The Program Mission is to create scientific knowledge about potential effects of climatic change on terrestrial ecosystems so that decision makers--including the public--can understand, and plan for, the ecological effects of climatic changes.

Program Approach

The program solicits, reviews, selects, and funds basic-research projects studying the mechanisms underlying effects of climatic change on terrestrial ecosystems in the United States. The research is meant to markedly improve the scientific basis for forecasting effects of climatic change on terrestrial ecosystems and their component organisms and processes. Research projects are directed at specific scientific end points attainable within a set period. The program is a leader among U.S. and international agencies in the design, construction, and operation of pioneering, long-term, manipulative field experiments addressing ecological effects of climatic change. The environmental changes of main interest to the program are: (1) warming and associated changes in daily, seasonal, and interannual temperature cycles; (2) systematic changes in seasonal and annual precipitation amount and temporal distribution; and (3) increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. The program focuses on ecosystem-scale effects of these environmental changes. Special consideration is given to effects on ecosystem stability and functioning brought about through (1) adjustments at the ecosystem scale (e.g., changes in the composition of plant and animal communities, succession, and primary production) and (2) adjustments at the organismal scale that are manifested at the ecosystem scale, including physiological, biochemical, and genetic changes of plants and animals. The program considers research at all levels of biological organization from whole ecosystems (e.g., forests, shrublands, and prairies) to macromolecules (e.g., DNA, RNA, and proteins). Types of ecosystems, their functions, and their component organisms most valued by society are a program priority. Research is supported at universities, government laboratories, and private research institutions.

Why the Program's Research is Important

Future climatic changes will almost certainly affect many important organisms and processes in terrestrial ecosystems, and ecosystems provide society with a host of essential goods and services. The program's research is directed at obtaining and then disseminating scientific knowledge of the most important effects of climatic change on ecosystems so that society can understand the ecological implications of climatic change and then plan for those changes. While the program focuses on U.S. terrestrial ecosystems, much of the knowledge gained has global applicability.

Program Grant Solicitation Notices

The program is not presently soliciting proposals. Future grant solicitation notices will be posted on the DOE Office of Science Grants and Contracts Web Site and at grants.gov. Information about preparing and submitting applications, as well as the DOE Office of Science merit review process, is at the DOE Office of Science Grants and Contracts Web Site. Closed solicitations: The first program solicitation of research proposals was published in the September 1, 1992, Federal Register (Vol. 57, No. 170, Pages 39677-39678; Office of Energy Research, Notice 92-22). Subsequent grant solicitation notices and Lab Notices were archived at the DOE Office of Science Grants and Contracts Web Site under "Closed Grant Notices" (97-02 [joint with NSF, NASA, USDA, EPA], 01-26, 04-14, and 07-11) and under "Closed DOE Laboratory Announcements" (LAB97-02, LAB01-26, LAB04-14, and LAB04-23). Closed joint solicitations managed by other agencies, including those associated with the Interagency Program on Terrestrial Ecology and Global Change (TECO), are archived at NSF 95-45, NSF 96-49, and EPA-G2005-STAR-L2. The closed joint TECO solicitation managed by NASA (i.e., NRA-97-MTPE-15) is apparently not archived online. The most recently closed solicitation (Notice 07-11) focused on the following question directed at terrestrial vascular plants or animals in the United States: Do temperature increases projected by coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models for the coming 100 years have the potential to affect the abundance and/or geographic distribution of plant or animal species in the United States, and if so, to what extent? Preapplications were required and were due January 5, 2007. Fifty-one (51) preapplications were received and reviewed. Twelve (12) of the preapplications were selected to be developed into full (formal) applications. Five of the formal applications were selected for funding.

Program Data Policy

The program considers all data collected using program funds, all results of any analysis or synthesis of information using program funds, and all model algorithms and codes developed with program funding to be "program data". Open sharing of all program data among researchers (and with the interested public) is critical to advancing the program's mission. Specific terms of the program's data sharing policy are: (1) following publication of research results, a copy of underlying data and a clear description of the method(s) of data analysis must be provided to any requester in a timely way; (2) following publication of modeling methods or results, a copy of model code, parameter values, and/or any input dataset(s) must be provided to any requester in a timely way; and (3) recognition of program data sources, either through co-authorship or acknowledgments within publications and presentations, is required. The program assumes that costs for sharing data are nominal and are built into each grant application or field work proposal. In cases where costs of sharing are not nominal, the burden of costs will be assumed by the requester. The Program Manager should be informed whenever a requester is expected to pay for the costs of obtaining program data, whenever a data request is thought to be unreasonable, and whenever requested program data is undelivered. Funding of projects by the program is contingent on adherence to this data sharing policy.

More Information

Program research projects
Program research results
Program publications
Atmospheric CO2 concentration data (contemporary)
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC)

Interagency Linkages

The program is part of the federal interagency U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP); it addresses research needs and science questions in Chapter 8 ("Ecosystems") of the 2003 Strategic Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program.

Program Manager

Jeffrey S. Amthor, Ph.D.
Climate and Environmental Sciences Division, SC-23.1
U.S. Department of Energy, GTN Bldg.
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20585-1290
Phone: (301) 903-2507
Fax: (301) 903-8519
E-mail: jeff.amthor@science.doe.gov