Jake F. Weltzin

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The USA National Phenology Network Towards an
Integrative Assessment of Global Change Impacts
at the National Scale
Jake F. Weltzin United States Geological Survey
www.usanpn.org
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Outline

• Applications for phenology
• Conceptual network structure
• Regional phenology networks
• Plant phenology program
• Data management and staffing plan
• National coordinator for RS of phenology
• National PhenoCam Network

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Phenology Study of the cause and the
consequence of the timing of recurring biological
phases
Phenophase identifiable stages of life-history
cycles for plant and animal individuals or
populations
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Phenology and the biosphere
Climate Temperature, Precipitation, Radiation,
Humidity, Wind
Chemistry CO2, CH4, N2O ozone, aerosols
CO2 CH4 N2O VOCs Dust
Heat Moisture Momentum
Biogeophysics
Biogeochemistry
Carbon Assimilation
Decomposition
Aero- dynamics
Water
Energy
Mineralization
Microclimate Canopy Physiology
Phenology
Hydrology
Inter- cepted Water
Bud Break
Soil Water
Snow
Leaf Senescence
Species Composition Ecosystem Structure Nutrient
Availability Water
Evaporation Transpiration Snow Melt Infiltration R
unoff
GPP, Plant Microbial Respiration Nutrient
Availability
Ecosystems Species Composition Ecosystem Structure
WatershedsSurface Water Subsurface
Water Geomorphology
Disturbance Fires Hurricanes Ice Storms Windthrows
Vegetation Dynamics
Hydrologic Cycle
Betancourt 2006, modified from Bonan (2002)
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Global change influences is influenced by
phenology
Amplification of seasonal cycle
Phenology modulates carbon cycles at multiple
temporal spatial scales
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Trends in warmer winters, less snowpack earlier
streamflow in west mostly due to greenhouse gases
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Predicting frequency of large forest fires
fires gt 400 ha in SW US, 1970-2003, vs CT and vs
SI
Westerling, Schwartz Betancourt, in prep.
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Landscape assessment of nutrient availability
Northern Shortgrass Prairies
Western Gulf Coastal Grasslands
Link to maps of NPP
J. Craine, in prep.
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Pollen transport and distribution
DREAM (Dust Regional Atmosphere Model) a
numerical meteorological particulate transport
model
NASA Remote Sensing
Current dust source regions Future pollen
sources derived from pollen phenology maps
Final Product predicted concentrations of
pollen in time and space
William Sprigg et al., U Arizona, 2008
http//www.atmo.arizona.edu/research/dust/dust.htm
l
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USA-NPN Conceptual Structure
Intensive science sites
Extensive science sites
Decreasing Spatial Coverage
Increasing Process Knowledge
Volunteer education networks
Remote sensing
Adapted from CENR-OSTP
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Ameriflux
Intensive science networks
Long Term Ecological Research (LTER)
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Extensive science networks
National Wildlife Refuge System
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Education, outreach and citizen science

• Engage public in GC data collection and analysis
• Portal for more-involved data collection
  protocols
• Engender self-directed, inquiry-based learning
• Education programs and modules (GK-16)
• Project BudBurst is NPN outreach program
• Live for 2008 on Feb 15
• Enormous interest (AP, Science, NPR, Sunset)

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Remote Sensing

• Enhance and develop RS phenology products
• Ground truth RS data
• Use RS to interpolate ground observations
• Relate RS estimates to biophysical attributes for
  model parameterization
• Integrate across scales
• Inter-model comparisons
• National coordinator RS for phenology

Mean SI First Leaf 1990-1993 1995-1999,
Courtesy M. Schwartz
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Regional phenology networks
Pending SE US (Kish), Mid-Atlantic (Jones), SW
US (Yool)
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Plant Phenology Program

