Biocomplexity: Carbonshed Studies of Carbon Sequestration in Complex Terrain

0321918蒙森最近对美国碳汇区域化的估计表明，很大一部分在美国西部，在丘陵到山区的生态系统中。我们使用卫星数据和生态系统模型表明，美国西部山区对美国碳汇的贡献不成比例;我们估计，美国大陆碳汇总量的25%至50%，以及美国西部碳汇的75%发生在山区。我们用测量来验证这些预测的能力，或者用改进的机械模型来建立这些预测的能力是有限的。虽然缩放的地球化学过程率先在山区流域，最近的研究更侧重于“塔足迹“的范例比流域的方法，不幸的是，我们目前的能力与tower-basedmeasurements是不足以开发准确的质量平衡预测在复杂的地形，这减少了努力，以了解地球化学通量在themountains。在这个建议中，我们发展了一个“碳棚”的方法来研究山地景观的生态系统碳平衡。我们将同一背景下的碳棚定义为分水岭-一个山区，其中斜坡和山谷导致复杂的地形模式，直接影响CO2的排放和积累，以及能量和水的重新分配模式，间接影响CO2在景观中的交换。我们提出的情况下，碳排放尺度是至关重要的连接本地，生态系统水平的CO2通量区域，生态系统水平的CO2 fluxs.In这个建议，我们提出了一个计划，以测量碳排放的CO2通量在落基山脉的前山脉在科罗拉多。认识到使用大气技术直接测量碳排放量在复杂的景观中是不可能的，我们专注于模型数据集成，使用测量来校准和约束模型，并使用模型来插值观测。我们还认识到碳和水的交换是密切相关的，特别是在这个半干旱的西部环境中，我们专注于将碳和水的测量联系起来。我们将挑战过程模型的测量在多个时间和空间尺度，利用季节到年际通量测量，carbonshed规模的尺度放大（10公里），和区域（1000公里）的空中测量。2002年的大火将使我们能够在最近燃烧的系统中进行碳动力学的空中测量，这是对基于扰动的模型中通量放大的独特测试。该项目的建模将使用一个耦合的生态系统-大气模型，允许模拟通量转换成浓度模式，以便与地面和空中观测结果进行比较。该提案通过以下方式解决智力价值标准：1）确定一种新的科学现象：由于气候与土地利用模式的相互作用，在高起伏生态系统中形成碳汇的趋势，2）提出创新和跨学科的方法来测量这一现象，3）组建一个包括生物学家，气象学家，生态学家和教育工作者在内的团队来研究这个问题。更广泛的影响这些研究将为两名研究生和两名博士后提供培训机会。资助的活动将作为催化剂，以开发一个新的课程，人类与环境的耦合，将包括土地使用历史，水资源，灭火和生物物理控制在山区碳的综合作用的分析。这项研究将支持一个重要的K-12和教师培训计划，由科罗拉多大学CIRES教育和推广办公室协调。拟议的研究将有助于科学基础设施，通过增加一个大大增强的碳循环仪器的能力，以国家科学基金会设施在NCAR ATD，这是提供给一般的科学界。此外，一个大大改进的四维模型，用于分析区域碳汇活动将提供给一般的科学和公共政策界用于分析美国碳汇及其与全球碳循环问题的相关性。

0321918MonsonRecent estimates that regionalize the US carbon sink suggest that a significant fraction is inthe Western US, in ecosystems that occur in hilly to mountainous regions. We have usedsatellite data and ecosystem models to show that Western US montane regions contributedisproportionately to the US carbon sink; we estimated that 25 to 50% of the total continental UScarbon sink, and up to 75% of Western US carbon sink occurs in mountainous terrain. Ourability to validate these predictions with measurements, or to build on them with improvedmechanistic models, is limited. Although the scaling of biogeochemical processes waspioneered in mountain watersheds, recent research has focused more on the "tower footprint"paradigm than the watershed approach; unfortunately, our current capabilities with tower-basedmeasurements are not adequate to develop accurate mass balance predictions in complextopography, and this has diminished efforts to understand biogeochemical fluxes in themountains. In this proposal, we develop a "carbonshed" approach for the study of theecosystem carbon balance of montane landscapes. We define a carbonshed within the samecontext as a watershed - a mountainous tract in which the slopes and valleys cause complextopographic patterns, which directly influence the drainage and accumulation of CO2, as well aspatterns in the redistribution of energy and water, which indirectly influence the exchange of CO2across the landscape. We make the case that the carbonshed scale is crucial for linking local,ecosystem-level CO2 fluxes to regional, landscape-level CO2 fluxes.In this proposal, we present a plan to measure carbonshed CO2 fluxes in the Front Range ofthe Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Recognizing that direct measurement of carbon budgetsusing atmospheric techniques will be impossible in complex landscapes, we focus on modeldataintegration, using measurements to calibrate and constrain models, and models tointerpolate observations. Recognizing also that carbon and water exchange are closely coupled,especially in this semi-arid Western environment, we focus on linking carbon and watermeasurements. We will challenge process models with measurements at multiple time andspace scales, utilizing seasonal to interannual flux measurements, carbonshed scale campaignsto scale up (10's of km), and regional (1000's of km) airborne measurements. Large fires in2002 will allow us to make airborne measurements of carbon dynamics in recently burnedsystems, a unique test of the upscaling of fluxes in disturbance-based models. The project'smodeling will use a coupled ecosystem-atmosphere model, allowing simulated fluxes to betranslated into concentration patterns for comparison to surface and airborne observations.The proposal addresses the intellectual merit criteria by 1) identifying a new phenomenon incarbon science: the tendency for carbon sinks to develop in high-relief ecosystems, as a result ofthe interaction of climate with land use patterns, 2) proposing innovative and cross-disciplinarymethods to measure this phenomenon, and 3) assembling a team including biophysicists,meteorologists, ecologists and educators to study this problem.Broader ImpactsThe studies will provide training opportunities for two graduate students and two,postdoctoral students. The funded activities will serve as the catalyst to develop a new courseon human-environment coupling that will include an analysis of the combined roles of land usehistory, water resources, fire suppression and biophysical controls over carbon in the mountains.The research will support a significant K-12 and teacher training program coordinated by theUniversity of Colorado CIRES Office of Education and Outreach. The proposed research willcontribute to scientific infrastructure by adding a greatly enhanced carbon cycle instrumentalcapability to the NSF Facilities at NCAR ATD, which are available to the general scientificcommunity. Additionally, a greatly improved 4-dimensional model for analyzing regional carbonsink activity will be made available to the general scientific and public policy communities for usein analyzing US carbon sinks and their relevance to global carbon cycle issues.