LTER IV: Long-Term Ecological Research on Disturbance, Succession, and Ecosystem State Change at the Virginia Coast Reserve

LTER IV：弗吉尼亚海岸保护区的干扰、演替和生态系统状态变化的长期生态研究

• 批准号: 0080381
• 负责人: Karen McGlathery
• 金额: $ 420万
• 依托单位: University of Virginia Main Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-11-01 至 2007-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0080381&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: LTER; IV; Long; Term; Ecological

The Virginia coast is an extremely dynamic landscape. The Virginia Coastal Reserve (VCR) LTER focuses on understanding the relationships between natural and anthropogenic forces on the ecology of a coastal barrier island, lagoon and mainland system. Frequent storms, tides, and winds cause sea level variations that affect over 70% of VCR's land area. Over the last century sea level rose 35 cm, the highest rise along the Atlantic coast. Seventy years ago the dominant species, eelgrass, disappeared from the lagoons; recolonization began anew in the past 5 years. In addition, 60-90% of the barrier island uplands is new land since 1979. This land creation has left a century-long legacy that we can now use for natural experiments. The central hypothesis of the new phase of the VCR LTER program is that ecosystem and landscape dynamics and land use patterns within the watersheds of the VCR are controlled by the vertical position of the land, the sea, and the freshwater table surfaces. Our research approach is to utilize short-term manipulative experiments, long-term observations, and computer models. We will also capitalize on nature's "experiments" where new landscapes continue to be created and recolonizing species may be moving lagoons back to conditions of earlier times. We will also expand our research to examine 56 watersheds on the peninsula, which currently vary in cover from 80% forest to 80% agriculture. This research goes to the heart of solving fundamental societal problems associated with environmental change at the land-sea interface.

弗吉尼亚海岸是一个非常动态的景观。弗吉尼亚海岸保护区（VCR）LTER的重点是了解自然和人为力量对沿海屏障岛屿，泻湖和大陆系统的生态之间的关系。频繁的风暴、潮汐和风导致海平面变化，影响了VCR 70%以上的陆地面积。在上个世纪，海平面上升了35厘米，是沿着大西洋海岸上升最高的。70年前，主要物种鳗草从泻湖中消失;在过去的5年里，重新开始繁殖。此外，自1979年以来，60-90%的屏障岛高地是新的土地。这片土地创造了一个世纪之久的遗产，我们现在可以用来进行自然实验。VCR LTER计划新阶段的核心假设是，VCR流域内的生态系统和景观动态以及土地利用模式受陆地、海洋和淡水表面的垂直位置控制。我们的研究方法是利用短期操作实验，长期观察和计算机模型。我们还将利用大自然的“实验”，新的景观不断被创造出来，物种的灭绝可能会使泻湖恢复到早期的状态。 我们还将扩大我们的研究，以检查半岛上的56个流域，这些流域目前的覆盖率从80%的森林到80%的农业不等。这项研究的核心是解决与陆海界面环境变化相关的基本社会问题。