Dear colleagues, If you are attending ESA 2017, we hope you will join us at our Ignite session, "Ecology in a 400+ ppm CO2 World: Which Processes and Questions Should Rise to the Forefront of Global Change Science?"
In this session, we'll hear 5-minute talks about how we can better approach global change ecology as CO2 continues to rise above 400 ppm (Mauna Loa made its first measurement above 410 ppm this year). As ecologists, how do we adjust and prioritize our research questions and methods in a 400+ ppm world? We will discuss potential solutions through talks, a panel discussion, and a Q&A with the audience. Below is our list of panelists and the abstract to our session. We hope to see you there! Session Title: Ecology in a 400+ ppm CO2 World: Which Processes and Questions Should Rise to the Forefront of Global Change Science? Session Link: https://eco.confex.com/eco/2017/webprogram/Session13170.html <https://eco.confex.com/eco/2017/webprogram/Session13170.html> Date/Time: Friday, August 11, 2017: 10:00 AM-11:30 AM Location: C124, Oregon Convention Center Session description: In 2016, monthly atmospheric CO2 concentrations passed 400 ppm for the first time in human history. Shortly thereafter, the first CO2 measurement above 410 ppm was recorded in 2017. As ecologists, how do we adjust and prioritize our research questions and methods in a 400+ ppm world? In this session, we will explore how we evaluate, choose, and rank the ecological processes and questions that are fundamental to Earth’s current and future climate. Speed talks by global change biologists and modelers will review the history and current implementation of ecological processes within Earth system models, including the difficulties involved in translating field data into model improvements. Presenters will also discuss how they prioritize particular ecological processes in global change research and Earth system model development. Following talks, a panel discussion and Q&A with the audience will explore the limits to our current approaches for understanding ecology-global change feedbacks, and what changes we should, or should not, consider making as our world responds to a 400+ ppm atmosphere. Presenters: - R. Quinn Thomas (Virginia Tech), "Evaluating the present and future of ecology in Earth system models" - Danica Lombardozzi (National Center for Atmospheric Research), "An ecologist’s approach to Earth system modeling: Can nighttime conductance be simulated?" - Caroline Farrior (University of Texas at Austin), " What would the plant do? Predicting contributions of plants to the global carbon cycle though adaptive dynamics of plant traits" - Lisa Turner (Virginia Commonwealth University), "Canopy structural complexity shapes ecosystem function: The case for adding canopy complexity into Earth System Models" - A. Stuart Grandy (University of New Hampshire), "Microbial communities are needed to accurately predict future N mineralization dynamics" - Alison Marklein (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab), "Ecological modeling for food security in a changing climate" - Erica Smithwick (The Pennsylvania State University), "World on fire: Using models to forecast ecosystem state change from human-climate-fire interactions" - Leonardo Calle (Montana State University), " History of the land: Challenges in modeling the effects of land use change and land management on the global carbon cycle" - Yiqi Luo (University of Oklahoma), "Does nitrogen limit CO2 fertilization effects?" Safe travels! Susan Cheng, Cornell University Nick Smith, Texas Tech University Will Wieder, National Center for Atmospheric Research
