The connections between humans and oceans run deep. Kelp forests, plankton, estuaries, and coral reefs support robust and diverse food webs, feeding both body and spirit. The destructive effects of big storms are tempered by marshes and mangroves—sometimes to their benefit and sometimes their detriment. Currents, migrations, climate, and nutrients connect ecosystems and the… Read more »
Relying on a 114 year-long data set, researchers from the Sevilleta LTER have developed a more accurate way to model climate sensitivity functions that describe the relationship between ecological variability and plant productivity, rather than focusing on linear relationships between ecosystem response and average climate trends, as is more typical. While variances in factors such as… Read more »
Hurricanes are typically considered destructive and disastrous, with high-speed winds exceeding 75 miles per hour and torrential downpours. These powerful storms can have major impacts on tropical forests, ripping open the forest canopy and causing organic debris to pile up on the forest floor. Despite these seemingly destructive qualities, new research suggests that ecological disturbance… Read more »
Kelp forests have long been known to harbor a high number and diversity of marine species, from tiny crustaceans to large fish and marine mammals. This biodiversity tends to be attributed to the complex structure and productivity of giant kelp, earning it the title ‘foundational species’. Surprisingly, however, little quantitative data has been assessed to… Read more »
In ecology, timing is key to understanding how daily, seasonal, or yearly cycles impact environmental processes. But it’s not just about how often impacts occur, but also over what length of time. Decades worth of data synthesized by researchers at Coweeta LTER provide some of the clearest evidence to date that long-term observations of ecosystem… Read more »
For those living in South Florida, sea level rise is a very real problem that’s impacting coastal areas right now, and is expected to worsen over the next decade. While most discussions on sea level rise in Florida focus on highly populated coastal cities such as Miami and Tampa, sea level rise is also having… Read more »
Credit: © UC DavisColleagues in the LTER and marine science communities are morning the sudden loss of Dr. Susan Williams in an auto accident April 24, 2018, while on her way to teach. A founding investigator of the Mo’orea Coral Reef LTER and past director of the Bodega Marine Laboratory, Dr. Williams was a distinguished… Read more »
April 9, 2018 News from the NCO is a forum for sharing news and activities from the Network Communications Office and from across the LTER Network. This is our water cooler. If you have personnel changes, new grants, cross-Network activities that might interest your LTER colleagues, please send them along to downs@nceas.lternet.edu. Going to SACNAS… Read more »
To promote the analysis and synthesis of Arctic data, as well as to inform ongoing development of the NSF data repository, the Arctic Data Center is soliciting requests for proposals for a Synthesis Working Group, with research to begin by October 2018. Funding is available for one Working Group, consisting of hosting two meetings of approximately 15 participants each, over… Read more »
Fire is a natural force that has shaped grasslands for millennia, and it remains crucial for managing and conserving tallgrass prairie today. Fire also inspires and captivates the human spirit. Can grassland fires also be used to produce art? Erin Wiersma, Associate Professor of Art at Kansas State University, is exploring how recently burned prairie… Read more »
