Isotope monitoring and global change

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Isotope monitoring and global change
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USGCRP 2001
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Vulnerable water resources!
USGCRP 2001
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• Biodiversity
• Biogeochem cycles
• Climate change
• Ecohydrology
• Infectious disease
• Invasive species
• Land use/cover

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• BIOGEOCHEMISTRY -To what extent are pollutants
  entering the food and water supply and what are
  their origins?
• ECOHYDROLOGY - How is groundwater level and
  stream flow impacted by land use?
• INVASIVE SPECIES - How do invasive species alter
  productivity and economic value of the landscape?
  
• BIODIVERSITY - What role do certain species play
  in ecosystems that make them critical for
  preservation?
• INFECTIOUS DISEASES - What is the geographic
  origin and migration pattern of disease vectors?
  
• CLIMATE CHANGE - To what extent is climate
  change altering productivity of natural and
  manmade ecosystems?
• ? LAND USE - How much can we harvest from or
  disturb ecosystems before they suffer
  irreversible degradation?

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Location of atmospheric sampling sites for the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases group
(NOAA/CMDL/CCGG), Commonwealth Scientific and
Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and
Scripps Institute of Oceanography (SIO) networks.
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Location of sampling sites for the Global Network
of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) network and
the Moisture Isotopes in the Biosphere and
Atmosphere (MIBA) network.
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Visualization of global data for 18O in
precipitation from GNIP
From http//www.waterisotopes.org/
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• http//www.basinisotopes.org/
• Provide information on isotope measurements
  within NEON
• Coordination among groups submitting NEON RFI
  responses
• Organize workshops on isotope techniques useful
  for the NEON effort
• Assist with development of isotope standards and
  QA/QC

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Biogeosphere-Atmosphere Stable Isotope Network
Phase 2 - BASIN-II

• http//www.basinisotopes.org/
• Provide information on isotope measurements
• Coordinate communication among groups
• Organize symposia and workshops on isotope
  techniques
• Provides support for students
• Assist with development of isotope standards and
  QA/QC

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The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON)

• Two parts to NEON infrastructure design
• Research Design
• (a) national / multi-regional scale questions
  that require NEONs observational research and
  cyber infrastructure (continental and domain
  toolboxes),
• (b) national/multi-regional scale questions that
  require continental-scale manipulative
  experiments.
• 2. Core Wildland Site Locations
• Identification of a specific location within
  each NEON climate domain where a core wildland
  site should be established. These 20 sites will
  become part of the NEON continental
  infrastructure backbone.

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NEON is an infrastructure program to be funded by
the MREFC account at NSF. 20 climate domains
have been defined for the location of
infrastructure.
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Cast of many
Nate McDowell Dan Murnick Nathaniel Ostrom Diane
Pataki Brian Popp Darren Sandquist Laurel
Saito Alyson Sayer Jed Sparks Heidi Steltzer Leo
Sternberg Paddy Sullyvan Valery Terwilliger Bruce
Vaughn Jeff Welker Blair Wolf
Steve Beaupre Sharon Billings Gabriel Bowen Dave
Bowling Dave Breshears Renee Brooks Jeff
Chanton Todd Dawson David Dettman Rick
Doucett Brian Fry Carol Kendall Jennifer
King Guanghui Lin Stephen Macko John Marshall
BASIN workshops September 16-17, 2004, Park
City December 12, 2004, San Francisco March 1,
2005, Tucson http//basinisotopes.org
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• What should an isotope monitoring network do?
• Generate fundamental data needed to address
  scientific questions in many fields
• Monitor changes in Earths ecological condition
• Stimulate technological innovation
• Educate new scientists and technical experts
• Inform society and policy makers

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Centralized or de-centralized structure?
Centralized Uniformity of measurements, protocol
and quality control
Source Jeff Owen, 2004
De-centralized Local scientific buy-in More
interest in the data,its quality and innovation
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• Isotope monitoring goals
• Assess ecological condition and change
• Identify ecosystem functional or process changes
  using sensitive indicators
• Evaluate success of ecological management or
  environmental mitigation efforts - reference
  areas or reference period

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What should we measure?
Atmospheric measurements N2O
O2/N2 CO2 CH4 Water vapor Particulate OM
Aquatic measurements Dissolved Organic
Material Particulate Organic Material Dissolved
Inorganic Carbon Dissolved Oxygen
(DO) Nitrate Ammonium Oxygen/Argon
Terrestrial measurements Plant leaves, tree
rings Soil OM Animal hair, blood, feathers

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Continuous sampling of integrator Large spatial
integration, simple Transects to identify hot
spots and hot moments
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Isotope Network of Ecological Warning
Signals INEWS
Dave Williams University of Wyoming R. Dave
Evans Washington State University Jim
Ehleringer University of Utah
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INEWS - Isotopes as Sentinels of Change
H2O N
H2O NHx/NOx
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INEWS Tracking isotopes of water and nitrogen at
NEON core wildland sites A sentinel of
hydroecologic and biogeochemical responses to
global change
inputs as a starting point
Changes in source inputs Changes in buffering
capacity Shifts in biogeochemical
processes Changes in structure and
function Integration of disturbance effects
outputs as integrators of change
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Tracking d2H and d18O of H2O at NEON fixed
sites A sensitive indicator of hydroecologic
response to global change

• d2H d18O of precipitation inputs
• Regional scale ET recycling
• Source of atmospheric moisture
• Event drivers of hydroecologic response

• d2H d18O of discharge outputs
• Integration of watershed processes
  (accumulation, recycling, mixing, losses)
• Runoff separation (snowmelt, baseflow, storm)
• Event selection

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Ecosystem inputs Sources of N to ecosystems
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Ecosystem outputs Sources of nitrate in streams
and capacity for ecosystems to process N
Durka et al. Nature 372765
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• What needs to be measured at a fundamental level
  to assist all branches of ecology?
• Figure out how to convince those who will
  benefit from this knowledge that an isotope
  network is needed