Workshop: An International Synthesis of Precipitation Change Experiments

人类活动引起的全球气候变化正迅速成为21世纪最重要的全球社会问题之一。科学家们在了解生态系统将如何受到全球变暖的影响方面取得了相当大的进展，但对它们将如何应对降雨和降雪的相关变化知之甚少。本次研讨会的目标是综合不断增长的关于降水对生态系统影响的知识体系。具体目标是：(1)整合降水变化对关键生态系统特征影响的大量实地实验数据；(2)确定降水模式变化与其他形式的环境变化（如气温升高、二氧化碳水平升高和其他空气污染物水平升高）之间的相互作用；(3)确定可能特别容易受到未来降水变化影响的生态过程和地理区域。这些目标将通过对世界各地进行的53个生态系统尺度降水实验的结果进行统计比较来实现。这将通过一系列活动来完成，包括：主要国际科学家的参与，实验结果综合数据库的开发，关键生态系统反应的统计分析，以及审查分析、制定新假设和出版出版物的科学会议。不断变化的降水模式可能会产生各种各样的影响，这些影响将引起社会的关注，包括引起生物多样性的变化，改变野火风险，以及改变供人类使用的淡水供应。随着公众对全球气候变化影响的担忧加剧，迫切需要一个可靠的科学依据来制定管制温室气体排放的政策，以避免对地球造成危险的干扰。美国气候系统。这次讲习班的工作将对满足这些信息需要作出重大贡献。此外，这项活动将加强国际科学关系，促进妇女在全球气候变化科学领域的参与和领导，并有助于培养下一代全球气候变化科学家。

Human-induced global climate change is rapidly emerging as one of the most important global societal concern of the 21st century. Scientists have made considerable progress in understanding how ecosystems will be affected by global warming, yet less is known about how they will respond to related changes in rain and snowfall. The goal of this workshop will be to synthesize the growing body of knowledge on precipitation impacts on ecosystems. Specific objectives are: (1) to integrate data from numerous field experiments on the effects of precipitation change on key ecosystem characteristics, (2) to identify interactions between changing precipitation patterns and other forms of environmental change such as increasing air temperatures, increasing levels of carbon dioxide, and other air pollutants, and (3) to identify ecological processes and geographical regions that may be particularly vulnerable to future changes in precipitation. These objectives will be addressed by conducting a statistical comparison of results from 53 ecosystem-scale precipitation experiments that have been conducted around the world. This will be accomplished through a series of activities, including: participation of key international scientists, development of an integrated database of experimental results, statistical analyses of key ecosystem responses, and science meetings to review analyses, formulate new hypotheses, and produce publications. Changing precipitation patterns are likely to have a variety of effects that will be of concern to society including causing changes in biodiversity, altering wildfire risk, and modifying the supplies of freshwater for human uses. As public concern heightens over the impacts of global climate change, an urgent need exists for a sound scientific basis on which to formulate policies regulating greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid dangerous interference with the Earth?s climate system. This workshop effort will contribute significantly to meeting these information needs. In addition, this activity will strengthen international scientific relations, promote the participation and leadership of women in global climate change science, and contribute to the training of the next generation of global climate change scientists.