Increasing the spatial and temporal impact of ecological research: A roadmap for integrating a novel terrestrial process into an Earth system model

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dc.contributor.authorKyker-Snowman, Emilyen
dc.contributor.authorLombardozzi, Danica L.en
dc.contributor.authorBonan, Gordon B.en
dc.contributor.authorCheng, Susan J.en
dc.contributor.authorDukes, Jeffrey S.en
dc.contributor.authorFrey, Serita D.en
dc.contributor.authorJacobs, Elin M.en
dc.contributor.authorMcNellis, Risaen
dc.contributor.authorRady, Joshua M.en
dc.contributor.authorSmith, Nicholas G.en
dc.contributor.authorThomas, R. Quinnen
dc.contributor.authorWieder, William W.en
dc.contributor.authorGrandy, A. Stuarten
dc.contributor.departmentForest Resources and Environmental Conservationen
dc.date.accessioned2021-09-29T20:41:02Zen
dc.date.available2021-09-29T20:41:02Zen
dc.date.issued2021-09-20en
dc.date.updated2021-09-29T20:40:22Zen
dc.description.abstractTerrestrial ecosystems regulate Earth's climate through water, energy, and biogeochemical transformations. Despite a key role in regulating the Earth system, terrestrial ecology has historically been underrepresented in the Earth system models (ESMs) that are used to understand and project global environmental change. Ecology and Earth system modeling must be integrated for scientists to fully comprehend the role of ecological systems in driving and responding to global change. Ecological insights can improve ESM realism and reduce process uncertainty, while ESMs offer ecologists an opportunity to broadly test ecological theory and increase the impact of their work by scaling concepts through time and space. Despite this mutualism, meaningfully integrating the two remains a persistent challenge, in part because of logistical obstacles in translating processes into mathematical formulas and identifying ways to integrate new theories and code into large, complex model structures. To help overcome this interdisciplinary challenge, we present a framework consisting of a series of interconnected stages for integrating a new ecological process or insight into an ESM. First, we highlight the multiple ways that ecological observations and modeling iteratively strengthen one another, dispelling the illusion that the ecologist's role ends with initial provision of data. Second, we show that many valuable insights, products, and theoretical developments are produced through sustained interdisciplinary collaborations between empiricists and modelers, regardless of eventual inclusion of a process in an ESM. Finally, we provide concrete actions and resources to facilitate learning and collaboration at every stage of data-model integration. This framework will create synergies that will transform our understanding of ecology within the Earth system, ultimately improving our understanding of global environmental change and broadening the impact of ecological research.en
dc.description.versionAccepted versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15894en
dc.identifier.eissn1365-2486en
dc.identifier.issn1354-1013en
dc.identifier.orcidThomas, R. Quinn [0000-0003-1282-7825]en
dc.identifier.pmid34543495en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/105114en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherWileyen
dc.relation.urihttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34543495en
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectEarth system modelsen
dc.subjectcollaborative bridgingen
dc.subjectdata-model integrationen
dc.subjectglobal ecologyen
dc.subjecthistory of modelsen
dc.subjectinterdisciplinary workflowen
dc.subjectmodeling across scalesen
dc.subject05 Environmental Sciencesen
dc.subject06 Biological Sciencesen
dc.subjectEcologyen
dc.titleIncreasing the spatial and temporal impact of ecological research: A roadmap for integrating a novel terrestrial process into an Earth system modelen
dc.title.serialGlobal Change Biologyen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
dc.type.otherJournal Articleen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Techen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Natural Resources & Environmenten
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Natural Resources & Environment/Forest Resources and Environmental Conservationen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/University Research Institutesen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/University Research Institutes/Fralin Life Sciencesen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/All T&R Facultyen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Natural Resources & Environment/CNRE T&R Facultyen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/University Research Institutes/Fralin Life Sciences/Durelle Scotten

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