ChEAS

Influence of Disturbance and Seasonality on Regional Carbon Flux Upscaling

June 1, 2011 – December 31, 2015, NASA Carbon Cycle Science

Erica Smithwick (PI), Ken Davis, Klaus Keller, Kusum Naithani, Robert Kennedy, Jeff Masek

Summary:

Integration of disturbance patterns into carbon (C) flux estimates to improve terrestrial-atmosphere C exchange is a critical priority for the North American Carbon Program. This project is built upon previous finding from The Chequamegon Ecosystem Atmospheric Study and aims to quantify uncertainty in C flux upscaling, evaluate multiple disturbance stressors, and develop two-way communication channels between federal agencies and scientists. This project asks three main questions: (1) does incorporation of variation in physiological model parameters improve seasonal and interannual CO2 flux hindcasts from eddy flux towers? (2) does incorporation of stand-replacement and partial disturbance processes from remotely sensed observations improve yearly to decadal CO2 flux hindcasts from eddy flux towers? and (3) To what degree does model-data integration aid regional and landscape decision-making for forest C storage management? The finding from this project will directly contribute to national efforts to constrain uncertainty in terrestrial-atmospheric C exchange in several important ways. First, it will utilize new disturbance algorithms using Landsat imagery to test whether inclusion of partial and stand-replacing disturbance reduces uncertainty in C flux upscaling. Second, it will use a computationally tractable but responsive photosynthetic model to evaluate whether a more sophisticated parameterization of plant physiology aids temporal diagnosis of C flux estimates. Third, by collaborating with regional and national Forest Service personnel, this project aims to partially address the ‘end-to-end’ problem of C cycle science by helping managers to diagnose adaptive capacity of forested landscapes, target locations, and prioritize C management activities.

Presentations:

• Naithani K. J., Kennedy R. E., Davis K. J., Keller K., Baldwin D., & Smithwick E. A. H. Incorporation of landscape disturbance in probabilistic upscaling of CO₂ fluxes and associated uncertainties. The annual ESA meeting, Sacramento, CA, USA. Aug. 10-15, 2014.
• Naithani K. J., Davis K. J., Keller K., & Smithwick E. A. H. Comparison of three probabilistic approaches to upscale CO₂ fluxes and associated uncertainties. The fall AGU meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA. Dec. 9-13, 2013.
• Smithwick E. A. H., Kennedy R. E., Naithani K. J., Davis K. J., Keller K., Parker L. R., Bianchetti R. A., MacEachren A. M. Influence of landscape disturbance patterns on modeled carbon fluxes and associated uncertainty. The fall AGU meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA. Dec. 9-13, 2013.
• Naithani K. J., Baldwin D. C., Smithwick E. A. H., Davis K. J., Keller K., Kennedy R. E., & Masek J. G. Incorporation of disturbance and seasonality in terrestrial carbon flux upscaling. Postdoctoral Research Exhibition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA. September 12, 2013. Poster
• Smithwick, E. A. H., Naithani, K. J., Davis K. J., Kennedy R. E., Bianchetti, R., Parker L., Baldwin D. C., Keller K., Masek J. G. "Incorporating disturbance and associated uncertainty into diagnostic terrestrial carbon flux upscaling." The NASA Terrestrial Ecology Science Team Meeting, La Jolla, CA, USA. April 30-May 2, 2013. Poster
• Naithani K. J., *Baldwin D. C., Smithwick E. A. H., Davis K. J., Keller K., Kennedy R. E., & Masek J. G. Incorporation of disturbance and seasonality in terrestrial carbon flux upscaling. CarbonEARTH Conference, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA. February 23, 2013. Poster
• Naithani K. J., Baldwin D. C., Smithwick E. A. H., Davis K. J., Keller K., Kennedy R. E., & Masek J. G. Incorporation of disturbance and seasonality in terrestrial carbon flux upscaling. The 4^th NACP All-Investigators Meeting, Albuquerque, NM, USA. Feb. 4-7, 2013. Poster
• Naithani K. J., *Baldwin D. C., Smithwick E. A. H., Davis K. J., Keller K., Kennedy R. E., & Masek J. G. Incorporation of disturbance and seasonality in terrestrial carbon flux upscaling. The fall AGU meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA. Dec. 5-9, 2012. Poster
• Naithani K. J., Smithwick E. A. H., Davis K. J., Keller K., Kennedy R. E., & Masek J. G. Incorporation of disturbance and seasonality in regional terrestrial carbon flux upscaling. The ForestSAT Meeting, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA. Sept. 11-14, 2012. Talk
• Naithani K. J., Smithwick E. A. H., Davis K. J., Keller K., Kennedy R. E., & Masek J. G. Incorporation of disturbance in regional terrestrial carbon flux upscaling. The annual ESA meeting, Portland, OR, Aug. 5-10, 2012. Poster
• Smithwick E. A. H., Naithani K. J., & Baldwin D. C. Incorporation of disturbance and seasonality in regional terrestrial carbon flux upscaling. The ChEAS 2012 Meeting, "Observing and simulating carbon cycle impacts of forest management and climate variability in heterogenous landscapes", Kemp Natural Resources Station, Woodruff, WI, USA. June 27-30, 2012. Team-talk
• Naithani K. J. Incorporation of disturbance and seasonality in terrestrial carbon flux upscaling. “Disturbance Regimes and Climate-Carbon Feedback" workshop, National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA. Feb. 12-15, 2012. Speed Talk
• Smithwick E. A. H., Naithani K. J., Davis K. J., Keller K., Kennedy R. E., Masek J. G. Influence of disturbance and seasonality on regional carbon flux upscaling. NASA Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Joint Science Workshop. Alexandria, VA. Oct. 4, 2011. Poster