A metadata reporting framework (FRAMES) for synthesis of ecohydrological observations

Metadata describe the ancillary information needed for data preservation and independent interpretation, comparison across heterogeneous datasets, and quality assessment and quality control (QA/QC). Environmental observations are vastly diverse in type and structure, can be taken across a wide range of spatiotemporal scales in a variety of measurement settings and approaches, and saved in multiple formats. Thus, well-organized, consistent metadata are required to produce usable data products from diverse environmental observations collected across field sites. However, existing metadata reporting protocols do not support the complex data synthesis and model-data integration needs of interdisciplinary earth system research. We developed a metadata reporting framework (FRAMES) to enable management and synthesis of observational data that are essential in advancing a predictive understanding of earth systems. FRAMES utilizes best practices for data and metadata organization enabling consistent data reporting and compatibility with a variety of standardized data protocols. We used an iterative scientist-centered design process to develop FRAMES, resulting in a data reporting format that incorporates existing field practices to maximize data-entry efficiency. Thus, FRAMES has a modular organization that streamlines metadata reporting and can be expanded to incorporate additional data types. With FRAMES\u27s multi-scale measurement position hierarchy, data can be reported at observed spatial resolutions and then easily aggregated and linked across measurement types to support model-data integration. FRAMES is in early use by both data originators (persons generating data) and consumers (persons using data and metadata). In this paper, we describe FRAMES, identify lessons learned, and discuss areas of future development

A reporting format for leaf-level gas exchange data and metadata

Leaf-level gas exchange data support the mechanistic understanding of plant fluxes of carbon and water. These fluxes inform our understanding of ecosystem function, are an important constraint on parameterization of terrestrial biosphere models, are necessary to understand the response of plants to global environmental change, and are integral to efforts to improve crop production. Collection of these data using gas analyzers can be both technically challenging and time consuming, and individual studies generally focus on a small range of species, restricted time periods, or limited geographic regions. The high value of these data is exemplified by the many publications that reuse and synthesize gas exchange data, however the lack of metadata and data reporting conventions make full and efficient use of these data difficult. Here we propose a reporting format for leaf-level gas exchange data and metadata to provide guidance to data contributors on how to store data in repositories to maximize their discoverability, facilitate their efficient reuse, and add value to individual datasets. For data users, the reporting format will better allow data repositories to optimize data search and extraction, and more readily integrate similar data into harmonized synthesis products. The reporting format specifies data table variable naming and unit conventions, as well as metadata characterizing experimental conditions and protocols. For common data types that were the focus of this initial version of the reporting format, i.e., survey measurements, dark respiration, carbon dioxide and light response curves, and parameters derived from those measurements, we took a further step of defining required additional data and metadata that would maximize the potential reuse of those data types. To aid data contributors and the development of data ingest tools by data repositories we provided a translation table comparing the outputs of common gas exchange instruments. Extensive consultation with data collectors, data users, instrument manufacturers, and data scientists was undertaken in order to ensure that the reporting format met community needs. The reporting format presented here is intended to form a foundation for future development that will incorporate additional data types and variables as gas exchange systems and measurement approaches advance in the future. The reporting format is published in the U.S. Department of Energy's ESS-DIVE data repository, with documentation and future development efforts being maintained in a version control system

Realising Global Water Futures: a Summary of Progress in Delivering Solutions to Water Threats in an Era of Global Change

Canada First Research Excellence FundNon-Peer ReviewedOver the past six years the Global Water Futures program has produced a wide range of scientific findings and engagements with multiple types of potential users of the research. This briefing book provides a snapshot of some of the science advancements and user engagement that have taken place to date. Annual reports to the funding agency are the most up to date source of information: this compilation has been created from reports submitted by projects in 2022, representing both completed and current project work. The briefing book aims to provide quick access to information about GWF projects in a single place for GWF’s User Advisory Panel: we hope that knowing more about the research being produced will spark conversations about how to make the best use of the new knowledge in both policy and practice

