从而实现了研究。除了改进进一步研究的技术外，有关研究区域环境变化的具体预测将增加我们对加拿大人对全球变化的影响的理解，并有助于对草原国家公园的管理做出决定。