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At least 991 records · Page 55

Second Analysis Ecosystem Workshop Report

The second workshop on the HEP Analysis Ecosystem took place 23-25 May 2022 at IJCLab in Orsay, to look at progress and continuing challenges in scaling up HEP analysis to meet the needs of HL-LHC and DUNE, as well as the very pressing needs of LHC Run 3 analysis. The workshop was themed around six particular topics, which were felt to capture key questions, opportunities and challenges. Each topic arranged a plenary session introduction, often with speakers summarising the state-of-the art and the next steps for analysis. This was then followed by parallel sessions, which were much more discussion focused, and where attendees could grapple with the challenges and propose solutions that could be tried. Where there was significant overlap between topics, a joint discussion between them was arranged. In the weeks following the workshop the session conveners wrote this document, which is a summary of the main discussions, the key points raised and the conclusions and outcomes. The document was circulated amongst the participants for comments before being finalised here.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

The Neurodata Without Borders ecosystem for neurophysiological data science

The neurophysiology of cells and tissues are monitored electrophysiologically and optically in diverse experiments and species, ranging from flies to humans. Understanding the brain requires integration of data across this diversity, and thus these data must be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). This requires a standard language for data and metadata that can coevolve with neuroscience. We describe design and implementation principles for a language for neurophysiology data. Our open-source software (Neurodata Without Borders, NWB) defines and modularizes the interdependent, yet separable, components of a data language. We demonstrate NWB’s impact through unified description of neurophysiology data across diverse modalities and species. NWB exists in an ecosystem, which includes data management, analysis, visualization, and archive tools. Thus, the NWB data language enables reproduction, interchange, and reuse of diverse neurophysiology data. More broadly, the design principles of NWB are generally applicable to enhance discovery across biology through data FAIRness.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Does elevated atmospheric CO 2 affect soil carbon burial and soil weathering in a forest ecosystem?

Most experimental studies measuring the effects of climate change on terrestrial C cycling have focused on processes that occur at relatively short time scales (up to a few years). However, climate-soil C interactions are influenced over much longer time scales by bioturbation and soil weathering affecting soil fertility, ecosystem productivity, and C storage. Elevated CO 2 can increase belowground C inputs and stimulate soil biota, potentially affecting bioturbation, and can decrease soil pH which could accelerate soil weathering rates. To determine whether we could resolve any changes in bioturbation or C storage, we investigated soil profiles collected from ambient and elevated-CO 2 plots at the Free-Air Carbon-Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) forest site at Oak Ridge National Laboratory after 11 years of 13 C-depleted CO 2 release. Profiles of organic carbon concentration, δ 13 C values, and activities of 137 Cs, 210 Pb, and 226 Ra were measured to ~30 cm depth in replicated soil cores to evaluate the effects of elevated CO 2 on these parameters. Bioturbation models based on fitting advection-diffusion equations to 137 Cs and 210 Pb profiles showed that ambient and elevated-CO 2 plots had indistinguishable ranges of apparent biodiffusion constants, advection rates, and soil mixing times, although apparent biodiffusion constants and advection rates were larger for 137 Cs than for 210 Pb as is generally observed in soils. Temporal changes in profiles of δ 13 C values of soil organic carbon (SOC) suggest that addition of new SOC at depth was occurring at a faster rate than that implied by the net advection term of the bioturbation model. Ratios of ( 210 Pb/ 226 Ra) may indicate apparent soil mixing cells that are consistent with biological mechanisms, possibly earthworms and root proliferation, driving C addition and the mixing of soil between ~4 cm and ~18 cm depth. Lastly, burial of SOC by soil mixing processes could substantially increase the net long-term storage of soil C and should be incorporated in soil-atmosphere interaction models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Identification, definition and mapping of terrestrial ecosystems in interior Alaska

The author has identified the following significant results. A reconstituted, simulated color-infrared print, enlarged to a scale of 1:250,000, was used to make a vegetation map of a 3,110 sq km area just west of Fairbanks, Alaska. Information was traced from the print which comprised the southeastern part of ERTS-1 scene 1033-21011. A 1:1,000,000 scale color-infrared transparency of this scene, obtained from NASA, was used along side the print as an aid in recognizing colors, color intensities and blends, and mosaics of different colors. Color units on the transparency and print were identified according to vegetation types using NASA air photos, U.S. Forest Service air photos, and experience of the investigator. Five more or less pure colors were identified and associated with vegetation types. These colors were designated according to their appearances on the print: (1) orange for forest vegetation dominated by broad-leaved trees: (2) gray for forest vegetation dominated by needle-leaved trees; (3) violet for scrub vegetation; (4) light violet denoting herbaceous tundra vegetation; and (5) dull violet for muskeg vegetation. This study has shown, through close examinations of the NASA transparency, that much more detailed vegetation landscape, or ecosystem maps could be produced, if only spectral signatures could be consistently and reliably recognized and transferred to a map of suitable scale.

Anderson, J. H.↗

Identification, definition and mapping of terrestrial ecosystems in interior Alaska

The author has identified the following significant results. The primary objective is to identify and analyze vegetation types in as great of detail as possible on ERTS-1 imagery and to classify and delineate them through mapping. This is basic to the identification, definition, and mapping of ecosystems. Major conclusions are: (1) the ERTS-1 system is useful for regional scale studies of broadly defined Alaskan vegetation types; (2) the resolution and spectral capabilities of ERTS-1 MSS imagery in photographic formats is adequate for certain phytecenologic purposes; and (3) preparation of an improved State vegetation map will be feasible.

