In August 2015, UCSB’s National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) was selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as the site of the first Network Communications Office (NCO) for the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) network. Martha “Marty” Downs has been appointed as the Communications Officer of the NCO and brings a background in both ecological research and science communications.
Early this year the annual Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Mini-Symposium scheduled for Thursday, March 5, 2015, had to be postponed when inclement weather forced the closure of the National Science Foundation (NSF) (see http://bit.ly/1NkuT9Q). At the time we reported that webcasts of the talks would be presented in blocks of two or three at… Read more »
Long term studies by a number of Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites were the basis for some of the 14 papers in a special issue of the journal Biogeochemistry entitled “Tracking evolution of urban biogeochemical cycles: past, present, and future.” The issue encompasses work by urban ecologists in different cities across the U.S. including… Read more »
Important findings reveal promise and peril of land-use decisions Petersham, MA – A groundbreaking study by Harvard University’s Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program and the Smithsonian Institution reveals that, if left unchecked, recent trends in the loss of forests to development will undermine significant land conservation gains in Massachusetts, jeopardize water quality,… Read more »
Human-induced changes may prevent wetlands from doing what they do best–mitigate expected sea level rise due to climate change, say Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) scientists in a paper featured in the latest issue of the scientific journal, Nature. In a press release issued by the National Science Foundation (NSF), lead author Matthew Kirwan of… Read more »
PETERSHAM, Mass.—A new study out of the Harvard Forest, released today in the journal Global Change Biology, is the first detailed account of how carbon, water, and energy balances shift in the three years following the clearcut of a deciduous forest. The study, conducted by Clark University Professor Christopher Williams and colleagues in a 20-acre… Read more »
New research by Harvard Forest (HFR) LTER scientists suggest that widespread death of the whiteback pine tree from beetle infestations and tree disease outbreaks may be affecting seed production and hence the future of the tree–a mountain tree important to wildlife and water resources in the western United States and Canada. In a paper published… Read more »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Where Does Charcoal, or Black Carbon, in Soils Go? Scientists find surprising new answers in wetlands such as the Everglades April 18, 2013 — Scientists have uncovered one of nature’s long-kept secrets–the true fate of charcoal in the world’s soils. The ability to determine the fate of charcoal is critical to knowledge… Read more »
Biofuel experts identify a way to meet 25 percent of Congress’ 2022 cellulosic energy production goals Marginal lands unsuited for food crops can serve as prime real estate for meeting the nation’s alternative energy production goals. In the current issue of the journal Nature, a team of researchers working at the MSU’s Kellogg Biological Station… Read more »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Lori Quillen (quillenl@caryinstitute.org), (845) 677-7600 x121 DECEMBER 1, 2012 NORTH WOODSTOCK, N.H.—Around the world, the effects of global climate change are increasingly evident and difficult to ignore. However, evaluations of the local effects of climate change are often confounded by natural and human induced factors that overshadow the effects of… Read more »
