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

北亚利桑那大学获得了一笔赠款，以增加梅里亚姆-鲍威尔研究站（MPRS）对气候变化以及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Flagstaff的Arboretum联合运营。改进措施将：1)提供有水的公共园林研究空间；2)使高程梯度研究站点气象站的数据收集更加可靠；3)改进不同管理处理下三个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面临的主要科学挑战之一。这在美国西南部尤为重要，该地区目前已经经历了12年创纪录的干旱，导致植被发生了北美最严重的变化。该项目将在三个多用户研究站点加强气候变化研究的基础设施。第一个站点是沿着海拔梯度的一组五个研究区域，用于监测气候变化影响和操作实验。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。第三个场地是一组用于气候变化和恢复研究的公共花园。普通花园将关注气候变化的遗传学（即，哪种基因型和源种群表现最好），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Arboretum联合提供的外展规划。这些改进将增强MPRS提供高质量本科生研究经验的能力，例如面向部落和社区学院的本科生研究经验项目。国立农业大学的一门名为“气候变化对森林生态的影响”的课程将包含远程学习和实地体验的内容，并将同时容纳攻读硕士学位的教育工作者和科学专业的本科生。对数学和生物学有浓厚兴趣的本科生将继续接受建立数据管理系统以服务研究人员的助理培训。

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.