MSA: Evaluating the continuity of NEON and AmeriFlux data streams recorded at collocated sites from tundra to subtropics

MSA：评估从苔原到亚热带的同一地点记录的 NEON 和 AmeriFlux 数据流的连续性

• 批准号: 2105828
• 负责人: Andrew Richardson
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: Northern Arizona University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2105828&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MSA; Evaluating; continuity; NEON; AmeriFlux

Understanding the impact of changes in climate, land use, and species distribution on our natural world is a grand challenge for Macrosystems Biology. Long-term observations are needed to detect ecological changes, and to confidently make predictions about the future. Construction of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), a 30-year project, was completed in 2019. Most data sets are currently less than five years in length. This project will evaluate the continuity between new measurements conducted at recently-instrumented NEON sites across the United States, and longer-term measurements already conducted at pre-existing, nearby, AmeriFlux sites. The analysis leverages data from 11 sites across 8 NEON domains from Alaska to Florida. A key emphasis is on data characterizing the rhythmic ‘breathing’ of these ecosystems (i.e. how they exchange carbon dioxide and water vapor with the atmosphere) over days, seasons, and years. The analysis serves as an independent and fundamental cross-check of NEON data quality, thereby increasing the usefulness and value of NEON data to user communities. Broader impacts will accrue through outreach activities emphasizing formal and informal science education, and offering hands-on training for the next generation of scientific leaders. The project leverages Northern Arizona University’s geographic location to provide learning opportunities for Native American communities traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields.Consistency and continuity in long-term ecological data sets are essential so that the fingerprints of global change can be reliably detected. While NEON will run for 30 y, the environmental challenges posed by global change are pressing enough that neither scientists nor society can wait that long. Better understanding of the trajectory of ecosystem change will be attainable sooner if new data sets from NEON can be integrated with pre-existing long-term data sets from other observation networks. This project asks “can existing AmeriFlux data be used to extend, back in time, NEON datasets that did not begin until 2017?” The study will determine whether agreement in these overlapping data sets is dependent on both the temporal scale being considered and the spatial scales on which site heterogeneity occurs. The project adopts a multi-scale approach that incorporates frequency-domain and geospatial analyses across sites spanning a broad climatic gradient. For each site, a “continuity scorecard” will provide diagnostic information needed to ensure valid inferences can be derived from integrated time series. Demonstration of robust continuity will enable scientists to leverage the power of longer observational records. Outreach efforts will include workshops, guest lectures, classroom visits, and community demonstrations highlighting the role of “big data” in understanding the ecological impacts, at regional to continental scale, of global change. Two community college students from underrepresented minority groups will be recruited as research assistants on this project, providing valuable training as they transition to Bachelor of Science programs at Northern Arizona University.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

了解气候变化、土地利用和物种分布对自然世界的影响是宏观系统生物学面临的巨大挑战。为了探测生态变化，并自信地对未来做出预测，需要长期观察。历时30年的国家生态观测站网络（NEON）建设于2019年完成。目前大多数数据集的长度都不到5年。该项目将评估在美国各地新近安装的NEON站点进行的新测量与在附近已有的AmeriFlux站点进行的长期测量之间的连续性。该分析利用了从阿拉斯加到佛罗里达的8个NEON域的11个站点的数据。一个关键的重点是描述这些生态系统有节奏的“呼吸”（即它们如何与大气交换二氧化碳和水蒸气）在天、季节和年中的数据。该分析作为NEON数据质量的独立和基本交叉检查，从而增加了NEON数据对用户社区的有用性和价值。通过强调正式和非正式科学教育的外联活动，以及为下一代科学领袖提供实践培训，将产生更广泛的影响。该项目利用北亚利桑那大学的地理位置，为传统上在STEM领域代表性不足的美国原住民社区提供学习机会。长期生态数据集的一致性和连续性至关重要，这样才能可靠地探测到全球变化的指纹。虽然NEON将运行30年，但全球变化带来的环境挑战已经足够紧迫，科学家和社会都无法等待那么久。如果NEON的新数据集可以与其他观测网络已有的长期数据集相结合，就可以更快地更好地了解生态系统变化的轨迹。该项目提出了一个问题：“现有的AmeriFlux数据是否可以用来扩展到2017年才开始的NEON数据集？”该研究将确定这些重叠数据集的一致性是否取决于所考虑的时间尺度和发生站点异质性的空间尺度。该项目采用了一种多尺度方法，结合了跨广泛气候梯度的站点的频域和地理空间分析。对于每个站点，“连续性记分卡”将提供诊断信息，以确保从综合时间序列中得出有效的推断。证明强大的连续性将使科学家能够利用更长的观测记录的力量。推广工作将包括研讨会、客座讲座、课堂参观和社区示范，强调“大数据”在理解全球变化的区域到大陆范围的生态影响方面的作用。来自少数族裔的两名社区大学生将被招募为该项目的研究助理，为他们过渡到北亚利桑那大学的理学学士课程提供有价值的培训。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。