USGCRP
Home  Research Elements & Cross-cutting Activities
Changes in Ecosystems
Near-Term Plans |
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Updated 24 January, 2006
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Ecosystems |
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Changing EcosystemsNear-Term Plans Archived News Postings [June 2000 - July 2005] CCSP / USGCRP Ecosystems Working Group Members
Past Accomplishments:
Climate Change Science Program. FY 2008 Scientific Research Budget by USGCRP Research Element |
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 CCSP will continue to gather and analyze information via experimental manipulation, measurement, modeling, and assessment studies to enhance understanding of ecosystems and of the processes affecting their changes. Key research plans for FY 2008 follow.
Effects of Changes in Precipitation on Southwestern Ecosystems.Climate models indicate that precipitation and soil moisture are likely to change in the southwestern United States during this century. To reduce scientific uncertainty about the potential effects of such changes on the structure and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems throughout the region, field experiments involving in situ manipulation of precipitation and soil moisture will be conducted in southwestern pinyon-juniper woodlands, coast sage, grassland, chaparral, and oak-pine forest ecosystems. Measurements will elucidate potential effects of altered precipitation on primary production processes, species diversity, decomposition of soil organic matter and related biogeochemistry, and aspects of ecological feedbacks to the physical climatic system. This activity will address Questions 4.1, 5.4, 6.4, 7.5, 8.1, 8.2, and 9.2 of the CCSP Strategic Plan. Improving Ecosystem Observations and Models.Current ecological, biogeochemical cycling, and climate models require more quantitative information on the variety, distribution, abundance, and temporal variability of terrestrial and marine groups of organisms having important physiological and ecological functions (e.g., key players in primary production, nitrogen fixers, invasive species). Planned activities for FY 2008 will focus on promoting abilities to detect attributes of these groups that can be derived through the analysis of continuous, high-resolution spectra spanning the visible, near-infrared, and shortwave infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. In addition, more realistic and robust ecosystem models need to incorporate additional major drivers of ecosystem processes, especially drivers in the human system through the incorporation of socioeconomic information. Doing so will improve the realism of (1) regional and global ecological models and (2) ecological component models that link to climate, hydrological, and/or atmospheric models. This activity will address Questions 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 of the CCSP Strategic Plan. Climate Impacts on Marine Ecosystems.
This activity will address Questions 8.2 and 8.3 of the CCSP Strategic Plan.
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Projects will be implemented to understand the responses of the physical environment and ecosystems to projected climate change scenarios and to develop predictions of the ecosystem impacts of these changes. These projects will collect observations, conduct research, and synthesize results to increase the understanding of regional climate impacts on marine ecosystems. This work will be conducted in conjunction with the development and refinement of biophysical indicators and models to provide living marine resource managers the knowledge and predictive tools necessary to adapt to the consequences of climate change for ecosystems. 
