A Regional Network to Improve Understanding of the Carbon Cycle: A Workshop Proposal

马萨诸塞州伍兹霍尔海洋生物实验室的Jerry Melillo获得了一笔赠款，他将召开一次研讨会，制定一项计划，将一系列技术和方法整合到一个区域到大陆规模的网络中，以提高对碳循环的理解。由海洋生物实验室主办的研讨会将聚集碳循环研究科学家，以及正在进行的区域到全球碳循环网络和倡议的专家，讨论在理解碳循环方面的紧迫差距，以及建立地方、区域和国家级网络的技术要求，这些网络旨在将正在进行的研究和网络纳入一个连续的、综合的、具有实时或接近实时监测功能的高质量研究网络。与会者将分享他们在将特定地点的科学扩展到更广泛的空间尺度方面的经验，并将根据新的传感器（现场和卫星）和数据收集能力讨论未来的研究基础设施需求。目前使用已建立的碳循环网络的参与者将使研讨会立足于现有基础设施和能力的当前现实，并将为碳循环研究基础设施的新愿景做出贡献，该基础设施可以扩展，以满足国家观察和理解区域到大陆尺度过程的能力需求。讨论将包括区域方法学、传感器技术、网络、研究信息传递和知识生成方面的最新发展。研讨会报告、讨论和工作组会议将集中于四个主题：1)净碳通量和区域碳关键分子指数与陆地碳循环模型的整合。2)确定一套进行关键测量所需的区域仪器网络；3)建立可扩展的碳信息网络；4)数据和信息管理和交付的使能技术和用户需求随着生物地球化学研究变得更加复杂和多学科化，我们对碳动力学的理解可以通过应用改进从地方到区域到大陆尺度的测量和从分子到生态系统通量的测量的技术而进一步获得。增强建模和预测能力；并促进个人、环境传感器、研究网络和数据库之间的交流。这次研讨会将是设计可扩展的国家碳循环基础设施的第一次尝试，以满足在地方和更大范围内工作的科学家的需求，以及可能需要从区域到国家范围的信息的决策者和教育工作者的需求。因此，预计讨论和工作组报告将引起许多学科的广泛兴趣。研讨会产品将通过网络档案向更广泛的社区提供；会议记录和建议的白皮书将在网上发布；一份报告概述了目前的技术能力，未来碳循环网络基础设施的设计，以及实现这一目标的研究和实施计划。

A grant has been awarded to Jerry Melillo at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA to convene a workshop to develop a plan for integrating an array of technologies and approaches into a regional to continental scale network to improve understanding of the carbon cycle. The workshop, hosted by the Marine Biological Lab will assemble carbon cycling research scientists, as well as experts in ongoing regional to global carbon cyling networks and initiatives to discuss the urgent gaps in understanding the carbon cycle and the technical requirements for building local, regional, and national-level networks designed to incorporate ongoing research and networks into a continuous, integrated, high-quality research network with real or near real time monitoring capbailites. Participants will share their experiences in expanding site-specific science to broader spatial scales, and will discuss future research infrastructure needs in light of new sensors (field and satellite) and data collection capabilities. The participants that currently use established carbon cycling networks will ground the workshop in the present-day realities of existing infrastructure and capabilities, and will contribute to a new vision for carbon cycling research infrastructure that can expand to meet the needs for a national capability for observing and understanding regional to continental scale processes. Discussion will include present state-of-the-art developments in regional methodology, sensor technologies, networking, research information delivery, and knowledge generation.Workshop presentations, discussion, and working group sessions will focus on four topics: 1) The integration of net carbon flux and key molecular indexes of regional carbon with models of the terrestrical carbon cycle. 2) Defining the set of regional networks of instruments necessary to make critical measurements and, 3) Building scalable carbon information networks: from researchers to field stations to a national architecture and 4) Enabling technologies and user requirements for data and information management and deliveryAs biogeochemical research becomes more complex and multidisciplinary, gains in our understanding of carbon dynamics can be furthered through the application of technologies that improve the scaling of measurements from local to regional to continenal scales and molecular measurements to ecosystem flux, enhance modeling and prediction capabilities; and facilitate communication among individuals, environmental sensors, research networks, and databases. This workshop will be the first attempt to design scalable national carbon cycling infrastructure that meets the needs of scientists working at local and broader scales, as well as decision-makers and educators that may require information at regional to national scales. Consequently, the discussions and working group reports are anticipated to be of broad interest to many disciplines. Workshop products will be made available to a broader community via web archive of the presentations; a white paper of the proceedings and recommendations which will be posted online; and a report outlining present technical capabilities, the design of a future carbon cycling network infrastructure, and a research and implementation plan that will enable this goal to be achieved.