Global Change Program

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Global Change Program

• C Cooperative
• S State
• R Research,
• E Education
• E and Extension
• S Service

Dr. Raymond Knighton National Program
Leader August 2, 2002
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What we do

• CSREES funds, works with, and leads the
  land-grant universities and other eligible
  institutions.
• CSREES is the land-grant university systems (105
  institutions) link to the USDA.
• Extramural research arm of USDA

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Research Education

• CSREES supports over 9,500 researchers at
• Agricultural experiment stations
• Federal laboratories
• Land-grant and other colleges and universities
• Small businesses
• Independent science facilities
• CSREES collaborates in 8 multi-agency research
  programs.
• CSREES has provided research support to 1,200
  graduate and doctoral students through the
  National Needs Graduate Fellows program.

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Extension

• Extension presence in every county in the U.S.
• Non-formal education and outreach programs
  available to local residents
• 4-H youth-development program
• 6.7 million participants
• 423,000 volunteers
• 2002 marks the organizations centennial

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Federal Assistance

• Formula programs
• Competitive grants
• Targeted programs
• Agreements with other Federal agencies

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Small Agency, Big Budget
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Global Change Funding
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Impact of Climate and Soils on Crop Selection
and Management
Formula Funded Project Multistate Research NC 94

• Institutions
• Montana State University Univ. of Georgia
• Univ. of Illinois Purdue University
• Iowa State University Kansas State University
• Michigan State Univ. Univ. of Minnesota
• Univ. of Missouri Univ. of Nebraska
• North Dakota State Univ. Ohio State Univ.
• South Dakota State Univ.
• 344,530/yr five years

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Objectives

• Update and maintain the NC-94 regional databases
  on soils, crop production and weather.
• Develop predictive relationships for crop yield
  in the North Central Region as a function of
  ENSO, SST, and frequencies associated with
  natural variability.
• View the optimum crop(s) selection as a dynamic
  decision on the basis of variability in natural
  resource patterns in the region.

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Climate Change and the Economic Sustainability
of Montana and Great Plains Agriculture
Formula Funded Project

• Investigator J. Antle
• Institution Montana State Univ.
• 14,986 (398,076) 5 years

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Objectives

• Collect sample of field-level economic data on
  grain production to construct an
  econometric-based stochastic simulation model
• Assess potential environmental impacts of changes
  in economic conditions and agricultural policy
  using models
• Assess implications of heterogeneity and scale
  for climate change and soil C sequestration in
  Montana and Nebraska

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Outcomes

• Determine spatial distribution of net returns and
  vulnerability of agriculture to climate change
  based on interactions among climate changes, CO2
  level, resource endowments, adaptation, and
  economic conditions

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Special Research Grant
Consortium for Agricultural Soil Mitigation of
Greenhouse Gases (CASMGS)

• Investigator C.W. Rice

Institutions Kansas State University Colorado
State University Iowa State University Michigan
State University Montana State University Universi
ty of Nebraska Ohio State University Purdue
University Texas AM University Pacific
Northwest National Labs 14,259,000 three years
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Objectives

• Improve understanding of basic processes and
  mechanisms controlling soil C sequestration and
  greenhouse gas emissions.
• Evaluate and make recommendations for best
  management practices to reduce net greenhouse
  gas emissions from soils, in partnership with
  USDA and other federal, state and private
  entities.

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Objectives

• Predict and assess C sequestration and greenhouse
  gas emissions, provide field and farm-level
  decisions support tools and evaluate alternative
  national economic and policy strategies using
  integrated models. Models will assess impacts of
  mitigation programs on crop production potential,
  food security and environmental quality.
• Provide measurement and monitoring tools for
  quantifying and verifying soil carbon
  sequestration rates and greenhouse gas emissions
  and emission reductions.

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Objectives

• Provide a standing capability to meet the
  short-term needs of Federal agencies, Congress
  and the White House, for information, data and
  analysis on issues relating to soil carbon
  sequestration and soil greenhouse gas emissions.
• Provide information to each of the following
  stakeholder groups policy makers, agricultural
  sector, energy and transportation industries, the
  scientific community and the general public.
• Participate in the transfer to and adoption of
  technology by other countries for quantifying and
  verifying carbon sequestration rates

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Task 1 To develop understanding of basic
processes and mechanisms of soil C sequestration
and soil GHG emission mitigation
Carbon Stabilization in Soil
Plant C Inputs
Carbon Losses
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Task 2 To identify, develop and evaluate BMPs
with respect to C sequestration, GHG mitigation
and associated co-benefits and costs.
Physical Economic Potential of BMPs
Full C-cost accounting
Co-benefits and costs of C sequestering
activities
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Task 3 Predict assess the C cycle GHG
emissions/mitigation using computer models,
databases other appropriate tools.
Field-scale prediction and assessment
Refinement and validation of biophysical models
Regional prediction and assessment
National-scale prediction Soil C and GHG
inventories
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Task 4 Measuring and monitoring soil C
sequestration and GHG flux
Sampling Design Analyses
Carbon Trading
Data, Models, Sensors
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Task 5 Develop outreach programs to share
information on C cycle, GHG mitigation and
agricultural BMPs, that are useful to
agricultural producers and other stakeholders.
Multi-media Education Materials and Training
Decision Support Systems
Website and Newsletter
Forums
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Special Research Grant
UV-B Monitoring Program

