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Breakout Session I
Breakout Session II
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Chairs: Scott Goetz, Rob Green, Susan Ustin, Phil Townsend
The breakout is intended to
discuss future directions in the use of the full suite of passive
optical earth observation data sets. We plan to discuss observational
capabilities across various information domains (temporal, spatial,
spectral). Instruments ranging from MODIS/VIIRS to Landsat/LDCM to
Hyperion will be reviewed. Additionally, the integration of passive
optical data with other data sources, such as LiDaR or radar data, will
be highlighted. Current capabilities in support of ecological
monitoring will be presented and used to guide a discussion on possible
future directions in passive optical data-driven research and
applications.
The breakout panel members will each present a 5-10
minute 'speed talk' followed by an open question/answer/comment session
involving all participants.
Reports/Presentations:
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Chair: Paul Siqueira
The purpose of this breakout group is to 'identify non-carbon
related topics that are new, compelling and important in terrestrial
ecology that can be significantly informed or advanced using remote
sensing capabilities.'
Examples of what these topics might be are: - human-induced
effects on natural ecosystems (e.g. the effect of urban aerosols on
local climate, the effects of nitrogen runoff on nitrogen-limited
ecosystems, the effect of irrigation practices on ground- and
surface-water resources)
- on the role of further developing the
technology of remote sensing and remote sensing science, for fusion,
scaling, and the opportunities of EV2 missions for targeted acquisitions
to address specific TE applications
- mapping of ecosystem functions and variations in time and across the landscape (e.g. nitrogen and ground-water resource mapping)
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use of remote sensing and ecological modeling for identifying climate
change induced risks to ecosystems and ecosystem services (such as water
resources and biodiversity) that affect human populations
The above-bulleted list is intentionally incomplete and meant to stimulate discussion during the breakout session.
The
structure of the session will be interactive and meant to follow-on to
the plenary talk on the subject that will occur immediately beforehand.
Related Documents:
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Chairs: Olga Wilhelmi, Mary Hayden
Climate and society are
co-evolving in a manner that could place ecosystems and population at
risk from weather and climate related stressors. Given the dynamic,
spatially varying nature of physical, ecological and social processes
that contribute to this changing risk, it is important to identify,
characterize and monitor the conditions, factors, and interactions among
different elements of the socio-ecological system in order to
understand impacts and vulnerabilities and develop adaptation
strategies. This breakout session will introduce recent inter-agency and
research activities on developing ecological and societal indicators
(e.g., for the National Climate Assessment) and discuss frameworks for
integrating multiple factors of vulnerability of the socio-ecological
system. During a “speed talk” we will present a conceptual/analytical
framework that is focused on integrated modeling of urban extreme heat
risk. Then we will discuss a more generalized version of the framework
that includes a broader representation of vulnerability, impacts and
adaptation of socio-ecological systems in the contexts of climatic
extremes as well as climate variability and change. The participants of
the breakout session will discuss the frameworks and identify strategies
for integration of NASA TE science including diverse social and
ecological data into vulnerability assessments and climate adaptation.
The session will include a speed talk and a discussion.
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Chairs: Bob Cook, George Hurtt
One set of recommendations from
the 2010 NASA Terrestrial Ecology Science Team meeting included the
establishment of two working groups, one focused on Data and one focused
on Modeling. Over the past few years, these groups have worked both
independently and together to identify, clarify, and address important
science issues in the TE community. Now moving forward, it is the
intention of these groups to merge and provide increased focus on joint
model-data issues. This session will consist of a series of short speed
talks designed to provoke group discussion on future working group
science priorities.
Speed Talks (5 minutes per speaker followed by questions and short discussion)- Model working group past-future (George Hurtt)
- Data priorities (Bob Cook)
- Using models to define measurement strategies (Josh Fisher)
- Up-scaling and uncertainty of models and data (Ken Davis, Kusum Naithani)
- Emerging model-data inter-comparison challenges (Ashley Ballantyne, Steve Running)
General Discussion
Reports/Presentations:
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Chairs: Sassan Saatchi, Amy Neuenschwander
The breakout is intended to
discuss future directions in the use of the active sensors for
terrestrial ecology science questions. We plan to discuss recent
advances on Lidar and Radar technologies of spaceborne missions and to
what extent the future missions will provide the information required
for terrestrial carbon cycle and terrestrial ecology science. We will
cover active sensors such as DYSDynl Radar, ICESAT-2, SMAP, European
BIOMASS, ALOS-2, and other international missions. There will be speed
talks on capabilities offered by current and planned sensors and
potential synergisms with other existing passive optical and microwave
measurements for monitoring ecologically significant variables at both
global and regional scales. The session will also focus on identifying
and outlining the key science questions and research topics associated
with active monitoring of terrestrial ecology.
