CAREER: The Boston-Area Climate Experiment

科学家们一致认为地球的气候正在发生变化。 然而，气温上升的速度、降水量将如何变化以及变暖将持续多久仍存在不确定性。 到目前为止，一些实验已经提高了我们对生态系统如何应对温度或降水变化的理解，但很少有人同时研究这两个因素。 此外，几乎所有使生态系统变暖的实验都考察了一次突然和持续的温度升高的影响。 实际上，气候将逐渐变化，这种变化的终点是未知的。 群落和生态系统的过程和特性是否会对温度变化作出线性反应，或者是否存在可以达到的重要阈值温度？ 生态系统对变暖的反应在多大程度上取决于降水模式？ 波士顿地区气候实验旨在回答这些问题。 该实验将通过五种不同的量来温暖旧田地生态系统的地块，同时使地块受到三种不同的降水制度（潮湿，环境和干燥）。 研究人员将测量几个变量的反应，包括草药，草和树苗的生长。这个实验将提高我们对生态系统及其提供的服务如何应对气候变化的理解。 其中一些生态系统的反应将决定行星生物群将如何影响气候变化的速度。 该实验还将产生广泛的社区影响，无论是直接作为公共教育设施，还是通过涉及K-12学生和教师，学生教育工作者和大学生。

Scientists agree that Earths climate is changing. However, there remains uncertainty about the rate at which temperatures will rise, how precipitation will change, and for how long the warming will continue. To date, several experiments have advanced our understanding of how ecosystems will respond to changes in temperature or precipitation, but few have studied both factors simultaneously. In addition, almost all experiments that have warmed ecosystems have examined the effect of one sudden and sustained temperature increase. In reality, climate will change gradually, and the endpoint of this change is unknown. Will the processes and properties of communities and ecosystems respond linearly to changes in temperature, or are there important threshold temperatures that could be reached? To what extent does an ecosystems response to warming depend on precipitation patterns? The Boston-Area Climate Experiment is designed to answer these questions. The experiment will warm plots of an old-field ecosystem by five different amounts, while subjecting the plots to three different precipitation regimes (wet, ambient, and dry). Researchers will measure responses of several variables, including growth of herbs, grasses, and tree seedlings.This experiment will improve our understanding of how ecosystems and the services they provide will respond to climate change. Some of these ecosystem responses will determine how the planets biota will affect the rate of climate change. The experiment will also have a broad community impact, both directly, as a public education installation, and by involving K-12 students and teachers, student educators, and university students.