AJES Blog

This article appears in the Journal of Landscape Ecology.

Colin M. Beier, Stephen A. Signell, Aaron Luttman and Arthur T. DeGaetano

http://www.springerlink.com/content/b866r66086457600/

Abstract

The detection of climate-driven changes in coupled human-natural systems has become a focus of climate research and adaptation efforts around the world. High-resolution gridded historical climate (GHC) products enable analysis of recent climatic changes at the local/regional scales most relevant for research and decision-making, but these fine-scale climate datasets have several caveats. We analyzed two 4 km GHC products to produce high-resolution temperature trend maps for the US Northeast from 1980 to 2009, and compared outputs between products and with an independent climate record. The two products had similar spatial climatologies for mean temperatures, agreed on temporal variability in regionally averaged trends, and agreed that warming has been greater for minimum versus maximum temperatures. Trend maps were highly heterogeneous, i.e., a patchy landscape of warming, cooling and stability that varied by month, but with local-scale anomalies persistent across months (e.g., cooling ‘pockets’ within warming zones). In comparing trend maps between GHC products, we found large local-scale disparities at high elevations and along coastlines; and where weather stations were sparse, a single-station disparity in input data resulted in a large zone of trend map disagreement between products. Preliminary cross-validation with an independent climate record indicated substantial and complex errors for both products. Our analysis provided novel landscape-scale insights on climate change in the US Northeast, but raised questions about scale and sources of uncertainty in high-resolution GHC products and differences among the many products available. Given rapid growth in their use, we recommend exercising caution in the analysis and interpretation of high-resolution climate maps.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS 

JURIED GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT PAPER PROGRAM

Sponsored by the Glenn and Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation

 19^th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks, May 16^th and 17^th, 2012, Lake Placid, NY

The Adirondack Research Consortium is pleased to announce a program highlighting the top research being conducted by graduate and undergraduate students in the Adirondack Park. This recognition will be in the form of a special oral-presentation session at the 19^th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks next May 16^th and 17^th, 2012 at the High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid.  Six student finalists, three undergraduate, and three graduate students will be invited to present their research findings. The top student in each category will then receive additional recognition at the meeting including an award.  Submissions for the student awards are due by April 16, 2012 and should be in the form of an extended abstract as detailed below. We encourage faculty with undergraduate or graduate students conducting research relevant to the Adirondack Park to solicit applications for this program that will draw attention to the high-quality contributions students are making towards our understanding of the region.

 

Guidelines for Extended Abstracts: 

• Any abstracts that do not adhere to guidelines will not be reviewed for the student awards.  It is not necessary to submit a regular abstract in addition to the extended versions. Abstracts that describe work that has not yet been completed are not eligible for these awards.

 

• All abstracts should be submitted electronically as Microsoft Word documents to info@adkresearch.org with the name of the student and the phrase “ARC Student Award Submission” in the e-mail subject heading.

 

• Abstracts should be written with a minimum of 12-point font in a legible text (preferably Arial or Times New Roman) and either 1.5 or double-line spacing. Pages should have a minimum of 1” margins.

 

• The lead author must either be currently a student, or have graduated within a year of the time of submission. The lead author should indicate if they are an undergraduate or graduate student and should identify a major professor familiar with the work.

 

• Abstracts should include a logical title and the list of authors.  The main body of the abstract should be between 500-800 words.  A single table of figure can be included with the extended abstract if appropriate (this should be as an embedded image, not a separate file).  A literature cited section is not necessary. 

 

• For more information please contact Executive Director, Dan Fitts, at 518-327-6276.

 

Review Process:

Following the submission deadline, abstracts will be reviewed by a panel of judges with the top three students in each category being selected for presentation at the Annual Conference.  Review criteria include the relevance of the research to the Adirondack Park, the scientific rigor of the research, the novelty and creativity of the research, and the clarity of written presentation in the abstract. Candidates will be notified within two-weeks of the submission deadline regarding the judge’s decision.

19^thAnnual Conference on the Adirondacks

Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, and the Environment

May 16-17, 2012, High Peaks Resort, Lake Placid, NY 

The Adirondack Research Consortium invites researchers of national, regional, and local expertise to present their latest scientific research at the 19th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks in Lake Placid, NY, on May 16^th & 17^th, 2012.

 

This is an invitation to submit an abstract of a paper to be presented in a panel discussion at the conference. Individuals may also choose to submit an abstract for a poster to be displayed throughout the proceedings which will include an opportunity to meet other conference attendees to discuss it. The Annual Conference on the Adirondacks is a forum for researchers to present current information on natural, social, economic, cultural, and recreational resources, as well as, an opportunity to bring people with diverse backgrounds together in collaborative efforts.

 

You can find an abstract submission forms at www. adkresearch.org or by contacting the Consortium directly.  Electronic submissions are preferred.  The submission deadline is April 16, 2012.

19^th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks

“Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, and the Environment”

May 16^th & 17^th, 2012, High Peaks Resort, Lake Placid, NY

 

Featuring:  Rick Fedrizzi, Green Building Council; Tony Collins, John Mills, and Neil Murphy, “Universities as Economic Engines”; Bob Catell, SmartGrid Consortium; Ed Bogucz, Syracuse CoE; Jerry Jenkins, WCS; ClimAID Report; Mapping the Future; Adirondack Youth Climate Summit; 2012 Adirondack Achievement Award; North Country Sustainability Plan; and, the Juried Student Paper Program sponsored by the Pearsall Foundation.

On the afternoon of May 15^th, 2012 there will be a guided field trip to visit the impacts of Hurricane Irene in the area.

More up-to-date information can be found at http://www.adkresearch.org/conference/or by calling Dan Fitts at 518-327-6276.

Neatrour, Matthew A., Fuller, Randall L., Crossett, Jonathan, and Lynch, Maureen, "Influence of episodic acidification on leaf breakdown in neighboring streams of the western Adirondacks, USA," Journal of Freshwater Ecology 26(3), 365-379, 2011.

Abstract. We tested whether leaf breakdown of American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum) was sensitive to slight differences in episodic acidification. We measured leaf breakdown in four headwater streams within the Adirondack Mountains, New York, USA, in summer and autumn 2005. We also investigated whether episodic acidification influenced the breakdown of beech and maple in leaf litter mixtures in autumn. Breakdown of maple was faster than that of beech for both summer and autumn, and species mixtures did not affect the breakdown rates of maple or beech. Breakdown rates of maple but not beech were highest in the circumneutral stream, but only in summer. Although microbial respiration rate for maple was greatest in the circumneutral stream in autumn, both maple and beech breakdown in autumn were greatest in one of the episodically acidified streams. Higher discharge and a greater proportion of riffle areas in this stream probably led to greater physical fragmentation rates in autumn when discharge was higher but not during summer. Due to this discrepancy between summer and autumn, we suggest that leaf breakdown should be used in combination with other functional metrics (e.g., microbial respiration) to assess the response of stream ecosystems to anthropogenic disturbances.

To download a PDF copy, link here.