NATIONAL ECOLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
NETWORK IN ALASKA: TAIGA AND TUNDRA
Katrine Gorham
Alaska Field Operations Manager, NEON
ACCAP Webinar | January 6, 2015
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Grand Challenges in Environmental Sciences
1. Understand biogeochemical cycles
2. Understand factors affecting biological
diversity and ecosystem structure/function
3. Increase our ability to predict climate variability
4. Increase hydrologic forecasting
5. Understand ecological & evolutionary aspects of
infectious disease
6. Understand institutions and resource use
7. Understand land uses critical to ecosystem
functioning
8. Reinventing use of materials
NRC (National Research Council). 2001. Grand Challenges in Environmental Sciences. Washington DC: National Academies Press.
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
A decade later…
“The National Ecological
Observatory Network (NEON) is a
bold effort to expand horizons in
the science of large-scale ecology,
building on recent progress in
many fields. NEON’s goal is to
improve understanding and
forecasting of ecological change
on continental scales.”
– NEON, 2011 Science Strategy
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
From Grand Challenges to Observatory Design
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NEON is a Resource
NEON was designed to enable understanding and forecasting the
effects of climate change, land use change, and invasive
species on continental-scale ecology by providing:
• Information infrastructure: Consistent,
continental, long-term, multi-scaled data-sets
and data products that serve as a context for
research and education.
• Physical Infrastructure: A research platform
for investigator-initiated sensors, observations,
and experiments.
• Educational resources: Programs and tools
for engaging communities in scientific
discovery
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
A Continental-Scale Design
1. Core sites:
Located in
unmanaged wildland
conditions
2. Relocatable sites:
Representative of
human land
management effects
on ecosystems
3. Aquatic sites:
Measure changes in
aquatic systems
over time
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NEON Integrated Sampling Strategy
Organismal & Biogeochemical Sampling
Ticks
Pathogens
Mosquitoes
Small mammals
Diversity
Abundance
Pathogens
Phenology
Diversity
Abundance
Pathogens
Birds
Diversity
Abundance
Ground beetles
Diversity
Abundance
Soil microbes
Plants
Phenology
Diversity
Abundance
Biogeochemistry
Productivity & Biomass Pools/fluxes:
Soils, plants, ground water
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Phenology
Diversity
Abundance
Function
NEON Integrated Sampling Strategy
Aquatic Sampling
Sensor measurements
 In-stream/In-lake
 Micrometeorology
 Groundwater
Field Sampling
 Chemistry / Isotopes
 Biological diversity
– Microbes
– Algae
– Aquatic Plants
– Invertebrates
– Fish
 Morphology, Bathymetry
 Riparian canopy
 STREON: experiment in nutrient addition & predator exclusion
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NEON Integrated Sampling Strategy
Atmospheric Measurements
• Key climate inputs
• Bioclimatic variables
• Chemical climate inputs
• Carbon cycle changes
• Water & energy balance
Soil Measurements
• Temperature
• Moisture
• CO2
• Root growth and phenology
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NEON Integrated Sampling Strategy
Airborne Observations
• Canopy chemistry
• Canopy moisture
• Leaf area
• Canopy structure
• Canopy height
• Land cover & land use
• Diversity
• Disturbance
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Project Timeline
CONCEPT & DESIGN
2004-2011
SITES BUILT OUT
2012 - ~2017
DATA COLLECTION
~2017 - 2046
27 tower and 12 aquatic sites have been built
13 terrestrial and 7 aquatic sites completed field sampling during 2014
Construction and sampling begin at Alaska sites 2015
30-year clock begins after all sites are completed 2017
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NEON Alaska Sites: Taiga and Tundra
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Example of NEON Terrestrial Site
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Example of NEON Aquatic Site
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Example of NEON STREON Site
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
D18 / Tundra Timeline
TERRESTRIAL
Toolik Lake (Core)
Barrow (Relocatable)
Spring- Fall 2015
Spring-Fall 2015
Sensor Installation
Summer 2016
Summer 2016
Initial Operational Capability
Summer 2016
Summer 2016
Oksrukuyik Creek
(Core & STREON)
Toolik Lake
(Relocatable)
Site Construction – AQUATIC Facilities
Sensor Installation
Initial Operational Capability
Fall-Winter 2015
Summer 2016
Fall 2016
Fall-Winter 2015
Summer 2016
Fall 2016
Site Construction - STREON Facilities
Fall-Winter 2015
-
STREON Initial Operational Capability
Fall 2016
-
Site Construction
AQUATIC/STREON
Data publicly available 30 days after initial operational capability date
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
D19 / Taiga Timeline
TERRESTRIAL
Caribou Creek Poker Flats
(Core)
Delta Junction
(Relocatable)
Site Construction
Spring-Fall 2015
Spring-Fall 2015
Sensor Installation
Summer 2016
Summer 2016
Summer 2016
Summer 2015
Initial Operational Capability
Summer 2016
Summer-Fall 2016
Summer 2016
Summer-Fall 2015
AQUATIC/STREON
Site Construction - AQUATIC Facilities
Sensor Installation
Initial Operational Capability
Site Construction - STREON Facilities
STREON Initial Operational Capability
Poker Flat
(Relocatable)
Healy
(Relocatable)
Spring-Fall 2015 Ongoing-Spring 2015
Caribou Creek at Poker
Flats (Core & STREON)
Summer-Winter 2015
Summer 2016
Fall 2016
Summer-Winter 2015
Fall 2016
Data publicly available 30 days after initial operational capability date
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NEON Internship Program
Applications due February 16! Apply at www.neoninc.org.
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NEON Career Opportunities
Apply online at www.neoninc.org!
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NEON Citizen Science:
Scientific Application
www.
.org
Strategic Partnerships
A network of people across the United
State monitoring plants as the seasons
change to better understand changing
US FWS National
Refuge System
climates.
Nationwide Observations
US National Park Service
Mobile Access
13,000 people involved
over 19,000 observations
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Online Access
Botanic Gardens
Thank you!
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
The National Ecological Observatory Network is a project sponsored by the National Science
Foundation and managed under cooperative agreement by NEON Inc.
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.