Workshop: An International Synthesis of Precipitation Change Experiments

人类引起的全球气候变化正在迅速成为21世纪最重要的全球社会关切之一。科学家在了解生态系统将如何受到全球变暖影响方面取得了相当大的进展，但对它们将如何应对雨雪的相关变化知之甚少。这次讲习班的目标将是综合关于降水对生态系统影响的越来越多的知识。具体目标是：(1)整合关于降水变化对主要生态系统特征的影响的大量实地试验的数据；(2)确定降水模式变化与其他形式的环境变化之间的相互作用，如气温升高、二氧化碳水平上升和其他空气污染物；以及(3)确定可能特别容易受到未来降水变化影响的生态过程和地理区域。这些目标将通过对世界各地进行的53个生态系统规模的降水实验的结果进行统计比较来实现。这将通过一系列活动来实现，包括：重要国际科学家的参与，建立实验结果综合数据库，对关键生态系统反应进行统计分析，以及召开科学会议，审查分析，提出新的假设，并出版出版物。降水模式的变化可能会产生社会关注的各种影响，包括导致生物多样性的变化，改变野火风险，以及改变供人类使用的淡水供应。随着公众对全球气候变化影响的担忧加剧，迫切需要一个健全的科学基础来制定监管温室气体排放的政策，以避免对地球气候系统的危险干扰--S。这一讲习班的努力将大大有助于满足这些信息需求。此外，这项活动还将加强国际科学关系，促进女性参与和领导全球气候变化科学，并为培养下一代全球气候变化科学家做出贡献。

Human-induced global climate change is rapidly emerging as one of the most important global societal concern of the 21st century. Scientists have made considerable progress in understanding how ecosystems will be affected by global warming, yet less is known about how they will respond to related changes in rain and snowfall. The goal of this workshop will be to synthesize the growing body of knowledge on precipitation impacts on ecosystems. Specific objectives are: (1) to integrate data from numerous field experiments on the effects of precipitation change on key ecosystem characteristics, (2) to identify interactions between changing precipitation patterns and other forms of environmental change such as increasing air temperatures, increasing levels of carbon dioxide, and other air pollutants, and (3) to identify ecological processes and geographical regions that may be particularly vulnerable to future changes in precipitation. These objectives will be addressed by conducting a statistical comparison of results from 53 ecosystem-scale precipitation experiments that have been conducted around the world. This will be accomplished through a series of activities, including: participation of key international scientists, development of an integrated database of experimental results, statistical analyses of key ecosystem responses, and science meetings to review analyses, formulate new hypotheses, and produce publications. Changing precipitation patterns are likely to have a variety of effects that will be of concern to society including causing changes in biodiversity, altering wildfire risk, and modifying the supplies of freshwater for human uses. As public concern heightens over the impacts of global climate change, an urgent need exists for a sound scientific basis on which to formulate policies regulating greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid dangerous interference with the Earth?s climate system. This workshop effort will contribute significantly to meeting these information needs. In addition, this activity will strengthen international scientific relations, promote the participation and leadership of women in global climate change science, and contribute to the training of the next generation of global climate change scientists.