US-Namibia Planning Visit: Building a Research Collaboration on the Effects of Non-rainfall Input on Dryland Ecosystem Functions

​规划访问、初步数据收集和今后的研究工作将在纳米比亚的纳米布沙漠进行。王博士将与位于纳米布沙漠的纳米布-瑙克洛夫特国家公园的戈巴布研究和培训中心的玛丽·西利博士合作。这次规划访问的研究成果将检验非降雨湿度对沙漠生态系统功能有重大贡献的假设。同样重要的是，该研究将尝试使用稳定同位素分析来确定雾/露的来源区域，并将评估雾和露对生态系统功能的贡献。随着全球旱地预测的未来降雨量减少，非降雨水分输入的作用可能变得更有价值，评估雾/露输入的来源将使建模能够确定这些输入如何随着气候变化而变化。计划中的访问将包括确定特定的采样点，并在纳米布沙漠Naukluft公园地区Gobabeb附近的三个生态系统中收集雾、露水、降水和土壤湿度样本。该小组还将与政府官员会面，探讨在靠近海岸的非公园土地上进行额外采样的可能性，因为那里的雾可能更频繁。计划中的访问还将评估戈巴布培训和研究中心支持长期抽样工作的能力。将对计划访问期间收集的样品进行概念验证稳定同位素分析，以验证雾/露同位素特征可以与其他水分来源区分开来，从而为未来的水源建模工作奠定基础。这个项目也有有趣和有价值的更广泛的影响。规划访问小组包括一名来自IUPUI地球与环境科学中心（CEES）的教育外联协调员，他将为三年级至九年级学生开设一个教育模块，重点是纳米布沙漠的自然地理、该生态系统发生的变化以及对全球旱地生态系统的影响。这个教育模块将在团队计划根据这次规划访问准备的完整提案中得到充分发展。此外，一名研究生将参与规划访问、初步数据收集、数据分析和完整提案的准备，为该学生提供宝贵的专业发展机会。PI还计划为IUPUI的高年级本科生和研究生开设一门关于沙漠环境的新课程，使用基于该项目的案例研究，这将使其他学生接触到他们研究的国际背景。预计本科生将参与研究，该研究将得到后来的完整提案的支持。

This research project, led by PI Lixin Wang of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), will conduct planning meetings and collect and analyze preliminary data to develop a project that will assess the effects of non-rainfall water input on dryland ecosystem functions. The planning visit, preliminary data collection and future research efforts will take place in the Namib Desert, Namibia. Dr. Wang will collaborate with Dr. Mary Seely of the Gobabeb Research and Training Center in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, located in the Namib Desert. The research effort that will result from this planning visit will test the hypothesis that non-rainfall moisture contributes significantly to desert ecosystem function. Equally importantly, the research will attempt to identify the source areas of fog/dew using stable isotope analyses and will assess how much fog and dew contribute to ecosystem function. With lower future rainfall predicted across drylands globally, the role of non-rainfall moisture input may become even more valuable, and assessing the sources of fog/dew inputs will allow modeling to determine how those inputs may change with climate change. The planning visit will include identification of specific sampling sites and collection of fog, dew, precipitation and soil moisture samples in three ecosystems near Gobabeb in the Naukluft Park area of the Namib Desert. The team will also meet with ministry officials to explore the potential for additional permits for sampling on non-park land closer to the shore where fog may be more frequent. The planning visit will also assess the ability of the Gobabeb Training and Research Center to support longer-term sampling efforts. Proof-of-concept stable isotope analyses will be conducted on the samples collected during the planning visit to verify that fog/dew isotope signatures can be differentiated from other moisture sources and therefore form the foundation for future water source modeling efforts. This project also has interesting and valuable broader impacts. The planning visit team includes an education outreach coordinator from the IUPUI Center for Earth and Environmental Science (CEES) who will initiate an education module for third through ninth graders focusing on the physical geography of the Namib Desert, the changes taking place in this ecosystem and the implications for dryland ecosystems globally. This education module will be fully developed in the full proposal that the team plans to prepare based on this planning visit. In addition, a graduate student will participate in the planning visit, initial data collection, data analyses and preparation of the full proposal, providing that student with a valuable professional development opportunity. The PI also plans to develop a new course on Desert Environments for senior undergraduates and graduate students at IUPUI using case studies based on this project, which will expose other students to the international contexts of their studies. Undergraduates are expected to be involved in the research that would be supported by a later full proposal.