Understanding and Protecting Our Home Planet

1
Overview of NASA Ecosystems / Disturbance
Research and Charge to Afternoon Breakouts
Woody Turner, NASA Headquarters CCE Joint
Science Workshop 29 April 2008
2
Programmatic Foci
Terrestrial Ecosystems Disturbance Research -
Remote sensing of the light environment of
terrestrial vegetation and relationships with
physiology (PAR, LUE, leaf chlorophyll, etc.) -
Studies of the effects of insects, pathogens, and
invasive species on ecosystems - Measurement and
analysis of the 3-dimensional structure of
vegetation to characterize habitats for and
establish relationships to biodiversity -
Combining remote sensing, in situ biodiversity
data, and ecological models to characterize the
distribution and abundance of populations,
species, and/or communities - Remote
sensing-based research relating global and
regional patterns of disturbance to
biodiversity - Vegetation and land cover mapping
and change detection identification of
functional types - Forest fires and other
disturbances, natural and anthropogenic in boreal
zone (including tundra), for NEESPI - Impacts of
socio-economic changes on land use and
biodiversity
3
Programmatic Foci

• Aquatic Ecosystems Disturbance Research
• - Remote sensing of phytoplankton physiology,
  including fluorescence (Equatorial Pacific, high
  latitude, coastal zone)
• - Studies of phytoplankton and plant functional
  group distribution, changes and biological
  patchiness (phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish)
• - Bioinformatic mapping of ocean regions (biome
  definition and shift)
• - HAB detection, mapping, process studies, and
  modeling (ECOHAB)
• - Combining remote sensing, in situ biodiversity
  data, and ecological models to characterize the
  distribution and abundance of populations,
  species, and/or communities
• - Remote sensing-based research relating
  global and regional patterns of disturbance to
  biodiversity

4
Breakout Session III Charge

• Breakout Session IIIScience, Emerging Issues and
  Future Directions
• Purpose
• Discussions should allow workshop participants
  to consider scientific questions and issues that
  will shape future directions for the NASA Carbon
  Cycle and Ecosystems Focus Area. There is an
  emphasis on cross-cutting topics that involve
  more than one of the Focus Areas program
  elements and/or applications areas.
• All of the session topics are areas for future
  research by NASA and/or the U.S. Climate Change
  Science Program. Many have already been the
  subject of NASA solicitations. Individual topic
  breakouts will identify opportunities and
  priorities for NASA as well as raise issues or
  concerns for the Focus Area to address.

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Breakout Session III Charge

• Topic breakouts may start with brief, invited
  presentations on the scientific topic
• - why it is important,
• - the role of remote sensing in addressing it,
  and
• - what has been done and what may be proposed
  in the near future
• in this regard.
• Then, the breakouts will open up to allow for
  general discussion in order to raise and address
  questions and issues. One issue that is open for
  discussion is how upcoming NASA missions address
  these topics.
• Topics
• High Latitude Ecosystems land and ocean, Arctic
  and Antarctic
• Landscapes to Coasts to Ocean and Connections
• Fire Science and Applications (impacts,
  consequences)
• Carbon-Climate Connections Implications for
  society, including carbon management
• Ecosystem Consequences of Climate Change
  (ecosystem impacts and feedbacks, effects on
  biodiversity, species invasions, protected areas,
  societal consequences)
• Changing Land Use, Human-Ecosystem Interactions
  (to include integrating natural and social
  science approaches)
• Science for Decision Support Supporting
  Scientific Assessments

6
Breakout Session III Charge

• Note
• - Co-chairs of each session should identify
  Rapporteur
• - One co-chair will be responsible for reporting
  out (5 minutes) this afternoon after the Breakout
  
• - Full breakout reports are to be posted on the
  breakout session's discussion forum when
  complete

7
Thank You Diane!