[LTER-mcm-pi] Strategery at AGU

[Peter Doran]

  Nice job Mike!

Peter Doran, Professor and John Franks Chair
Department of Geology and Geophysics
E235 Howe Russell Geosciences Complex
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA 70803

Ph: 225-578-3955
Fx: 225-578-2302

http://geology.lsu.edu/People/Faculty/item73533.html


On 7/31/15 7:01 AM, Michael Gooseff wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I thought it might be strategic to contribute a presentation to this 
> session at AGU (Marcia McNutt is one of the invited speakers, and 
> Lauren Everett the PRB program officer is one of the conveners):
> *Responding to Rapid Environmental Change at the Poles*
> (it’s a Global Environmental Change session)
>
> So, I put together the following abstract with all of you as 
> co-authors (actually the process is different this year - you submit 
> an abstract as a lead author and THEN if its accepted, you add 
> co-authors ). /Let me know if you want to see edits. /I thought I 
> would put together the broad story on synthesis but look toward the 
> future for differing recovery or change timescales across the system 
> with an eye toward what happens in the coming ‘warming’ decades…  Thanks.
>
>
> TITLE: The Past as a Window to the Future of Antarctic Ecosystems - 
> What does 20+ Years of Scientific Research in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, 
> Antarctica Tell Us About the Trajectory of Polar Ecosystems?
>
> ABSTRACT: The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica represent the largest 
> ice-free area of the continent. The landscape is dominated by 
> glaciers, exposed soils, streams, and ice-covered lakes, and hosts an 
> incredible ecosystem that is largely driven by microbes and some 
> invertebrates. Given the low air temperatures (-18C annual mean), 
> little precipitation (<10 cm water equivalent/yr), and lack of 
> vegetation cover, the Dry Valleys ecosystem is strongly influenced by 
> physical processes. In the past two decades, summer conditions have 
> been observed to fluctuate significantly. From 1986-2001, the area 
> experienced a cooling trend and the ecosystem responded with 
> decreasing soil invertebrate populations, decreased 
> streamflow, decreased primary productivity in lakes, and decreased 
> algal biomass in streams. Since 2001, 3 very high glacial melt years 
> have occurred producing record stream flows and extensive wetted 
> soils.  During this most recent decade, the levels of closed-basin 
> lakes have risen substantially, with increasing heat contents, and we 
> have observed increased permafrost degradation along streambanks. 
>  Here we assess the ecosystem responses of the cooling 'press' that 
> occurred from 1986-2001 and the more most recent decade that has had 
> several strong pulses of energy driving the system to develop 
> expectations for the future state and function of this polar desert 
> ecosystem. We propose that the future trajectory of climate and energy 
> input to the region will likely be more inconsistent than the cooling 
> period was.  Hence, the ecosystem will be consistently responding to 
> pulses of change over varying time periods.  We also expect that 
> recovery of the ozone layer over Antarctica may play an important role 
> in modifying both regional climate and the Dry Valleys ecosystem.
>
>
> cheers
> -Mike
>
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> Michael Gooseff, Associate Professor
> Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
> Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
> University of Colorado
> Boulder, CO 80309-0450
>
> email: michael.gooseff at colorado.edu <mailto:michael.gooseff at colorado.edu>
> web: http://goosefflab.weebly.com <http://goosefflab.weebly.com/>
> phone: 303.735.5333
>
>
>
>
>
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