CNH: Integration of Human Choice into Models of Biogeochemical Cycling in Urban Ecosystems

尽管城市作为生物地球化学热点的重要性与日俱增，但人们对影响元素通过单个家庭的通量的因素知之甚少，尽管家庭的总消费量可能对主要元素的通量产生重大影响，如碳(C)、氮(N)和磷(P)，这些元素对局部、区域和全球污染具有影响。这个跨学科研究项目的总体目标是将人类行为与宏观元素(C、N和P)在家庭中的流动联系起来。研究人员将通过明尼阿波利斯-圣彼得堡的两个城市的家庭量化碳、氮和磷的总通量。他们将寻求扩大对影响家庭消费选择的因素和通过家庭的宏观元素流动的基本理解。研究人员假设，元素通量是高度可变和不对称的，相对较少的家庭对总通量的贡献不成比例。另一个待检验的假设是，通过家庭的元素通量的大小可以通过对日常消费选择的了解以及关于家庭基础设施的长期选择(如房屋大小和草坪面积)来预测。为了验证这些假设，拉姆齐县将随机选择400户自住的单一单位家庭，以涵盖一系列家庭特征。这些家庭将使用密集的邮件调查、景观清单和房主能源账单进行研究。数据将被输入到先前开发的家庭通量计算器(HFC)模型中，以生成C、N和P的通量。调查数据还将被用于将元素通量与与人类选择相关的因素联系起来，如态度、规范、感知控制和人口因素。该项目预计将使用整合生物物理和社会研究方法的跨学科方法将人类选择和生物物理特征整合到家庭生物地球化学模型中。该项目将为博士后、研究生和本科生提供研究机会。通过将HFC直接融入课堂教育，它将允许学生探索有关消费影响的假设。此外，项目成果将被用来帮助制定一种新的污染控制模式，一种以减少污染源和信息反馈循环为基础的模式，以指导适应性管理。该项目由自然与人类系统相互作用的国家自然科学基金会竞赛所颁发的奖项支持。

Despite the growing importance of cities as biogeochemical hotspots, little is known about factors influencing elemental fluxes through individual households, even though the aggregate consumption by households likely has a substantial effect on fluxes of major elements like carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) that have implications for local, regional and global pollution. The overall goal of this interdisciplinary research project is to couple human behavior with flows of macroelements (C, N, and P) through households. The investigators will quantify total fluxes of C, N, and P through households in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, and they will look to expand basic understanding of the factors that influence household choices regarding consumption and macroelement fluxes through households. The investigators hypothesize that element fluxes are highly variable and skewed, with relatively few households contributing disproportionately to overall fluxes. Another hypothesis to be tested posits that the magnitude of elemental fluxes through households can be predicted from knowledge of daily consumption choices along with long-term choices regarding household infrastructure, such as house size and lawn area. To test these hypotheses, 400 owner-occupied, single unit households in Ramsey County will be randomly selected to cover a range of household characteristics. These households will be studied using an intensive mail survey, a landscape inventory, and homeowner energy bills. Data will be entered into a previously developed Household Flux Calculator (HFC) model to generate fluxes of C, N, and P. Survey data will additionally be used to link element fluxes with factors related to human choices like attitudes, norms, perceived control, and demographic factors.This project is expected to integrate human choice and biophysical characteristics into a model of household biogeochemistry using a transdisciplinary approach that integrates biophysical and social research approaches. The project will provide research opportunities for post-docs, graduate students, and undergraduate students. By incorporating the HFC directly into classroom education, it will allow students to explore hypotheses regarding impacts of consumption. In addition, project outcomes will be used to help develop a new paradigm for pollution control, one based on source reduction and information feedback loops to guide adaptive management. This project is supported by an award resulting from the NSF competition focusing on the Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems.