Collaborative Research: Understanding the Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems of the Northeastern United States

合作研究：了解冰暴对美国东北部森林生态系统的影响

• 批准号: 1457675
• 负责人: Charles Driscoll
• 金额: $ 117.86万
• 依托单位: Syracuse University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-05-01 至 2020-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1457675&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Understanding; Impacts; Ice

Ice storms are powerful winter weather events common to temperate and boreal forest regions worldwide. These storms are capable of catastrophic short-term ecological and socio-economic impacts on forest ecosystems due to branch breakage and toppling of trees under heavy ice loads. Their legacy can also persist over the longer-term through changes in forest productivity and species composition; the virulence of forest pests and pathogens; and increased risk of fire due to greater fire fuel loads. Despite their influential role in shaping forest ecosystems, knowledge of ice storms and their impacts remains limited. The temporally and spatially unpredictable nature of ice storms has largely confined past investigations to case studies following major storms. The severity of ice storms in the northeastern United States, Eastern Canada and elsewhere has heightened the need for greater clarity on the role of these storms in shaping future forests. Scientists at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in NH will conduct a multi-faceted program of research that includes a novel ice storm manipulation experiment, long-term field data, and climate and ecosystem modeling. This research will provide the scientific community, land managers and the concerned public greater insight on the impacts of these powerful, and extreme winter weather events on the ecosystem dynamics of northern hardwood forests.This integrated program of research is built on a foundation of previous work at Hubbard Brook and the region, including a pilot ice storm experiment conducted in 2012; a significant body of research on the forest ecosystem response to the severe "Ice Storm of 1998"; and a new set of historical climate reconstructions which allow for the quantification of the meteorological conditions that lead to ice storms. Specifically, the investigators will: (i) develop high-resolution global climate model simulations to evaluate the severity, frequency and extent of ice storms under future changing climate; (ii) evaluate short-term (2-3 year) ecosystem response to four different intensities and two frequencies of experimental ice events; (iii) evaluate longer-term (17+ years) response of forest vegetation to the 1998 storm; (iv) use results from the experiment and the long term observations to refine an established forest ecosystem biogeochemical model to simulate ice-storm disturbance; and (v) use the results from the high-resolution climate simulations to drive the improved biogeochemical model to project future ice storm impacts on ecosystem fluxes and pools of carbon and nitrogen in a northern hardwood forest. This research will be integrated with broader impacts involving: (i) the use of sensor technology to engage STEM students with disabilities in the study; (ii) a dialog on the impacts of ice storms with local stakeholders; (iii) the production of a video on the making of an ice storm and relevance to extreme events and climate change; and (iv) undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral training.

冰暴是全球温带和北方森林地区常见的强大冬季天气事件。 这些风暴由于分支断裂和树木在重冰负荷下倾倒，能够对森林生态系统造成灾难性的短期生态和社会经济影响。 它们的影响还可能通过森林生产力和物种组成的变化、森林害虫和病原体的毒性以及由于火灾燃料负荷增加而增加的火灾风险而长期存在。 尽管冰暴在塑造森林生态系统方面发挥着重要作用，但对冰暴及其影响的了解仍然有限。 冰暴在时间和空间上的不可预测性在很大程度上限制了过去的调查，以个案研究后，大风暴。 美国东北部、加拿大东部和其他地方的冰暴的严重性，使人们更加需要更清楚地了解这些风暴在塑造未来森林方面的作用。 位于新罕布什尔州的哈伯德布鲁克实验森林的科学家们将进行一项多方面的研究计划，其中包括一项新颖的冰风暴操纵实验、长期实地数据以及气候和生态系统建模。 这项研究将使科学界、土地管理者和有关公众更深入地了解这些强大的极端冬季天气事件对北方硬木林生态系统动态的影响，这项综合研究方案建立在哈伯德布鲁克和该地区以前工作的基础上，包括2012年进行的一项冰风暴试验;关于森林生态系统对严重“1998年冰风暴”的反应的重要研究;以及一套新的历史气候重建，可以量化导致冰风暴的气象条件。具体而言，研究人员将：（i）开发高分辨率的全球气候模型模拟，以评估未来气候变化下冰暴的严重性，频率和范围;（ii）评估短期气候变化。（2-3年）生态系统对四种不同强度和两种频率的实验性冰事件的反应; ㈢评价较长期的（iv）利用实验结果和长期观测资料，对已建立的森林生态系统生态地球化学模型进行改进，以模拟冰暴干扰;以及（v）使用高分辨率气候模拟的结果来驱动改进的生态地球化学模型，以预测未来冰风暴对北方阔叶林生态系统通量和碳氮库的影响。 这项研究将与更广泛的影响相结合，涉及：（i）使用传感器技术让STEM残疾学生参与研究;（ii）与当地利益相关者就冰风暴的影响进行对话;（iii）制作关于冰风暴的制作以及与极端事件和气候变化的相关性的视频;以及（iv）本科生，研究生和博士后培训。