• James Slusser, Director
• Natural Resource Ecology Lab.
• Colorado State University
• 1,402,000/year

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Purposes of UV-B Monitoring and Research Program

• Furnishes basic information necessary to support
  research on potential damaging effects of UVB on
  agriculture, forests, and livestock
• Provides UV climatology data to agricultural and
  scientific researchers
• Supplies ground truth for satellite retrievals
  and model development
• Establishes long-term record of UVB to assess
  trends

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Components of the UV-B Monitoring and Research
Program

• Climatological Network headquarters in Fort
  Collins at CSU (30 sites)
• NOAA Central UV Calibration Facility in Boulder
• Agricultural responses to UVB subcontracts
• 1.0 m state-of-the art Reference Spectrometers
  developed at SUNY Albany, NY. Instruments
  deployed at Table Mountain CO, Beltsville MD, and
  Billings OK

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The Role of the NOAA Central UV Calibration
Facility (CUCF)

• Performs calibrations on 80 USDA UV radiometers
  and audits on 20 EPA spectrometers
• One central UV facility ensures data
  compatibility
• Close USDA / CUCF working relationship
• Consults regularly with NIST to insure accuracy
• CUCF has been asked by the WMO to be the world
  reference UV laboratory
• Depends on USDA, EPA, and NOAA support

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The USDA UVB Monitoring Web Site

• Provides next day data by download button
• Access to reports and peer-reviewed research
  publications
• Web users include more than 30 Governmental
  agencies and 200 Universities
• Includes UVB tutorial and over 30 links

http//oasis.nrel.colostate.edu/UVB/uvb_climate_ne
twork.html
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Data Users of USDA UVB Network

• University researchers at U. Nebraska, U.
  Maryland, Purdue, Mississppi State investigating
  effects of UVB on crop species
• NASA to ground-truth satellite retrievals of
  UVB, aerosols, and ozone
• Mississippi State University to correct precision
  farming retrievals
• US Army to examine typical UVB exposure to
  outdoor workers
• USDA APHIS to study brucellosis disease in
  Yellowstone NP
• U. Colorado Health Department to study sunburn in
  children

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The Physiology and Ecology of N2O Production and
CH4 Consumption by Ammonia- and Methane-oxidizing
Bacteria in Agricultural Soils
NRI Competitive Grant

• Investigator L.Y. Stein
• Institution Univ. of California-Riverside
• 117,688 2 years

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Objectives

• Investigate the toxicity of nitrite on pure
  cultures of MOB (methane-oxidizing bacteria) and
  AOB(ammonia-oxidizing bacteria) based on changes
  in nitrite, copper, methane, and ammonia
  concentrations.
• Determine the denitrification and methane
  consumption potential of pure cultures of MOB and
  AOB in response to changes in nitrite, copper,
  methane, and ammonia concentrations.
• Measure the emission of nitrous oxide and methane
  and monitor changes in MOB and AOB populations in
  inoculated soil microcosms with different
  concentrations of nitrite, copper, methane, and
  ammonia.

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Outcomes

• Determine the conditions under which particular
  groups of bacteria control the flux of greenhouse
  gases from soils,
• which species are most likely involved in gas
  emissions,
• and which metabolic pathways should be targeted
  to ameliorate further emissions of methane and
  nitrous oxide from agricultural soils.

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CO2 Emissions from the Dissolution of Soil
Carbonate as a Contributor to Greenhouse Gases
NRI Competitive Grant

• Investigator H.C. Monger
• Institution New Mexico State Univ.
• 142,000 three years

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Objectives

• Determine if acid from acidic rain or microbiotic
  crust causes dissolution of soil carbonate and
  CO2 emissions and quantify the flux
• Compare accuracy of measures of CO2 release by
  three methodologies
• Measure carbon isotopes to distinguish
  biologically respired CO2 from carbonate
  dissolved CO2

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Outcomes

• Contribute to determination of the potential of
  arid and semiarid soils to sequester soil C by
  quantifying CO2 emissions from exposed soil
  carbonates resulting from acid sources
• Evaluation of three methodologies to determine
  accuracy of soil CO2 emission measurements NaOH
  traps, solid soda lime traps, and infrared CO2
  detector

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More Information

• CRIS Current Research Information System
• http//cris.csrees.usda.gov/
• Dr. Raymond Knighton
• rknighton_at_reeusda.gov
• [phone]