We compared energy fluxes between a site converted from ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest to sparse grassland by a severe wildfire 10 years ago and a nearby, unburned forest. We used eddy covariance and associated instruments to measure total radiation, net radiation, albedo, and fluxes of energy into latent heat, […]
At 6 A.M. on the first day of winter break, a van full of high school stu- dents and teachers set out for Fossil Creek in Arizona to conduct measurements for an ongoing environmental project (which monitors changes to the creek). The group had a long day ahead—hiking about 7 […]
Tillage practices and straw management can affect soil microbial activities with consequences for soil organic carbon (C) dynamics. Microorganisms metabolize soil organic C and in doing so gain energy and building blocks for biosynthesis, and release CO2 to the atmosphere. Insight into the response of microbial metabolic processes and C […]
Permafrost soils contain more than 1300 Pg of carbon (C), twice the amount of C in the atmosphere. Temperatures in higher latitudes are increasing, inducing permafrost thaw and subsequent microbial decomposition of previously frozen C, which will most likely feed back to climate warming through release of the greenhouse gases CO2 […]
A large pool of organic carbon (C) has been accumulating in the Arctic for thousands of years because cold and waterlogged conditions have protected soil organic material from microbial decomposition. As the climate warms this vast and frozen C pool is at risk of being thawed, decomposed, and released to […]
Biofuel crops have relatively low economic value, and potential to grow them with low-cost inputs is essential for economic viability. Use of biosolids as a fertility source has not been explored at the field scale for switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a potential bioenergy crop. This study tested harvest management and […]
Northern Arizona University: PhD and MS positions in Ecosystem Ecology are available in the Center for Ecosystem Science in Society (Ecoss) at Northern Arizona University. The Ecoss mission is to conduct high-impact, innovative research on ecosystems and how they respond to and shape environmental change, to train next-gen scientists, and […]
Winter 2016 Prospective Student Retreat Was Great Ecoss hosted prospective graduate students for a two day visit this winter in February. The next Student Retreat will take place in the winter/spring 2017. Check back here for details as they become available. Attendance was by invitation only, and prospective students had […]
In Alaska: Too Many Fires, Not Enough Snow “Normally a cold winter would help re-freeze the soil and slow the melting of permafrost. But the warmer air might prevent that from happening now…As things warm up, places like Alaska that have a lot of carbon stored in the soil might […]