Integrating theory and observation towards usable knowledge using the NEON platform

Background/Question/Methods

As the world enters the Anthropocene Era, our planet’s climate and environment are changing rapidly, and biological responses are accelerating, thus placing critical ecosystem services at risk. Understanding and forecasting how ecosystems will change requires understanding the sensitivity of ecosystems to change, information that is often measured from the spatial covariance of ecological properties and climate or other environmental variables.  As rates of environmental change accelerate, the information about environmental sensitivity inherent in these spatial covariances will disappear, while data to support understanding and decisionmakingbecome ever more important.  The information content of distributional data obtained now is thus greater than data obtained further into the future, lending urgency to the need for innovative observing approaches.  New observing systems and remote sensing technologies can make major contributions, allowing mapping of critical ecological variables.

Results/Conclusions

The quicker these new observatories and technologies are implemented, the more valuable the data collected will be.