Enhancing the Merriam-Powell Research Station to support climatic change research and education

北方亚利桑那大学获得一笔赠款，以增加在梅里亚姆-鲍威尔研究站（MPRS）进行气候变化和气候变化对人口和生态系统影响的实验和观测实地研究的机会。MPRS与位于弗拉格斯塔夫的植物园联合运营。 改进将：1）利用有水的公共园林研究空间; 2）使海拔梯度研究点气象站的数据收集更可靠; 3）改进不同经营处理下三种林分通量塔的数据收集。了解气候变化以及如何减轻气候变化的影响是我们这个时代的主要科学挑战之一。这在美国西南部尤为重要，目前已经经历了12年的创纪录干旱，这场干旱正在造成北美最严重的植被变化。该项目将加强三个多用户研究地点的气候变化研究基础设施。第一个地点是沿着海拔梯度的一组五个研究区，用于监测气候变化的影响和进行操纵实验。第二个站点是一组三个涡流通量塔站点，用于研究森林管理如何影响碳平衡。第三个地点是一组共同的花园，用于气候变化和恢复研究。共同花园将侧重于气候变化的遗传学（即，哪些基因型和源种群做得最好），以及气候变化对生物多样性、群落结构和生态系统功能的影响。这项研究的结果将对该地区大片公共土地的管理决策至关重要，并将加强MPRS和植物园联合提供的外联方案。 MPRS提供高质量本科研究经验的能力，如面向部落和社区学院的本科生研究经验计划，将通过这些改进得到加强。挪威国立大学关于“气候变化对森林生态的影响”的课程将包括远程学习和实地经验部分，并将为攻读硕士学位的教育工作者和理科本科生提供服务。对数学和生物学有浓厚兴趣的本科生将接受继续培训，作为建立数据管理系统的助理，为研究人员服务。

Northern Arizona University is awarded a grant to enhance opportunities for experimental and observational field research on climate change and the population and ecosystem impacts of climate change at the Merriam-Powell Research Station (MPRS). MPRS is jointly operated with The Arboretum at Flagstaff, where it is located. Improvements will: 1) make available common garden research space with water, 2) make data collection from weather stations on elevation gradient research sites more reliable, and 3) improve data collection from flux towers in three forest stands under different management treatments. Understanding climate change and what can be done to mitigate for climate change impacts is one of the major scientific challenges of our time. This is especially important in the American Southwest, which is currently 12 years into a record drought that is producing vegetation shifts among the most severe in North America. The project will enhance the infrastructure for climate change research at three multi-user research sites. The first site is a set of five research areas along an elevation gradient used for monitoring climate change impacts and for manipulative experiments. The second site is a set of three eddy flux tower sites that are being used to examine how forest management influences carbon balance. The third site is a set of common gardens to be used for climate change and restoration research. Common gardens will focus on the genetics of climate change (i.e., which genotypes and source populations do best), and the consequences of climate change for biodiversity, community structure and ecosystem function. Results from this research will be critical for management decisions for the regions large tracts of public land and will enhance outreach programming offered jointly by MPRS and The Arboretum. MPRS's ability to offer high quality undergraduate research experiences, such as the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program geared towards Tribal and Community Colleges, will be enhanced by these improvements. A course at NAU on "Climate Change Effects on Forest Ecology" will have distance learning and field experience components and will accommodate both educators pursuing masters degrees and undergraduates in the sciences. An undergraduate with strong interests in math and biology will receive continued training as an assistant on setting up data management systems to serve researchers.