# Presentation: 297651

##                                  U.S. Department of Energy’s                                Office of Science

- Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee

**Jeffrey S. Amthor**
*29 November 2007*

**BER Update on BERAC Report**
- The FACE and OTC Elevated CO2 Projects in DOE

## BERAC Reviewed Six BER-funded Elevated CO2 Ecosystem Experiments

- BERAC Reviewed Six BER-funded Elevated CO2 Ecosystem Experiments

- FACE -- Deciduous Forest (constructed mixed hardwood stands), Wisconsin
- FACE -- Deciduous Forest (pre-existing sweetgum plantation), Tennessee (ORNL)
- FACE -- Coniferous Forest (pre-existing loblolly pine plantation), North Carolina
- FACE -- Desert Shrub (natural system), Nevada (NTS)
- OTC -- Oak Scrub (natural system), Florida
- OTC -- Salt Marsh (natural system), Maryland

## BERAC’s Report Included Eight Recommendations 

- BERAC’s Report Included Eight Recommendations

**1.**  During FY 2007 enter into the harvesting phase for several projects.
**2.**  Enter into harvesting phase by FY 2010 for the remaining projects.
**3.**  Future funding decisions for research at experimental sites should be considered within context of harvesting schedules.
**4.**  Hold workshops to plan harvesting phase of the projects.
**5.**  Funding should continue after elevated CO2 treatments end for harvesting, data analysis, cross-site synthesis, and publication of program results.

## BERAC’s Report Included Eight Recommendations (continued)

- BERAC’s Report Included Eight Recommendations *(continued)*

**6.**  Plan and initiate a workshop to plan the next generation of climate change and elevated CO2 experiments, incorporating multiple interacting climate-change factors and potentially different elevated CO2 designs and/or technologies.
**7.**  Develop stronger linkages in studies of microbial processes between DOE’s Terrestrial Carbon Processes and Genomics: GTL programs in future elevated CO2 projects.
**8.**  No new elevated CO2 projects should be initiated until after workshop recommendations on the future design of elevated CO2 experiments to address multiple interacting factors.  It is clear now that single factor approaches are limited.

## BER Responses – Recommendation 1

_*Start harvesting some sites in FY 2007*_
- Two of the six projects entered the harvesting phase in FY 2007:
-  The desert shrub system in Nevada (FACE)
-  The oak scrub system in Florida (OTC)
- In both experiments, CO2 fumigation ended and plants and soils are being harvested, analyzed, and archived.

## Nevada FACE plot in May 2007

- Perennial plants were harvested in 2/3 of each plot.

- Fumigation then ended July 1 at 8:36:57 PM.  Extensive soil excavation, sample archiving, and sample and data analysis is underway.

## Florida OTC plot in 2007

- Elevated CO2 treatments ended, plants were harvested, and soil coring (2.5 m) occurred.
- Sample archiving, sample analysis, data analysis, synthesis, and publication of results are underway.

## BER Responses – Recommendation 2

_*Start harvesting other sites by FY 2010*_
- Plans are being developed and/or reviewed for entering the harvesting phase for the three remaining FACE projects before FY 2010:
-  The deciduous forest system in Wisconsin (in review)
-  The deciduous forest system in Tennessee (planning)
-  The coniferous forest system in North Carolina (planning)

- The remaining OTC experiment, the salt marsh experiment in Maryland (at right), will be continued with non-DOE funding.

## Wisconsin FACE site status

- A proposal to complete the FACE
- experiment is in the peer review
- process (a decision is expected
- next month).  The plan is to continue
- treatments through the end of the
- 2009 “growing season”.
- Final harvest and site decommissioning (land is owned by USFS) would commence immediately after that.  The harvesting procedure and sample archiving process will be designed in part from user input.
**This is the world’s largest experimental study of ecological effects of changes in atmospheric composition.**

## Tennessee FACE site status

- The 11th year of elevated CO2 exposure will begin in 2008.  The focus will be on explaining the increased fine-root proliferation.
- During and after the final year of elevated CO2 exposure (2009) trees and soil will be harvested (into 2010).  The facility will be dismantled.
- Requirements for sample archiving are being considered.

## BER Responses – Recommendation 3

_*Future funding decisions for research at the sites should be considered within the context of the harvesting schedules*_
- All proposals for research to be funded by BER at the FACE and OTC sites are, and will be, evaluated within the context of both the timetables and the objectives of the harvesting phase for each experiment.

## BER Responses – Recommendation 4

_*Workshops to plan harvesting of the experiments*_
- A workshop hosted by ORNL was held (in FY 2007) to consider issues central to the harvesting of the FACE experiments.  Cross-site synthesis activities were discussed.  Sample archiving plans, needs, and storage facility requirements were also considered.
- Individual-site and cross-site harvesting (and archiving) issues are still being discussed among the site scientists.
- Future workshops will be convened as deemed necessary by the site scientists.

## BER Responses – Recommendation 5

_*Funding should continue after CO*__*2*__* treatments end for harvesting, analysis, etc.*_
- Funding is planned through at least September 2009 for the Nevada FACE site to continue with harvesting, analysis and synthesis, and publication of results.
- Planning for post-elevated-CO2 activities at the other FACE sites includes consideration of the scientific and financial needs for harvesting, sample archiving, data analysis, synthesis, and publication activities.

## BER Responses – Recommendation 6

_*Plan and initiate workshop on next generation experiments*_
- ORNL has been asked to coordinate a (non-FACA) workshop on the scientific and infrastructural needs for the next generation of climatic change and elevated CO2 ecosystem experiments.
-  The seven-member steering committee met yesterday
-  A two-day workshop is to be held during Jan-Feb 2008
-  The workshop will consider what experiments are needed to answer important scientific questions, and what infrastructural requirements those experiments would have

## BER Responses – Recommendation 7

_*Stronger linkages in studies of microbial processes between Terrestrial Carbon Processes program and Genomics: GTL*_
- The Terrestrial Carbon Processes (TCP) program is considering a long-term strategy for improved linkages to the Genomics: GTL program.
- In the meantime, both the TCP program and the Program for Ecosystem Research are collaborating with JGI to characterize soil microbial genomic responses to long-term elevated CO2 treatments in the elevated-CO2 projects.  **Cheryl Kuske will present an overview of the effort here at 5:00 today.**

## BER Responses – Recommendation 8

_*No new elevated-CO*__*2*__* projects should be initiated until workshop results have been considered*_
- No new elevated-CO2 experiments have been initiated since the BERAC report was approved.
- No new elevated-CO2 experiments are presently being considered for funding by BER.