Ecohidrologia de Espécies Arbóreas de Terra Firme na Amazônia

The Amazon is the largest tropical forest in the world with great importance in the global biogeochemical cycles. Under climate change scenarios, a mechanistic understanding of the water cycle from individual trees to landscapes is needed to predict changes in the forest structure and function. In the Amazon basin, an estimated 25-50% of precipitation is recycled back to the atmosphere through forest transpiration. At the leaf level, transpiration flux is a function of vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and stomatal conductance (gs), according to Fick’s laws of diffusion. Also, leaf temperature (Tleaf), net radiation, and soil moisture are often considered important. In this study, we present in situ field observations of environmental (direct solar radiation, air temperature, and VPD) and physiological (sap velocity, stomatal conductance, and leaf water potential) variables and their correlations with Tleaf during the 2015-2016 ENSO and the regular seasons 2017 and 2018. In order to observe the interactions between physiological variables and fast-changing environmental conditions, we collected a high temporal frequency data (15-60 min) in two primary rainforest sites one located in the Central Amazon within the limits of the Experimental Station of Tropical Forestry (ZF-2) near the K-34 tower site, and another in the Eastern Amazon within the limits of the Tapajós National Forest at the the K-67 tower site. Our study shows that the interactions between the observed environmental and physiological variables can be explained by the hysteresis phenomena. The temporal difference between the peak of stomatal conductance (late morning to midday) and the peak of VPD (early afternoon) is one of the major regulators of the sap velocity hysteresis patterns. Also, for the first time, the hysteresis patterns between Tleaf and Tair were described. During the 2015-2016 ENSO, the differences between Tleaf and air temperature (Tair) reached almost 8°C, and generally, Tleaf was higher than Tair during the morning period to early afternoon, and lower than Tair during the late afternoon and night. With the leaf temperature data, it was possible to calculate the true VPD (ΔVPD), which is the pressure gradient between the substomatal cavity and the boundary layer of the air near the leaf surface. The complexity of the observed physiological and environmental variables that can affect the transpiration dynamics reinforces the importance of detailed analyzes during periods of climatic anomalies such as El Niño. The presented data can provide new perspectives for the improvement of current Earth System Models (ESMs).A floresta amazônica é a maior floresta tropical do mundo e possui grande importância nos fluxos globais de água e carbono, ocupando papel importante nos cenários futuros de mudança climática. Para se ter uma maior compreensão dos ciclos da água e do carbono, um melhor entendimento acerca das interações entre a fisiologia das plantas e fatores ambientais se faz necessário. Estima-se que cerca de 25-50 % da precipitação na bacia Amazônica é reciclada de volta para a atmosfera por meio da transpiração da floresta. Os mecanismos envolvidos na transpiração de espécies vegetais, embora sejam bem descritos na literatura, carecem de informações nas regiões tropicais, especialmente na Amazônia. O objetivo principal desta tese de doutoramento foi analisar a dinâmica da transpiração de árvores de terra firme da Amazônia e os fatores que a controlam. Para isto, o estudo foi conduzido em duas áreas distintas: uma na Amazônia Central dentro dos limites da Estação Experimental de Silvicultura Tropical (ZF-2) no sítio da torre K-34, e outra na Amazônia Oriental, dentro dos limites da Floresta Nacional do Tapajós, no sítio da torre K-67. Nos dois sítios as árvores-amostra foram sensorizadas numa alta intensidade temporal de coleta de dados (intervalos de 5 a 30 minutos) e também submetidas a experimentos de 12 horas de duração (curvas diárias). As variáveis obtidas foram: velocidade de seiva xilemática (cm hr-1), intensidade de luz direta (W m-2), temperatura foliar (°C), temperatura do ar (°C), déficit de pressão de vapor (VPD), potencial hídrico foliar (ΨL), condutância estomática (gs), além de parâmetros dendrométricos tais como o diâmetro à altura do peito (DAP), altura total (Ht) e a posição da árvore no dossel. Os dados foram coletados nos anos de 2015, 2016, 2017 e 2018, somando um total de quatro anos e 21 árvores estudadas. O biênio 2015-2016 esteve sob influência de um forte El Niño. Muitas análises utilizaram este período como comparativo, uma vez que as árvores foram expostas à níveis drásticos de seca e altas temperaturas. Verificou-se que a dinâmica da transpiração é governada pelo fenômeno de histerese. Esta histerese pode ser descrita como o resultado do deslocamento temporal da radiação solar direta, que tende a apresentar seus máximos perto do final da manhã, e o VPD que tende a apresentar seus valores máximos no começo da tarde. Além da transpiração, o fenômeno de histerese também rege a dinâmica de duas importantes variáveis: a temperatura do ar e a temperatura foliar. Com os dados de temperatura foliar é possível calcular o verdadeiro VPD (ΔVPD), sendo o gradiente de pressão entre a folha e a atmosfera. Além disto, verificou-se que durante o El Niño 2015-2016 a temperatura foliar diferiu da temperatura do ar numa ordem de até 8℃. A complexidade das variáveis fisiológicas e ambientais que podem afetar a dinâmica da transpiração, como demonstrado, reforça a importância de análises detalhadas durante períodos de anomalias climáticas como o El Niño. Estes dados fornecem novas perspectivas para o aprimoramento dos modelos climáticos atuais

