# Presentation: 040888

## Ecosystem – Climate Interactions  

***NASA Terrestrial Ecology Science Team Meeting***
**Ecosystem – Climate Interactions** ** **
**Co-Chairs:  **
- Randy Kawa (GSFC, _[kawa@maia.gsfc.nasa.gov](mailto:kawa@maia.gsfc.nasa.gov)_ )
- Jeff Richey  (Univ. of Washington, _[jrichey@u.washington.edu](mailto:jrichey@u.washington.edu)_)
- Reporter:
- Maoyi Huang (_[mhuang3@buffalo.edu](mailto:mhuang3@buffalo.edu)_)

## 1. What are the most important and compelling research questions / science issues in this thematic area for NASA’s Terrestrial Ecology Program to address next? (and Why?)

- Theory/practice focus:
- Thresholds/ step functions/ non-linearity, “tipping” points
- Ecosystem dynamics/resilience to climate forcing, especially extreme events; as represented in regional and global models
- Geography scaling;
- “Regional” Need for and how to do higher resolution ecosystem dynamics <-> climate at (specific) regional scales,
-  higher/multiple temporal resolutions (identification of specific regions).
- regions unto themselves.
- Greater biome specificity; especially agriculture/climate
- Track precipitation/surface climate - ecosystem interactions -> runoff (to ocean) regimes
- Global   how to achieve it(still ~disconnect)......is it sum of inter-connected regions (complementing “just” finer grids”)??
- [System Uncertainty/variance: model (intercomparisons, parameters go into it)]

##  2. What are the key remote sensing data records (time series products, CDRs, ESDR’s) required to address these research questions /science issues? (and Why / How will they be used?)?

- CDR  Consistent Surface Climate Forcing Time Series –
- #1 Precipitation!!!! (*All* NCEP, “regional met records, TRMM)
- #2  Surface temperature, Rn

- ESDR -
- 1. Global estimate of wood biomass *integrated* data sets (land history, radar, lidar, optical) for model initialization
- 2. Agriculture parameters: albedo by crops, irrigation, phenology, soil water etc) – (including from ag literature),
- 3. Landuse/disturbance history
- 4. Rooting depths – by geography/vegetation types

- Land Surface Dynamics Properties (LAI, NDVI/, EVI, albedo, fPAR (AVHRR, MODIS, SEAWIFS) - *still* *key*

- [Soil moisture, freeze/thaw – microwave (AMSR?)/GRACE groundwater...]

*Commensurate in scale with high resolution regional studies: focus on *integrated” records to make best product*

## What should TE role be in these missions, to make products?

*What should TE role be in these missions, to make products?*

- Time series record of Carbon, fluxes: OCO, ASCENDS (calibration w/records issues)

- Structure and biomass DESDynI, ICESAT-II, LIST

- Hydrology/geochem:
-    SMAP 5cm soil moisture for physiology, models in low structure regions
-    SWOT improve hydrology, for models
-    (GEO-CAPE)

- Biogeochem, Hyperspectral veg function HyspIRI

- LDCM: top priority continuity - for LULC; water properties

- MODIS Continuity (NPOESS)

*Essential continuity perspectives (including calibration)*

*Improving functionality of regional analyses & models*

*Recognition of non-NASA instruments*

*Airborne (manned, UAVs)*

## 4. What else will be needed (e.g., supporting research and technology investments, field studies, model development, cal/val) to achieve the NASA scientific objectives for this theme?

**Model Activities**
- Large-scale model “paradigm’ shifts – flexible grids in global models
- Model uncertainty
- More model data inter-comparisons; including international
- Flexible grid for landscape/hydrology models for near-water (and routing)
- Predicative Ag-focused landuse model
- Geographical information/high resolution for coupled atmosphere/landsurface models
-  Expand data assimilation, from CO2; e.g. constituents, tree rings, atm chem
- Carbon inversions

**Field Campaign **Problem-focused by geomorphology & ecoregion-based”** **
- Land-ocean
- N. High latitude/permafrost
- Tropical monsoon
- Threshold drought
- Agriculture-intensive

## 5. What is needed to support this theme from other themes in the NASA Terrestrial Ecology Program – and how should it be done?

- All of the above