OPUS: Understanding Ecosystem Processes in Response to Climate Variation in a Subalpine Forest

这个项目综合了蒙森博士在过去14年里发表的52项关于亚高山森林如何与大气交换二氧化碳和水的研究。该项目将提高这一工作的效用，提高其向利益相关者和土地管理者通报美国西部出现的一些环境挑战的原因的潜力。其中包括流行的松甲虫爆发、持续干旱导致的树木大量死亡、野火频发以及森林对区域碳预算贡献的不确定性。研究人员计划：从14年的森林碳和水通量数据集中提取新的、长期的见解；使用长期的洞察力来重新评估以前发表的论文的结论；并将其传播给那些试图了解和管理美国西部森林生态系统的人。合成将使用称为人工神经网络（ANN）分析的先进计算机建模程序进行。人工神经网络分析将以一种阐明天气和气候变化如何影响森林与大气交换碳和水的能力的方式进行。该项目将支持研究生研究助理（GRA）的工作，以实施人工神经网络分析。研究结果将通过以下途径发布：(1)一篇针对专业生态学家的文章；(2)一篇特邀聚焦文章，面向林业工作者和土地管理者；(3)为初学研究生准备的书籍章节；(4)在维基和精装书中为大学本科生准备的章节。

This project involves an integrative synthesis of 52 studies published by Dr. Monson over the past 14 years on how a subalpine forest exchanges carbon dioxide and water with the atmosphere. The project will enhance the utility of this body of work, improving its potential to inform stakeholders and land managers about the causes of several environmental challenges that have emerged in the Western US. These include an epidemic pine beetle outbreak, mass tree die-off due to persistent drought, high frequencies of wildfires, and uncertainty in the contribution of forests to regional carbon budgets. The investigator plans to: extract new, longer-term insights from a 14-year data set of forest carbon and water fluxes; use the longer-term insights to re-assess conclusions from the previously published papers; and disseminate the synthesis to those attempting to understand and manage forest ecosystems of the Western US. The synthesis will be conducted using an advanced computer modeling procedure known as Artificial Neural Network (ANN) analysis. The ANN analysis will be conducted in a manner that elucidates how changes in weather and climate affect the ability of the forest to exchange carbon and water with the atmosphere. This project will support the work of a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) to implement the ANN analysis. The results will be disseminated to the through: (1) an article intended for professional ecologists; (2) an invited Spotlight Article intended for foresters and land managers; (3) a book chapter intended for beginning graduate students; and (4) a chapter intended for college undergraduate students in a Wiki and hardbound book.