Office of Biological and Environmental Research Weekly Report

December 8, 2008

 

Novel Relationship Between Nitrogen and Albedo (Solar Radiation Reflectance) in Forests.  A positive correlation between the uptake of nitrogen and carbon by leaves has been recognized for some time. However, in a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists report that this relationship also holds for whole forest canopies and that both variables are strongly related to canopy albedo (the fraction of solar radiation that is reflected). This suggests that nitrogen levels in forests can influence Earth's climate in ways that have not previously been recognized. The article reports that forests with high levels of foliar nitrogen reflect more solar radiation and absorb more CO2 than forest with lower nitrogen levels. They also discovered that variation in forest canopy nitrogen can be accurately detected using satellites, making it possible to continuously track these global-scale effects of forests on the Earth's climate system. Significant data for these analyses was provided by DOE-funded AmeriFlux sites.

 

Reference:  S.V. Ollinger, A.D. Richardson, M.E. Martin, D.Y. Hollinger, S. Frolking, P. B. Reich, L.C. Plourde, G.G. Katul, J.W. Munger, R. Oren, M-L. Smith, K.T. Paw U, P. V. Bolstad, B.D. Cook, M.C. Day, T.A. Martin, R.K. Monson, and H.P. Schmid (2008) Canopy nitrogen, carbon assimilation, and albedo in temperate and boreal forests: Functional relations and potential climate feedbacks. ww.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.0810021105

Media Interest:  No

Contact:  Mike Kuperberg/Jeff Amthor/Roger Dahlman, SC-23.1, (301) 903-3281

 

Meeting to Build Connections between U.S. Climate Science and National Security Agencies.   National security agencies are being called upon to address and plan for the potential consequences of climate change. These consequences, and thus broad national security interests, are found at many levels - understanding climate induced nation-state instabilities; the potential for mass migrations; and vulnerabilities to military operations, U.S. infrastructure, and the economy.  On November 18th, the National Intelligence Council (NIC), DOD, DOE, and U.S. Climate Change Science Program Office held a planning session, ”Bridging the Gap between Climate Change Science and National Security,” attended by approximately 25 participants from the climate science and national security agencies, including Rich Engel, Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Science and Technology, NIC. Overall, the goal of the meeting was to improve understanding of the emerging climate science information needs of the national security community while revealing basic research capabilities - models, projections, observations, and tools - that could be of use to the national security agencies. Models from DOE's Integrated Assessment Research were discussed as examples of useful tools and capabilities for helping to bridge this gap. The meeting was viewed as a successful start to improved dialog and cooperation across these two groups.  

Media Interest:  No

Contact: Bob Vallario, SC 23.1 (301) 903-5758  

 

Intersection of Climate Change Integrated Assessment and Game Theory Methodologies. In the recently published book, Strategic Bargaining and Cooperation in Greenhouse Gas Mitigations, DOE sponsored researcher Zili Yang (SUNY Binghamton) incorporates various game-theoretic solution concepts into a well-known integrated assessment model of climate change, the RICE model (developed by William D. Nordhaus and Yang).  Yang compares the results of both game-theoretic and conventional solutions of the RICE model.  Supported through extensive numerical analysis, Yang demonstrates that this new coupled modeling approach provides deeper and more meaningful insight into decision strategies and human and institutional behaviors that may ultimately govern domestic and international negotiations on mitigation strategies and stabilization levels. It provides the added advantage of linking these behaviors and possible negotiating outcomes to climate change consequences as they unfold over time.  

Reference:  Strategic Bargaining and Cooperation in Greenhouse Gas Mitigations: An Integrated Assessment Modeling Approach, Zili Yang, The MIT Press, November 2008

Media Interest:  No

Contact:  Bob Vallario, SC 23.1, (301) 903-5758