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Warren, Jeff

Publications and source records attributed to Warren, Jeff.

Nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in an ombrotrophic peatland: a benchmark for assessing change

Aims Slow decomposition and isolation from groundwater mean that ombrotrophic peatlands store a large amount of soil carbon (C) but have low availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). To better understand the role these limiting nutrients play in determining the C balance of peatland ecosystems, we compile comprehensive N and P budgets for a forested bog in northern Minnesota, USA. Methods N and P within plants, soils, and water are quantified based on field measurements. The resulting empirical dataset are then compared to modern-day, site-level simulations from the peatland land surface version of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (ELM-SPRUCE).

Salmon, Verity G.↗

AI-Constrained Bottom-Up Ecohydrology and Improved Prediction of Seasonal, Interannual, and Decadal Flood and Drought Risks

Focal Areas: (2) Predictive modeling through the use of AI techniques and AI-derived model components; the use of AI and other tools to design a prediction system composed of a hierarchy of models (3)Insight gleaned from complex data (both observed & simulated) using AI, big data analytics, and other advanced methods, including explainable AI and physics- or knowledge-guided AI

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

ORNL FACE Final Harvest, 2009, with data on leaf characteristics and tree mass

During the final year of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiment, 16 trees were felled and processed during July 2009. The trees had been grown for 12 years in ambient or elevated CO2. Two data sets are reported. Leaf characteristics (leaf mass per unit area, leaf thickness, average leaf size, carbon and nitrogen concentrations) are reported for each 1-meter section of the tree crowns in data set "Canopy_subsamples.csv". The measurements were made on approximately 20 subsamples collected from each 1-meter section of the canopy. Wood dry mass, total tree height, basal area, total leaf mass and leaf area are reported in "Tree_harvest.csv", based on field measurements of fresh mass and dry mass to fresh mass ratio of subsamples. The ORNL FACE experiment, including photos of the harvesting activity, is described at: https://richnorby.org/home/face-home/.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Drivers and mechanisms of tree mortality in moist tropical forests

Tree mortality rates appear to be increasing in moist tropical forests (MTFs) with significant carbon cycle consequences. Here, we review the state of knowledge regarding MTF tree mortality, create a conceptual framework with testable hypotheses regarding the drivers, mechanisms and interactions that may underlie increasing MTF mortality rates, and identify the next steps for improved understanding and reduced prediction. Increasing mortality rates are associated with rising temperature and vapor pressure deficit, liana abundance, drought, wind events, fire and, possibly, CO 2 fertilization–induced increases in stand thinning or acceleration of trees reaching larger, more vulnerable heights. The majority of these mortality drivers may kill trees in part through carbon starvation and hydraulic failure. The relative importance of each driver is unknown. High species diversity may buffer MTFs against large–scale mortality events, but recent and expected trends in mortality drivers give reason for concern regarding increasing mortality within MTFs. Models of tropical tree mortality are advancing the representation of hydraulics, carbon and demography, but require more empirical knowledge regarding the most common drivers and their subsequent mechanisms. As a result, we outline critical datasets and model developments required to test hypotheses regarding the underlying causes of increasing MTF mortality rates, and improve prediction of future mortality under climate change.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Refining climate models

Using dogwood trees, Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are gaining a better understanding of the role photosynthesis and respiration play in the atmospheric carbon dioxide cycle. Their findings will aid computer modelers in improving the accuracy of climate simulations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