Credit: CAP-LTER. CC BY-SA 4.0 Anticipating the needs of cities in the future is a key aspect of urban sustainability. One approach to planning for sustainable cities is for researchers and practitioners to work together to develop scenarios that benefit communities as well as ecosystems. Central Arizona Phoenix LTER (CAP LTER) is taking an innovative approach… Read more »
Sea level rise impacting nitrogen cycle in tidal freshwater marshes
GCE LTER researchers simulated the effects of long term (press) and short term (pulse) salt water intrusions in tidal freshwater marshes. Press conditions were more disastrous for the ecosystem, altering the N cycle, while the landscape was able to recover from pulse conditions.
AIBS Workshop: Enabling Interdisciplinary and Team Science
From the AIBS Public Policy Report: Credit: M. Downs/LTER-NCO. CC BY-SA 4.0.Reports abound from professional societies, the Academies, government agencies, and researchers calling attention to the fact that science is increasingly an interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, inter-institutional, and international endeavor. In short, science has become a “team sport.” There is a real and present need to better… Read more »
Keeping an eye out for drought
Researchers from Coweeta LTER are changing the way we monitor drought by showing that indicators of drought can be monitored at large spatial scales and in near real-time.
A rare water quality success story gives insight into stakeholder cooperation
FCE-LTER researchers explore a case where industry and regulatory stakeholders have worked together to reduce runoff and improve water quality in the Everglades.
Urbanization can accelerate gene flow
Western black widow spider populations in urban locations are more diverse than those in rural locations
Seagrass and salt marshes team up to fight coastal erosion
Researchers at the Virginia Coast Reserve LTER recently found that adjacent patches of salt marsh and seagrass increase sedimentation benefits in shallow coastal bays.
Maintaining Ecosystem Services in the Yahara Watershed and Beyond
The Yahara may sound like the name of a vast desert, but it’s actually a 359-square mile watershed in southern Wisconsin. The Yahara Watershed is a mix of urbanized land (including the state capital), productive agriculture land, and a chain of lakes called the Yahara Lakes. Because of its diverse environment, the Yahara provides many… Read more »
LTER Road Trip: Getting hands-on experience with invasive species removal
Students gathered at a saltmarsh site in Massachusetts, taking a break from their regular school day routine to remove invasive perennial pepperweed plants from among the bushes and marsh grasses. Part of a suite of programs and teacher workshops aimed at educating local students and adults about marsh ecosystems, this field trip pairs ecological research with real restoration projects.
Hurricane Disturbances May Increase Resilience in Wet Tropical Forests
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 »