The Global Lakes Ecological Observatory Network: merging limnology and information technology to understand lake dynamics at multiple scales

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The Global Lakes Ecological Observatory Network
merging limnology and information technology to
understand lake dynamics at multiple scales

• Tim Kratz, University of Wisconsin-Madison, US
• Peter Arzberger, University of California-San
  Diego, US
• David Hamilton, University of Waikato, New
  Zealand
• Fang-Pang Lin, National Center for
  High-Performance Computing, Taiwan

http//gleon.org
Yuan Yang Lake, Taiwan photo by Matt Van de
Bogert
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The Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network
(GLEON)

• A grassroots network of
• lake scientists, engineers, information
  technology experts
• institutions and programs
• instruments
• data
• Linked by a common cyberinfrastructure
• With a goal of understanding lake dynamics at
  local, regional, continental, and global scales

gleon.org
Yuan Yang Lake, Taiwan photo by Matt Van de
Bogert
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Science depends on inextricable link among
questions, models, and observations
100 km
10 km
Spatial extent
1 km
100 m
10 m
random selection from Ecology 2003
1 m
10 cm
Annual
Monthly
Weekly
Daily
Hourly
Min. Sec.
Frequency of measurement
Slide courtesy of Paul Hanson
Source Porter, Arzberger,Hanson, Lin, Kratz, et
al. Bioscience (2005)
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GLEONs Mission
Facilitate interaction and build collaborations
among an international, multidisciplinary
community of researchers focused on
understanding, predicting, and communicating the
impact of natural and anthropogenic influences on
lake ecosystems by developing, deploying, and
using networks of emerging observational system
technologies and associated cyberinfrastructure.
http//gleon.org
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Some current issues in limnology amenable to
observatory approach

• Source, movement, and fate of carbon in lakes and
  watersheds
• Pelagic/littoral coupling
• Role of episodic events, thresholds, and
  non-linear dynamics
• Coupling of physical and biological processes

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GLEON Activities

• Share experience, expertise, and data
• Catalyze joint projects
• Develop tools
• Conduct multi-site training
• Create opportunities for students
• Meet and communicate regularly

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Why Grassroots?

• Members decide the science agenda
• Members initiate activities
• Leads to innovative science
• Enhances collaborative science
• Shortens lag time between ideas and action
• Members share expertise and experience
• Allows flexibility

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GLEON Sites
Lake site
Cyber-support site
GLEON 2 Townsville AU March 2006
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The Current Model
Portable Lake Metabolism Buoy North Temperate
Lakes LTER Wisconsin

• Instrumented Platforms
• make high frequency observations of key variables
• send data to web-accessible database in near real
  time

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Northern Highland Lake District,
Wisconsin Wireless Sensor Network 900-915 MHz
Ethernet
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Yuan-Yang Lake ( ?)Ecosite
Source Fang-Pang Lin
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Scalable instrumentation and cyberfrastructure is
critical
We can do this scale now
http//lakemetabolism.org
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Problematic, but possible with todays
cyberinfrastructure
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Scale needed to answer regional/continental
questions
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Yuan-Yang Lake, Taiwan
The Future Model
Data Repository NCHC Taiwan

• Web Services
• metabolism models
• intelligent agents
• data retrieval

Application Client
Data Repository Wisconsin

• Requires significant partnerships among
• lake scientists
• information managers
• middleware developers

http//gleon.org
Trout Bog Lake, Wisconsin
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Planning the cyberinfrastructure
Tony Fountain Sameer Tilak Ken Chiu Barbara
Benson Paul Hanson Luke Winslow et al.
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GLEON Lake Metadata Website
Dave Balsiger Barbara Benson John Byrne
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An example of episodic events and threshold
dynamics
Yuan Yang Lake, Taiwan August 2004
Typhoon
Jeng-Wei Tsai presentation at 1600 Monday
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Diel O2 Dynamics
GLEON promotes discovery science
Hanson et al. at 1430, and Hu et al. at 1450,
today
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GLEON Governance

• Steering Committee
• Lauri Arvola, Finland
• Peter Arzberger, US
• Thorsten Blenckner, Sweden
• Justin Brookes, Australia
• David Hamilton, New Zealand
• Paul Hanson, US
• Tim Kratz, US
• Fang-Pang Lin, Taiwan
• Ami Nishri, Israel
• Boqiang Qin, China
• Katherine Weathers, US

• Grassroots, member-driven
• Open to all who share GLEON vision

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GLEON Shared Vision

• Participation contribute to GLEON mission
• Openness share experience and expertise
• Data share data as openly as possible
• Informal flat organization grassroots
• Transparent open decision-making
• Training integration of students
• Diversity gender, geography, discipline

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How do I become a member of GLEON?

• Agree to shared vision
• Be nominated by two existing members
• Fill out form (soon to appear on gleon.org
  website)
• Please join us!!!

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GLEON Activities at SIL

• GLEON 5 Meeting
• Saturday, 0830-1800 Room 518C
• Special Session on The Use of High-Frequency
  Data in Limnology
• Monday, 1100-1740 Room 518B
• Tuesday, 1030-1510 Room 518B
• Graduate Student Gathering
• Tuesday, 1715-1830 Room 518C
• Informal Social
• Thursday, 1730 to 1900, at St. Sulpice, 1680 rue
  Saint-Denis

GLEON 6 February 12-14, 2008 Archbold
Biological Station, Florida, USA