The breakout
panel members will each present a 5-10 minute ‘speed talk’ followed by
an open question/answer/comment session involving all participants.
Reports/Presentations:
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Chairs: Daniel Hayes, Kevin Schaefer
Abstract: Climate change
in the high latitudes is unfolding faster than anywhere else on Earth,
resulting in widespread changes in landscape structure and ecosystem
function in the Arctic and Boreal Region. Recognizing its sensitivity,
vulnerability and global importance, national- and international- level
scientific efforts are now focused on developing the next-generation
modeling frameworks to improve the representation of the complex,
multi-scale non-linearities of high-latitude systems in climate
prediction. This breakout session will provide a forum for community
discussion of current activities, gaps in data coverage and process
understanding, and future strategies for modeling ecosystem dynamics and
ecosystem-climate feedback in this critical region.
The NASA
Terrestrial Ecology Program is planning its next major field campaign
for Western Canada and Alaska, based on the proposed Arctic-Boreal
Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) concept. Our discussion here will
emphasize the broader needs of the modeling community that NASA can
address over the next several years in the planning and execution of the
ABoVE campaign. This discussion will also consider opportunities for
coordination of NASA / ABoVE modeling activities with relevant
scientific efforts sponsored by other agencies and international
programs. We will focus on modeling of ecosystem interactions,
permafrost dynamics, disturbance, aquatic and terrestrial
biogeochemistry, hydrology, atmospheric transport and inversions, and
atmospheric circulation models. The scope will be the northern
hemisphere Arctic and boreal ecosystems, with associated coastal waters
and drainage basins. Modeling needs include computational requirements,
improved or new input datasets, model evaluation tools and datasets, and
new or expanded model capabilities.
Structure: We will
set the stage for the discussion by starting with a short (15 minute)
presentation by the session chairs that will provide background on
current relevant modeling activities, the status of the ABoVE planning
process, and the boundaries and scope for the discussion to follow. The
core of the session will be an hour or more of open discussion of the
critical high latitude modeling issues as outlined above. The final 30
minutes of the session will focus on organizing and communicating the
modeling priorities as per the key recommendations that emerge from this
discussion.
Objective: This breakout session will
provide a forum for community discussion and response to the key
research priorities for developing the next-generation modeling of
high-latitude ecosystems. The deliverable will be an outline of modeling
priorities to be communicated to the ABoVE Science Definition Team
(SDT) to assist its planning process. This deliverable will contain
recommendations for the SDT to consider as it develops the modeling
framework and study design for the ABoVE Concise Experiment Plan.
Reports/Presentations:
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Chairs: George Hurtt, Joshua Fisher, Nancy French, Sean Healey
The NASA Carbon Monitoring System
(CMS) is a new forward-looking initiative designed to make significant
contributions in characterizing, quantifying, understanding, and
predicting the evolution of global carbon sources and sinks. Funded and
directed by a 2010 Congressional Appropriation, the program initiated
with a Terrestrial Biomass Pilot, an Integrated Emission/Uptake Flux
Pilot, Scoping Efforts, and now has 18 active projects. The NASA
Terrestrial Ecology (TE) Program is a large established program with the
goal
to improve understanding of the structure and function of global
terrestrial ecosystems, their interactions with the atmosphere and
hydrosphere, and their role in the cycling of the major biogeochemical
elements and water. The next major field campaign of NASA TE is ABoVE.
This session seeks to identify synergies and opportunities between these
programs.
Speed Talks (5 minutes per speaker followed by questions and short discussion)- NASA CMS Overview (George Hurtt)
- How TE research might contribute to CMS (Nancy French)
- How CMS might contribute to TE research (Sean Healey)
- CMS and ABoVE (Josh Fisher)
General Discussion
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