• Nationally vetted list of plant species
• research, health, agriculture, natural resource
  mgmt, recreation, education
• crop, allergen, invasive, coniferous, deciduous,
  herbaceous
• widespread, dominant, imp. relationships,
  identifiable, accessible, legacy, etc.
• Calibration, Regional-Focal, Clonal 150 spp.
• Develop and vet species protocols (2008 beta)
• discrete to continuous phenophases
• scaling from ground to RS imagery
• core vs. intensive levels of observation
• consistent with international standards
• Develop and vet study protocols (2008 beta)
• issues of scaling, detail, consistency

Scoping and development of Animal Phenology
Program in 2008
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Acer rubrum (red maple) Phenophases Description
Distribution Images Timing of growth Did you
know? Bibliography Notes

• First flower
• End of flowering
• First leaf
• 25 leaf development
• 50 leaf development
• 75 leaf development
• Full leaf development
• First fruit ripe
• 50 of fruit ripe
• All fruit ripe
• First colored leaf
• 25 of leaves colored
• 50 of leaves colored
• 75 of leaves colored
• All leaves colored
• First leaf fallen
• 25 of leaves fallen
• 50 of leaves fallen
• 75 of leaves fallen

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NPN calibration species

• Acer rubrum
  red maple Deciduous
• Ambrosia artemisiifolia/psilostachya
  ragweed Allergan
• Andropogon gerardii
  big bluestem Grass
• Bouteloua gracilis
  blue grama Grass
• Centaurea stoebe syn. maculoba spotted
  knapweed Invasive
• Cirsium arvense
  Canada thistle Invasive
• Forsythia spp.
  forsythia Ornamental
• Fragaria virginiana
  strawberry Herb
• Juniperus virginiana
  eastern redcedar Allerg, conif
• Malus pumila
  apple Crop
• Medicago sativa
  alfalfa Crop
• Panicum virgatum
  switchgrass Grass, crop
• Pascopyrum smithii (syn A. smithii) western
  wheatgrass Grass
• Pinus edulis/monophylla
  pinyon pine spp Conif, allerg
• Pinus ponderosa
  ponderosa pine Conif, allerg
• Populus tremuloides
  quaking aspen Deciduous
• Prunus virginiana
  chokecherry Deciduous
• Syringa vulgaris
  common lilac Ornamental
• Taraxacum officinale
  dandelion Invasive

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Data Management Plan
Legacy datasets
Network datasets
Observational data
FGDC
DC-Bio
Data entry/contribution web interface
NPN Data Store
Data retrieval/visualization web interface

Queried Data
External datasets (e.g., NCDC)
Visualization tools
Visual Data
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NPN Staffing Plan
Board of Directors
Information management system
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Coordinator Remote Sensing for Phenology

• Coordinate national activities related to science
  and application
• of remote sensing for phenology
• Develop and enhance datasets, platforms, tools
• Enhance communications among data providers and
  stakeholders
• Organize community activities inter-model
  comparisons, workshops
• Gap analysis identify projects to demonstrate
  early successes
• Schema for scaling from organisms to pixels
• Develop/coordinate NPN RS working group
• Integrate program with NPN Information Management
  System
• Brief or white paper scope and justification
  for position, PD
• Virtual working group (instit., tools,
  platforms) coordinated by NPN
• Joint venture for support USGS (GAM) NASA
• Salary, travel, operations (1-2 year detail to
  USGS, NASA, or NPN)

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National PhenoCam Network A canopy phenology
monitoring network for the United States
Click on your location or any thumbnail
Data Products
Information
Images
Site Locations
PhenoCam is a collaborative effort between
USA-NPN and University of New Hampshire
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Bartlett Experimental Forest White Mountains, New
Hampshire 45.12N 72.12W 250 m ASL
Latest image 15 June 2008
Location
1 June 2008
1 April 2008
15 April 2008
1 May 2008
15 May 2008
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Bartlett Experimental Forest White Mountains, New
Hampshire 45.12N 72.12W 250 m ASL
Climatology, Radiometry, Eddy flux