Evaluating the Impact of Nature-Based Solutions: Appendix of Methods

The Handbook aims to provide decision-makers with a comprehensive NBS impact assessment framework, and a robust set of indicators and methodologies to assess impacts of nature-based solutions across 12 societal challenge areas: Climate Resilience; Water Management; Natural and Climate Hazards; Green Space Management; Biodiversity; Air Quality; Place Regeneration; Knowledge and Social Capacity Building for Sustainable Urban Transformation; Participatory Planning and Governance; Social Justice and Social Cohesion; Health and Well-being; New Economic Opportunities and Green Jobs. Indicators have been developed collaboratively by representatives of 17 individual EU-funded NBS projects and collaborating institutions such as the EEA and JRC, as part of the European Taskforce for NBS Impact Assessment, with the four-fold objective of: serving as a reference for relevant EU policies and activities; orient urban practitioners in developing robust impact evaluation frameworks for nature-based solutions at different scales; expand upon the pioneering work of the EKLIPSE framework by providing a comprehensive set of indicators and methodologies; and build the European evidence base regarding NBS impacts. They reflect the state of the art in current scientific research on impacts of nature-based solutions and valid and standardized methods of assessment, as well as the state of play in urban implementation of evaluation frameworks

Strengthening Connections Between Science and Public Policy: Forest Conversion in the Tropics and Associated Impacts on Forest Cover and Hydrology

Despite the prevailing assumption that hydrological flow variation is amplified and runoff increased with deforestation, evidence behind these claims is limited for very moist tropical regions. Data derived from field observations are needed to productively manage forested watersheds, optimize global climate models, and inform policymaking. First, I used a case study from mature forest and crop fields in Costa Rica to improve understanding of hydrological effects of forest conversion in tropical forests. Furthermore, I conducted a systematic review of the impact of public policies on forest cover in Mesoamerica. Examining micrometeorological differences between mature forest and cropland, leaf wetness duration (LWD) was 5 times longer in the forest. Within crop species, papaya dried significantly slower than the shorter taro and sweet potato. Average daily evapotranspiration (ETcrop) as calculated by the FAO56 modified Penman-Monteith crop coefficient method was 2.75 mm for forest compared to crop values for papaya (1.83), taro (1.76), and sweet potato (1.43). These results suggest the possibility of higher runoff and alteration of rainfall recycling in the humid tropics following forest conversion to cropland. Canopy height and LWD seemed to be good indicators of differences in ETcrop. In order to successfully protect forests, the public policy type most likely to result in positive effects was market-based conservation, as zero cases were linked to increased deforestation or decreased forest cover. 81% of the community based management policy cases and 66% of the protected areas cases were positive. 83% of the agricultural policy cases resulted in more deforestation. In order to increase effectiveness of forest conservation strategies, scientific reporting, such as this study, contributes knowledge to help inform policy. It can be inferred that longer LWD is associated with higher evapotranspiration of intercepted rainfall and lower runoff ratios in tropical forests compared to croplands. Therefore future policy directed at hydrological services should consider estimates of runoff from agricultural conversion in their decision-making process and target watersheds with high flood hazard potentials associated with large-scale deforestation