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The National Ecological Observatory Network

Development / Overview of a Distributed Observatory • Distilling Questions• Key Design Elements of Observatory

Ecological Forecasting • philosophy

Engagement Activities that we need help with

Overview

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Grand Challenge areas

How will ecosystems [of the United States] and their components respond to changes in natural- and human-induced forcings such as climate, land use, and invasive species across a range of spatial and temporal scales? And, what is the pace and pattern of the responses?

How do the internal responses and feedbacks of biogeochemistry, biodiversity, hydroecology and biotic structure and function interact with changes in climate, land use, and invasive species? And, how do these feedbacks vary with ecological context and spatial and temporal scales?

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Key Elements of Ecological Forecasting

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Information infrastructure: Consistent, continental, long-term, multi-scaled data-sets and data products that provide a context for research and education.

Physical Infrastructure: A research platform for investigator-initiated sensors, observations, and experiments.

The overarching goal of NEON is to enable understanding and forecasting of climate change, impacts of land use change, and invasive species on

continental-scale ecology by providing infrastructure to support research in these areas.

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NRC Grand Challenge Areas

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1. Biodiversity

2. Biogeochemical cycles

3. Climate change

4. Ecohydrology

5. Infectious disease

6. Invasive species

7. Land use

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Focused Research Questions

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What is the flow of ecological information (mass and energy) among lakes, streams, and terrestrial ecosystems with different glaciation times?How are differences in landscape age impact community structure and ecosystem function in lakes?

How do natural gradients of biophysical drivers (e.g., topography, weather, natural disturbances) affect current and future patterns of land-use change?

What keystone biogeochemical processes govern the resilience of ecosystems to perturbations, and what are the key biogeochemical indicators that reflect a weakening of resilience in the face of perturbation?

How organismal physiology and species dynamics influence ecosystem processes.

(Notes) Design Criteria

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Trace to questions that were developed by the user communitiesEnable an ecological forecastingInherently adopts a cause and effect paradigmDesign to scale, questions that may be germane to specific sites, but designed to ask questions among sites (local-regional-continental)Designed to be Consistent, 30-y Long Term, datasets• >130 data products • Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecological Processes• Abiotic Drivers• Remote Sensing

Look: data.neonscience.org/data-product-catalog

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Continental Eco-climatic Domains of NEON

NEON Domain Design Addresses Several Themes

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Agriculture

Climate/Ecohydrology

Forest systems

Invasion biology

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NEON Alaska Design (incl. D19 D18)

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• Grand Challenge Areas (NRC / NAS)

• Ecohydrology is the main Domains(s) themes, re. permafrost dynamics• originally Poker Flats w/ fire theme as well• originally sites positioned along the haul road

• Why is the NEON tower over there?, why is it so big?• Older glacial geomorphology – Sagavanirktok• scaling / compare / contrast• permanent structure (stairs), stability reqs, uniformity among sites

• D19 Toolik Lake - permafrost - tussock acidic tundra (core)• D19 Barrow BER - permafrost - wet polygonal tundra• D18 Caribou-Poker - discontinuous permafrost - black spruce• D18 Healy (8-mike lake) - degrading permafrost - alpine tundra• D18 Delta Junction - non-permafrost - black and white spruce

Development of Distributed Observatory NEON Development Timeline

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2000 2005 2010 2015

Vision/Scoping Studies

Conceptual Design

Preliminary Design

Final Design

ConstructionOperations

Commissioning

NSF Director Dr. ColwellInitiated NEON 1999

Numerous community Scoping activities

‘Bridge’ Funding MREFC FundingR+RA Funding

National Academy Reports

Numerous Workshopsand Engagement Activities

NEON Science Strategy

White House Advocacy

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Mar ‘16 Battelle

Awarded

NEON Inc.

terminatedDec ‘15

Battelle transitionJun ‘16

Construction complete Dec ‘17

End of contract award for initial

operationsAug ‘18

NEON Program StatusGeneral Scope:

• Complete Construction of NEON Dec 2017• Conduct Initial Operations• Establish Long Term Observatory Plan

Descope activities:• removal of Poker Flat (burn site)• removal of urban sites• removal of high-level mapped data products

We will be under increased need to Optimize Operations:• Prototyping and evaluation of new operational models • State-of-the-art quality management approaches • Continuous improvement / rigorous annual critical self-assessment

and optimization

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NEON will only be successful by the degree the user community is engaged and uses NEON

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Formal External User Community Advisory Bodies:• New Science, Technology and Education Steering Committee (STEAC)• Future vision: near term, mid-term and far term science planning.• Co-evolution of new user groups (TWIGS) and how they are being

managed internallyChanging the Paradigm to Engage the User Community:• fundamental different dynamic is needed to engage the user communities.• Re-visiting and ‘optimizing’ the design research questions • Seek venues and questions for the harmonization of projects, knowledge

gap studies, synergies (science), i.e., TFS, LTER, others• Seek opportunities to develop new operational models (programmatic)Develop/Use of New Capabilities (in light of new/lost infrastructures)• Assignable Assets (Airborne and Mobile RI, New Sensors, etc.)• Field Resources: Operations, New sites, BioArchive, Site Access

