Many LTER sites and research projects outside the LTER Network are demonstrating
there are common patterns to land use history. However, there is major uncertainty in our understanding of the effects of land use on the global patterns of carbon and water exchange. The LTER Network is in a unique position to address this topic because of the availability of longterm ecological and socio-economic data sets, and interdisciplinary research teams. These are not often found outside the LTER Network. The topic also lends itself to rigorous cross-site comparison with the potential for globally significant results central to current LTER synthesis
efforts.
