Award Abstract #0628687
Interactions Between Water, Energy and Carbon Dynamics as Predictors of Canopy to Ecosystem Scale Vegetation Pattern and Function in a Changing Environment

NSF Org:	AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
Initial Amendment Date:	September 2, 2006
Latest Amendment Date:	September 2, 2006
Award Number:	0628687
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Liming Zhou AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date:	October 1, 2006
Expires:	September 30, 2010 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$1650000
Investigator(s):	Praveen Kumar kumar1@uiuc.edu (Principal Investigator) Stephen Long (Co-Principal Investigator) Xin-Zhong Liang (Co-Principal Investigator) Murugesu Sivapalan (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign SUITE A CHAMPAIGN, IL 61820 217/333-2187
NSF Program(s):	BE: CARBON & WATER IN ES
Field Application(s):	0000099 Other Applications NEC
Program Reference Code(s):	EGCH, 9189, 7310, 7241, 5740, 1692, 1689, 1527, 1389
Program Element Code(s):	7310

ABSTRACT

This project seeks to adopt an eco-hydrologic approach that gives recognition to three related but distinct elements that shape the dynamic interactions between vegetation form and functioning with the coupled water, energy and carbon cycles. These elements are that vegetation functions in an optimum way under given environmental conditions (optimality), the vegetation modifies its strategy under stress for maximizing carbon dioxide (CO2)-assimilation (acclimatization), and that such changes lead to nonlinear feedbacks between water, vegetation and energy exchanges that may lead to specific regimes or patterns being expressed (complexity).

The main objectives of this research are: 1) Define and test the hypotheses on optimality, acclimatization, and complexity for a variety of ecosystems. 2) Develop a dynamic predictive model that is based on the principles of optimality, acclimatization, and complexity for characterizing the water, energy, and vegetation characteristics from the canopy to the ecosystem scale. 3) Explore the relationship between water, energy, and carbon cycles at various spatial and temporal scales under the scenarios of human and climate induced disturbance. The ultimate product of the project will be a new land surface model system that can incorporate dynamic and evolving vegetation patterns and behavior, which can then be incorporated in a new generation of global or regional climate models. Broader impact includes student and post-doc training, summer school involvement of undergraduate minority students in research training.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

Dominguez, F; Kumar, P. "Precipitation Recycling Variability and Ecoclimatological Stability - A Study Using NARR Data. Part I: Central U. S. Plains Ecoregion," JOURNAL OF CLIMATE, v.21, 2008, p. 5165-5186. 

Dominguez, F; Kumar, P; Vivoni, ER. "Precipitation Recycling Variability and Ecoclimatological Stability - A Study Using NARR Data. Part II: North American Monsoon Region," JOURNAL OF CLIMATE, v.21, 2008, p. 5187-5203. 

Dominguez, F; Kumar, P; Vivoni, ER. "Precipitation recycling variability and ecoclimatological stability - A study using NARR data. Part I: Central U. S. plains ecoregion (vol 21, pg 5165, 2008)," JOURNAL OF CLIMATE, v.22, 2009, p. 1326-1326. 

Dominguez, F; Kumar, P; Vivoni, ER. "Precipitation recycling variability and ecoclimatological stability - A study using NARR data. Part II: North American monsoon region (vol 21, pg 5187, 2008)," JOURNAL OF CLIMATE, v.22, 2009, p. 1326-1326. 

Harman, C; Sivapalan, M. "A similarity framework to assess controls on shallow subsurface flow dynamics in hillslopes," WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH, v.45, 2009. 

Harman, C; Sivapalan, M. "Effects of hydraulic conductivity variability on hillslope-scale shallow subsurface flow response and storage-discharge relations," WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH, v.45, 2009. 

Harman, CJ; Sivapalan, M; Kumar, P. "Power law catchment-scale recessions arising from heterogeneous linear small-scale dynamics," WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH, v.45, 2009. 

Ruddell, BL; Kumar, P. "Ecohydrologic process networks: 1. Identification," WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH, v.45, 2009. 

Ruddell, BL; Kumar, P. "Ecohydrologic process networks: 2. Analysis and characterization," WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH, v.45, 2009. 

Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.