News Release 18-107
Scientists to present new long-term ecological research findings at fall American Geophysical Union meeting
NSF-funded researchers will delve into the hidden realms of ice-covered lakes, deep soil processes, plant roots
November 28, 2018
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Find related stories on NSF's Long-Term Ecological Research Program at this link.
Microbes and plant roots are hard at work under snow and ice, deep in desert soils, and in the ground beneath our feet. Their activities affect water clarity, salt marsh survival, the impact of drought and the pace of climate change.
New results presented by National Science Foundation (NSF) Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) scientists at the 2018 American Geophysical Union fall meeting reveal hidden realms in ice-covered lakes and deep soils. The conference will take place from Dec. 10 to Dec. 14 in Washington, D.C.
NSF's LTER Network is made up of 28 sites in ecosystems from freshwater lakes and deserts to salt marshes and forests.
NSF LTER findings presented at the conference include:
Scientists affiliated with the North Temperate Lakes LTER site in Wisconsin are conducting research on the importance of microbial activity in frozen lakes. The results will help researchers predict the effects of longer ice-free periods on water quality and fish populations.
Studies of deep soil layers at two LTER sites, Hubbard Brook and Harvard Forest in the U.S. Northeast, show that more frequent freeze and thaw cycles in winter are leading to more active microbes and a greater production of carbon dioxide in deep soils.
At the Jornada Basin LTER site in New Mexico, scientists studying the effects of drought on plant leaves and roots are finding that the above-ground portion of desert shrubs recovers rapidly from severe drought, but that plants facing successive droughts lose more roots with each incident.
Other NSF LTER presentations will address such topics as coastal sediment transport, the pace of permafrost thaw, the mechanisms involved in salt marsh collapse and the resilience of mangrove ecosystems to the effects of hurricanes. Scientists affiliated with a new NSF LTER site -- the Northeast U.S. Shelf -- will present information on the importance of marine plankton to fisheries.
LTER and related presentations include the following:
Monday, December 10 |
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Quantifying plant-available soil moisture in topographically complex terrain |
08:00 am- 12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
Non-linear shift from grassland to shrubland in temperate barrier islands |
8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
9:15-9:30 am |
Convention Ctr - 156 |
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Influence of Wrack on Coastal Foredune Development and Dune Habitat Complexity |
9:30-9:45 am |
Convention Ctr - 145B |
Strengthening the biogeosciences in environmental research networks |
10:35-10:50 am |
Convention Ctr - 156 |
11:06-11:09 pm |
Convention Ctr - eLightning Theater II |
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1:40-1:55 pm |
Convention Ctr - 145A |
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1:40-6:00 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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Defining the Importance of Upland Landscapes Using Critical Zone and Other Similar Observatories |
1:40-6:00 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
Unexpected patterns of grassland root production during and after repeated extreme droughts |
2:10-2:25 pm |
Convention Ctr - 149AB |
Tuesday, December 11 |
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8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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Relationship between shrub cover and plant available water in a U.S. Southwest desert |
8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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NES-LTER: A New Long Term Ecological Research Site on the Northeast U.S. Shelf |
8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
CCHDO: delivering high quality hydrographic data from the Southern Ocean and beyond |
8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
The Different Responses of Arctic Terrestrial and Aquatic Food Webs to Long-term Nutrient Additions |
9:30-9:45 am |
Convention Ctr - 143A-C |
A Stream-Side Mesocosm Study of Organic Matter Processing in the Hyporheic Zone |
10:35 - 10:50 am |
Convention Ctr - 151A |
11:20-11:35 am |
Convention Ctr - 145A |
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1:40-6:00 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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1:40-6:00 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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1:40-6:00 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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Digging down: How respiration from different soil depths responds to climate change |
3:25-3:40 pm |
Convention Ctr - 150B |
Wednesday, December 12 |
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8:00 am-12:20pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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8am-12 noon |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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8:04-8:07am |
Convention Ctr - eLightning Theater II |
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Warming and nitrogen addition alters soil organic matter composition in a temperate forest soil |
10:20-10:35 am |
Convention Ctr - 150A |
10:27-10:30 am |
Convention Ctr - eLightning Theater II |
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10:50-11:05 am |
Convention Ctr - 150A |
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Linking continental scale ice loss to winter biogeochemistry in north temperate lakes |
11:05-11:20 am |
Convention Ctr - 149AB |
Concentration-Discharge Responses to Storm Events in Coastal California Watersheds |
11:35 - 11:50 am |
Convention Ctr - 145B |
Assessing salt marsh resilience with sediment fluxes: the critical role of marine sediment inputs |
1:40-1:55 pm |
Convention Ctr - 149AB |
Concentration-Discharge Responses to Storm Events in Coastal California Watersheds |
11:35 - 11:50 am |
Convention Ctr - 145B |
Assessing salt marsh resilience with sediment fluxes: the critical role of marine sediment inputs |
1:40-1:55 pm |
Convention Ctr - 149AB |
1:40-6:00 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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5:30-5:45 pm |
Convention Ctr - 145B |
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Thursday, December 13 |
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Using ontologies to operationalize Essential Biodiversity Variables |
8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
Soil creep in a New England salt marsh: fast, seasonal, and likely mediated by vegetation |
8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
The Environmental Data Initiative's Approach To Data Publishing Training For Research Teams |
8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
Consequences of Extreme Rainfall Patterns on Nitrous Oxide Fluxes in Midwest Cropping Systems |
8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
Heterogeneous patterns of mangrove disturbance and recovery from Hurricane Irma |
8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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8:00-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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9:15-9:30 am |
Convention Ctr - 147B |
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1:40-6:00 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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1:40-6:00 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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1:40-6:00 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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1:40-6:00 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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2:04-2:10 pm |
Convention Ctr - 209A-C |
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Friday, December 14 |
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8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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8:00 am-12:20 pm |
Convention Ctr - Hall A-C (Poster Hall) |
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9:24-9:36 am |
Convention Ctr - 149AB |
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10:20-10:35 am |
Convention Ctr - Salon G |
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Scientists at the Northeast U.S. Shelf LTER site will talk about their research on marine plankton.
Credit and Larger Version -
Experimental plots at the Hubbard Brook LTER site have been shoveled to simulate delayed snowfall.
Credit and Larger Version -
Scientists install a Sediment Elevation Tube in a salt marsh to observe the activity of microbes.
Credit and Larger Version -
Ocotillo is drought deciduous. After rare desert rains, the plant grows leaves within 24 hours.
Credit and Larger Version -
LTER scientists study organic matter in streambed sediments under controlled conditions.
Credit and Larger Version
Media Contacts
Cheryl Dybas, NSF, (703) 292-7734, email: cdybas@nsf.gov
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