LTER-Plum Island Ecosystems: Dynamics of coastal ecosystems in a region of rapid climate change, sea-level rise, and human impacts

普拉姆岛生态系统（PIE）LTER（长期生态研究）网站正在开发一个预测性的理解，在马萨诸塞州东北部的连接流域沼泽河口系统的快速环境变化的反应。在过去的30年里，邻近的缅因州湾的海水温度上升了全球平均水平的3倍，海平面上升速度加快，降水量增加。伴随着气候和海平面的这些变化，快速城市化的流域内发生了重大变化，这些变化影响了向沼泽和河口输送的水、沉积物和营养物质。在PIE IV中，研究重点是：快速气候变化，海平面上升和人类影响地区的沿海生态系统动态。这项工作将促进我们对沿海生态系统的结构和功能在未来几十年及以后将如何改变的理解。由于沿海生态系统处于陆地-海洋界面，它们特别受到流域内人类活动和海平面上升的威胁。PIE研究将解决基本的生态问题，并提供有关如何管理这些系统的关键信息。例如，它将帮助我们了解复杂相互作用网络中的物种变化如何导致关键物种丰度、食物网结构和能量流的变化。PIE研究还将提高我们对沿海地区对区域和全球碳和氮预算的重要性的理解，并提高我们在空间明确的框架内在生态系统尺度上模拟生物地球化学的能力。最后，它将提供一个更大的机械的理解，这将是必不可少的，在未来的保护工作。调查人员将继续他们屡获殊荣的校园计划，“盐沼科学”，该计划每年为10所学校5-12年级的1,000多名学生提供服务。PIE LTER与缅因州海湾研究所合作，正在与当地的米德尔塞克斯社区学院共同制定一项新的计划。通过提供灵活的带薪实习与学分，PIE将能够接触到来自经济和种族背景不同的学生，否则他们可能不会考虑STEM职业。外展对PIE科学家很重要。活动包括PIE以外的科学合作，并与地方，州和联邦机构，参与海洋生物实验室科学新闻计划，并与群众沿海区管理伙伴关系进行沼泽海拔调查。PIE科学家目前在美国环境保护署（EPA），国家海洋和大气管理局（NOAA），美国鱼类和野生动物管理局（USFWS）以及许多州和地方机构的小组或咨询小组中任职。PIE LTER收集的所有数据都是集中的，并通过网站http://pie-lter.ecosystems.mbl.edu/.Researchers向公众提供，PIE将测试沼泽河口生态系统内的内部反馈如何影响地貌学，生物地球化学和食物网对三个主要驱动因素的反应：气候，海平面上升和人类对流域的改变。他们预计，在未来几十年里，沼泽和河口的地貌将发生巨大变化。他们假设，主要的反馈是通过沉积物动力学，水文变化，碳和氮循环的改变，物种相互作用，物种引入或由于变暖的损失。沼泽生态系统内的正向生态反馈可能有助于沼泽的持久性，而海平面上升，但他们假设PIE是从一个主要的高海拔沼泽移动到一个低海拔沼泽，整体湿地较少，更多的开放水域，更多的沼泽边缘。这些变化将极大地影响河口生态地球化学、初级生产力和群落动态。PIE IV将解决三个问题：Q1）湿地和河口的地貌结构将如何因流域变化、海平面上升、气候变化和海岸系统内部反馈而改变？气候变化、流域输入和沼泽地貌如何相互作用，改变沼泽和河口的初级生产、有机物储存和营养循环？和问题3）如何通过改变环境驱动因素、沼泽河口地貌和海洋地球化学来重塑关键的消费者动态和河口食物网？跨系统的比较与其他LTER沿着梯度的温度，物种组成，潮差，沉积物供应将进一步我们的沿海生态系统的长期变化的理解。

The Plum Island Ecosystems (PIE) LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) site is developing a predictive understanding of the response of a linked watershed-marsh-estuarine system in northeastern Massachusetts to rapid environmental change. Over the last 30 years, surface sea water temperatures in the adjacent Gulf of Maine have risen at 3 times the global average, rates of sea-level rise have accelerated, and precipitation has increased. Coupled with these changes in climate and sea level are substantial changes within the rapidly urbanizing watersheds that influence water, sediment, and nutrient delivery to the marsh and estuary. In PIE IV the research focus is on: Dynamics of coastal ecosystems in a region of rapid climate change, sea-level rise, and human impacts. This work will advance our understanding of how the structure and function of coastal ecosystems will be altered over the next several decades and beyond. Because of their position at the land-sea interface, coastal ecosystems are particularly threatened by human activities in watersheds and to sea-level rise. PIE research will address both fundamental ecological questions as well as provide critical information on how to manage these systems. For example, it will help us understand how species changes in a complex interaction network result in changes to the abundance of key species, food web structure, and energy flow. PIE research will also improve our understanding of the importance of the coastal zone to regional and global carbon and nitrogen budgets and advance our ability to model biogeochemistry at the ecosystem scale in a spatially explicit framework. Finally, it will provide a greater mechanistic understanding of biogeomorphic feedbacks that will be essential in future conservation efforts. The investigators will continue their award winning Schoolyard program, "Salt Marsh Science", which serves over 1,000 students in grades 5-12 in ten schools each year. In collaboration with the Gulf of Maine Institute PIE LTER is developing a new initiative with local Middlesex Community College. By providing flexible paid internships with academic credit, PIE will be able to reach students from economically and ethnically diverse backgrounds who might not otherwise consider STEM careers. Outreach is important to PIE scientists. Activities include scientific collaborations outside PIE and with local, state and federal agencies, involvement in the Marine Biological Laboratory science journalism program, and partnership with Mass Coastal Zone Management in conducting marsh elevation surveys. PIE scientists currently serve on panels or advisory groups for US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and many state and local agencies. All data collected by the PIE LTER are centralized and made available to the public through a web site http://pie-lter.ecosystems.mbl.edu/.Researchers at PIE will test how internal feedbacks within the marsh-estuary ecosystem influence the response of geomorphology, biogeochemistry, and food webs to three major drivers: climate, sea-level rise, and human alteration of the watershed. They anticipate large changes in the geomorphology of the marsh and estuary over the next several decades. They hypothesize that major feedbacks are exerted through sediment dynamics, changes in hydrology, alterations of carbon and nitrogen cycles, species interactions, and species introduction or loss due to warming. Positive biogeomorphic feedbacks within the marsh ecosystem will likely contribute to marsh persistence while sea level rises, but they hypothesize that PIE is moving from a predominantly high-elevation marsh to a lower elevation marsh, with less overall wetland, more open water, and more marsh edge. These changes will greatly impact estuarine biogeochemistry, primary production, and community dynamics. PIE IV will address three questions: Q1) How will the geomorphic configuration of the marsh and estuary be altered by changes in the watershed, sea-level rise, climate change, and feedbacks internal to the coastal system?; Q2) How will changing climate, watershed inputs, and marsh geomorphology interact to alter marsh and estuarine primary production, organic matter storage, and nutrient cycling?; and Q3) How will key consumer dynamics and estuarine food webs be reshaped by changing environmental drivers, marsh-estuarine geomorphology and biogeochemistry? Cross-system comparisons with other LTERs along gradients of temperature, species composition, tidal range, and sediment supply will further our understanding of long-term change in coastal ecosystems.