NEON impacts and leverages other US agencies

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AeroNet (NASA)AmeriFlux (DOE)US Climate Reference (NOAA)Critical Zone Observatory (NSF)Long-Term Ecological Research (NSF)

Forest Inventory Assessment (USDA)Agricultural Research Service (USDA)Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (USDA)National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP)

Peters, D. P. C., H. W. Loescher, M. SanClements and K. M. Havstad 2014. Taking the pulse of a continent: role of observatories and long-term research networks to fill critical knowledge gaps. Ecosphere. 5(3), Article 29, 1-23, dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES13-00295.1

Concluding Remarks• NEON Construction will be complete at end of year, initial

operations has begun, data are beginning to flow.

Communication Communication Communication

• Strong need to establish the venues and processes for in-site science integration

• further develop, build, engage and work with User communities

• NEON must further develop ‘observatory’ communication skills with their colleagues, stakeholders in a more nimble manner (and vice versa).

• (personally) wish to thank everyone for all their assistance in making NEON a reality

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Thank You !!

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BACKUP

NEON Captures and Integrates Ecological Data at Multiple Scales

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CO2CH4

Warmer temperatures

Unfrozen Frozen

Microbial decomposition of stored Carbon

NEON Monitors Drivers of and Responses to Warming in the Northern Latitudes

Continuouspermafrost

Discontinuouspermafrost • Atmospheric temperature

• Soil temp, moisture and respiration• Ecosystem exchange• C & N Stocks

NEON’s Alaska sites span a range of vegetation, permafrost continuity, and landforms

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Biological Data Based on NEON Observations and Collections

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• Biodiversity• Population Dynamics• Productivity• Phenology• Infectious Disease• Biogeochemistry• Microbial Diversity and Function• Ecohydrology• **Sentinel Species**

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Atmospheric, Soil, and Aquatic Instrumentation Address Many Variables

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• Physical and chemical climate forcing

• Ecosystem responses • Stand/plot level sampling• Automated instrumentation• Micrometeorological scalars and

fluxes• Soil array• Over 2000 measurements per core

site at frequencies from daily up to 20 Hz

• Total 50 Tb/y

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Instrumented tower

Instrument hut

Precipitation gauge with wind shielding

Instrumented soil plot 1 Instrumented

soil plot 2Instrumented soil plot 3

Instrumented soil plot 4

Instrumented soil plot 5

Terrestrial Platform (D10 – Central Plains, CO)

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Aquatic Platforms Include Groundwater and Stream/Lake Physical and Chemical Sensors

Groundwater Well

Junction Box

Met Station

In-Stream Sensor Mount

PORTAL

Stream flow directionS1 STR S2S2 STR S1

PORTAL

Domain Aquatic System • low and first order streams• lakes and ponds• terrestrial connectivity

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Airborne Observation Platform (AOP) Provide High Fidelity Aerial Imaging of Sites

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Three airborne remote sensing payloads:– Waveform-LiDAR altimeter– Imaging spectrometer– High-resolution digital

camera– GPS-Inertial measurement

unit Leased Twin Otter aircraft Instrumentation maintenance

and calibration facility

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NEON Ensures Consistent Long Term Data

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“There is a serious contradiction between the time scales of many ecological phenomena and the support to finance their study.”“…high-quality data over the long term will allow generalization of ecological research results and theory over scales of time…great enough to evaluate disturbances to our ecosystems…”

-Callahan 1984 BioScience

NEON data are needed to discover and understand temporal patterns and processes that are hidden by short-term approaches

E c o s y s t e m a t t r i b u t e

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Complex Pattern

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NEON’s Scientific / System Engineering Approach

Environmental Science Questions(Hypothesis Based Questions)

Identify Needed Information(What are the Data Products?)

Science Requirements(Science Sub-System Requirements)

Technical and Design Requirements (e.g., for Engineering, CyberInfrastructure)

REQUIREMENTS

I NFORMA T I ON

Grand Challenge Science Questions

Raw Data Collection

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FUNCTIONAL*UTILITY*/*VISIBILITY*

TIME*

PEAK*OF*INFLATED*EXPECTATIONS*

PLATEAU*OF*PRODUCTIVITY*

SLOPE*OF*ENLIGHTENMENT*

TROUGH*OF*DISSILLUSIONMENT*

TECHNOLOGY*TRIGGER*

GARTNER HYPE CYCLE

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Loescher, H. W., E. Kelly, and R. Lea, 2017. National Ecological Observatory Network: Beginnings, Programmatic and Scientific Challenges, and Ecological Forecasting. In: Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Infrastructures: Challenges and Opportunities. Eds. A. Chabbi, H.W. Loescher.  CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, New York, NY pp. 27‐48 (in production)