Anderson, J. H.↗

The remote sensing of aquatic macrophytes Part 1: Color-infrared aerial photography as a tool for identification and mapping of littoral vegetation. Part 2: Aerial photography as a quantitative tool for the investigation of aquatic ecosystems

Research was initiated to use aerial photography as an investigative tool in studies that are part of an intensive aquatic ecosystem research effort at Lake Wingra, Madison, Wisconsin. It is anticipated that photographic techniques would supply information about the growth and distribution of littoral macrophytes with efficiency and accuracy greater than conventional methods.

Gustafson, T. D.↗

Stochastic stability and instability of model ecosystems

In this work, we initiate a stability study of multispecies communities in stochastic environment by using Ito's differential equations as community models. By applying the direct method of Liapunov, we obtain sufficient conditions for stability and instability in the mean of the equilibrium populations. The conditions are expressed in terms of the dominant diagonal property of community matrices, which is a suitable mechanism for resolving the central problem of 'complexity vs stability' in model ecosystems. As a by-product of this analysis we exhibit important structural properties of the stochastic density-dependent models, and establish tolerance of community stability to a broad class of nonlinear time-varying perturbations.

Ladde, G. S.↗

Ten-Ecosystem Study (TES) site 9, Washington County, Missouri

The author has identified the following significant results. Sufficient spectral separability exists among softwood, hardwood, grassland, and water to develop a level 2 classification and inventory. Using the tested automatic data processing technology, softwood and grassland signatures can be extended across the county with acceptable accuracy; with more dense sampling, the hardwood signature probably could also be extended. Fall was found to be the best season for mapping this ecosystem.

Echert, W. H.↗

ETEKOS experimental ecosystem

A description is given of an experimental ecosystem, or Etekos, which was developed at the Moscow University. The experiment lasted about one year, and the results obtained are itemized.

Alekseyev, V. V.↗

Ten-Ecosystem Study

Remote sensing methodology developed for the Nationwide Forestry Applications Program utilize computer data processing procedures for performing inventories from satellite imagery. The Ten-Ecosystem Study (TES) was developed to test the processing procedures in an intermediate-sized application study. The results of TES indicate that LANDSAT multispectral imagery and associated automatic data processing techniques can be used to distinguish softwood, hardwood, grassland, and water and make inventory of these classes with an accuracy of 70 percent or better. The technical problems encountered during the TES and the solutions and insights to these problems are discussed. The TES experience is useful in planning subsequent inventories utilizing remote sensing technology.

Mazade, A. V.↗

Mechanisms of nitrogen retention in forest ecosystems - A field experiment

Intensive forest management led to elevated losses of nitrogen from a recently harvested loblolly pine plantation in North Carolina. Measurements of nitrogen-15 retention in the field demonstrated that microbial uptake of nitrogen during the decomposition of residual organic material was the most important process retaining nitrogen. Management practices that remove this material cause increased losses of nitrogen to aquatic ecosystems and the atmosphere.

Vitousek, P. M.↗

Biochemical processes in sagebrush ecosystems: Interactions with terrain

The objectives of a biogeochemical study of sagebrush ecosystems in Wyoming and their interactions with terrain are as follows: to describe the vegetational pattern on the landscape and elucidate controlling variables, to measure the soil properties and chemical cycling properties associated with the vegetation units, to associate soil properties with vegetation properties as measured on the ground, to develop remote sensing capabilities for vegetation and surface characteristics of the sagebrush landscape, to develop a system of sensing snow cover and indexing seasonal soil to moisture; and to develop relationships between temporal Thematic Mapper (TM) data and vegetation phenological state.

Matson, P.↗

The global forest ecosystem as viewed by ERS-1, SIR-C and EOS

A program is presented to perform coordinated global experiments designed to use the unique features of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors such as the ones on ERS-1, SIR-C and EOS to characterize the physical nature of forest stands as input to global ecosystem and climatology models. Details about the objectives, program and expected results are presented.

Sieber, A. J.↗

Estimating key forest ecosystem parameters through remote sensing

Forest canopy chemistry and biomass indicators of ecosystem photosynthesis and decomposition processes are presently studied in view of Airborne Imaging Spectrometer data, which generated spectra from averaged 3 x 3 pixel areas for each of 20 sites for mutual qualitative comparison. Vegetation spectra were strongly differentiated from other cover types by an apparent absorption feature at 1500-1700 nm. Preliminary work with stepwise regression suggests that lignin may play a role in canopy reflectance, and that there is potential for remote detection of forest canopy lignin.

Wessman, Carol A.↗

A large-scale perspective on ecosystems

Interactions between ecological elements must be better understood in order to construct an ecological life support system in space. An index was devised to describe the complexity of material cyclings within a given ecosystem. It was then applied to the cyclings of bioelements in various systems of material cyclings including the whole Earth and national economies. The results show interesting characteristics of natural and man-made systems.

Mizutani, Hiroshi↗

Biological invasion by Myrica faya alters ecosystem development in Hawaii

The exotic nitrogen-fixing tree Myrica faya invades young volcanic sites where the growth of native plants is limited by a lack of nitrogen. Myrica quadruples the amount of nitrogen entering certain sites and increases the overall biological availability of nitrogen, thereby altering the nature of ecosystem development after volcanic eruptions.

Vitousek, Peter M.↗

Characterizing forest ecosystem dynamics through modelling and remote sensing observations

To gain a better understanding of northern/boreal forest dynamics over a range of spatial and temporal scales, an approach to integrate models of forest growth, soil processes and radiative transfer with remote sensing observations was developed. The integrated model and remote sensing can be used to examine descriptors of ecosystem dynamics. To examine the scaling of vegetation pattern from the local to the regional domain, distributions of area and perimeters of vegetation community associations were determined from satellite and aircraft images. Relationships between computed fractal dimensions (1.5 to 1.8) and succession history for managed and unmanaged areas are being explored.

Ranson, K. J.↗