The Full Picture

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Global carbon research programme

Human activities have caused a 15 per cent increase in

atmospheric carbon dioxide in the past 40 years and

are set to increase atmospheric CO

levels even more

dramatically in the coming decades. This increase,

coupled with equally dramatic increases in other green-

house gases, is having a profound effect on global

climate, and on terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems.

Regrettably, there is a tremendous gap in our under-

standing of the role of forests in the global carbon

budget, and insufficient evidence on whether temper-

ate and tropical forests behave differently under

changing global conditions.

SIGEO plots provide in situ measures of above- and

below-ground carbon and how it is changing in response

to rising CO

. A recent publication by CTFS scientists

using data from two forest plots with measurements for

over 20 years (BCI, Panama and Pasoh, Malaysia) has

shown that despite increased carbon fertilization, growth

rates of tropical forest trees has decreased. This decrease

is perhaps a response to global warming. Rigorously

generated, long-term data from a global network of plots

will provide critical empirical data for modelling carbon

dynamics in the future. It will also provide direct

measurement of whether efforts to reduce carbon emis-

sions are effective.

Branching out into the temperate zone

Because of differences in seasonality, albedo and other

climate factors, tropical and temperate forests are antic-

ipated to behave differently with regard to changes in

atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and changing

temperatures. Currently no temperate-zone plots follow

the same methodology as the tropical plots but the

SIGEO initiative will take advantage of long-term forest

plot-associated research at the CRC of the Smithsonian

NZP and the SERC to quickly establish a series of large-

scale temperate plots that will permit direct comparison

to the tropical plot network.

Partnerships in temperate China and Europe are

being developed to help expand these temperate-trop-

ical comparisons to a global scale. HSBC has recently

formed a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution

and the Earthwatch Institute to establish a regional

training centre on climate change at SERC.

Scientists at SERC and CRC have a rich and produc-

tive history of conducting long-term environmental

studies such as measuring the effects of atmospheric

on plant and soil microbial communities, biodi-

versity monitoring and assessment, landscape ecology,

and the biology of migratory birds.

Expanding the monitoring programme: looking

beyond the trees

Scientists from CRC, the NMNH, and STRI will signif-

icantly improve assessment of the impact of global

change on biodiversity through focused surveys of verte-

brates, invertebrates and microbes across the global earth

observatories. Standard methods for measuring and

The Smithsonian Institution is uniquely positioned to conduct

interdisciplinary research on complex biological systems at a global

scale. It will do this by expanding and deepening its collaborative

ventures among units including the National Zoological Park’s (NZP)

Conservation and Research Center (CRC), the National Air and

Space Museum (NASM), the National Museum of Natural History

(NMNH), the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), the

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) and STRI.

SIGEO will contribute to fulfilling the strategic plan of the US

Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) and addressing a proposed

CCSP priority of reducing scientific uncertainty about potential

effects of climatic change on ecosystems. Furthermore, the

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working

Group II assessment report has shown the great need for better

observational data on climate change impacts, and has particularly

pointed out the need for systematic and comprehensive observa-

tions that SIGEO will provide.

Finally, the Smithsonian is reaching out to build or strengthen

collaborations with government agencies of the United States includ-

ing the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), US

Geological Survey (USGS), US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Forest Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA). Such efforts are focused particularly on the intergovern-

mental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and the

implementation of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems

(GEOSS). The Smithsonian Institution is interested in expanding

the opportunities for collaboration and partnerships among agen-

cies to maximize the increase and diffusion of knowledge.

The Smithsonian will transform the CTFS network of tropical

forest plots into a system of SIGEO in three primary ways.

Researchers measuring trees at Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Photo: Marcos A. Guerra

GEOSS C

OMPONENTS

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BSERVING

YSTEMS