CAREER: Ecosystem-driven Accelerations and Oscillations in the Coupled Earth System

当前前所未有的气候变化速度和规模引发了人们对气候对生物圈的影响以及地球上生命“第六次大灭绝”开始的担忧。生物学家已经广泛地记录了植物如何受到当地环境的影响。最近的研究结果支持了这种影响也是反向流动的观点：植物生长的地方和它们的功能可以直接改变当地和全球范围的气候。然而，除了一些具体的例子外，研究人员还没有探索植物在气候系统中扮演的多种角色。到目前为止，斯万的工作已经证明，北极、中纬度和热带地区植物生长地点的变化可以改变当地气候，影响全球范围内的大气环流，导致降雨模式的变化，对生活在远离原始变化地区的植物产生影响。换句话说，生态系统所处位置的变化以及它们如何应对当地环境的变化，可能会产生无法预料的、影响全球的影响。然而，问题仍然存在，生态系统的反应是否足以改变气候，从而加速地球系统对变化的反应或产生振荡？这项研究将集中在关键的未解决的问题上，即何时、何地、如何以及在什么时间尺度上生态系统改变了地球的行为，以应对包括过去和未来的气候变化在内的重大变化。Swann将使用复杂的数值模拟模型来解决这些问题，从主要的概念模型到包括生态系统动态相互作用的完整全球气候模型。科学界目前对生态系统在何处以及如何改变气候系统缺乏了解。了解生态系统在改变地球功能方面所起的作用，对于预测在与今天不同的条件下气候将如何变化至关重要。此外，这项研究将有助于确定生态系统动力学中最具影响力的方面和地球上最敏感的区域，从而指导未来对产生最大不确定性的地球系统方面的研究。该项目将通过正式和非正式教育，将斯旺研究的科学主题整合到各级（K12、本科和研究生）的教学和推广中，为研究和教学的职业整合提供坚实的基础。该提案将直接支持伯克博物馆为中学女生（在STEM领域仍未被充分代表的少数族裔）开展的校外项目导向方法的发展。联合研究和教育努力的目的是吸引和激励所有年龄的学生更好地了解地球系统各组成部分之间的相互作用，并更好地了解科学过程本身。

The current unprecedented rate and scale of climate change has raised concern about the effects of climate on the biosphere and the onset of a "6th mass extinction" of life on Earth. Biologists have widely documented how plants are influenced by their local environment. Recent findings support the idea that the influence also flows in reverse: where plants grow and how they function can directly modify both local and global scale climate. Yet beyond a few specific examples, researchers have not explored the multiple roles plants play in the climate system. Swann's work to date has demonstrated that changes in where plants grow in the Arctic, mid-latitudes, and tropics can alter local climate and influence atmospheric circulation at global scales, causing changes in patterns of where rains with consequences for plants that live in locations far from the original change. In other words, there can be unanticipated, globally reaching effects from changes in where ecosystems are located and how they respond to changes in their local environment. However, the question remains, could the response of ecosystems alter climate enough to accelerate the Earth system's response to change or create oscillations? This research will focus on critical unanswered questions about when, where, how, and over what timescale ecosystems change the behavior of Earth in response to big changes including past and future climate change. Swann will address these questions using a numerical simulation models that range in complexity from primarily conceptual models to full global climate models that include dynamical interactions in ecosystems. The scientific community currently lacks an understanding of where and how ecosystems modify the climate system. Knowing the role that ecosystems play in modifying how the Earth functions is crucial for predicting how climate will change under conditions that are different from today. Additionally, this research will help to identify the most impactful aspects of ecosystem dynamics and the most sensitive regions on Earth therefore guiding future research into aspects of the Earth system responsible for producing the greatest uncertainty. This project will integrate the scientific themes of Swann's research into teaching and outreach at all levels (K12, undergraduate, and graduate) through formal and informal education providing a strong foundation for career-long integration of research and teaching. The proposal will directly support the development of project-oriented approach in an out-of-school program for middle school girls (still underrepresented minorities in STEM) at the Burke Museum. The joint research and educational efforts aim to engage and inspire students of all ages in better understanding of the interaction between components of the Earth system as well as a greater appreciation for the scientific process itself.