Source: UNIVERSITY OF MAINE submitted to NRP
FOREST SOILS AND ECOSYSTEMS IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF CHANGE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
MCINTIRE-STENNIS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1019534
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2019
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2024
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE
(N/A)
ORONO,ME 04469
Performing Department
School of Forest Resources
Non Technical Summary
This research program studies the biogeochemical response of cool, temperate forested watersheds to environmental change, emphasizing the effects of atmospheric deposition and climate change on relatively long-term timeframes (i.e., multi-decadal). The project relies heavily, but not solely, on the paired watershed approach. The project leverages long-term studies at the Bear Brook Watershed in Maine, our paired watersheds in Acadia National Park, and an extensive network of lake watersheds throughout Maine in the US EPA's Long-Term Lake Monitoring (LTM) program, along with forest plots, greenhouse and laboratory studies, and numerical modeling to gain insights on ecosystem function in response to environmental change on long and short time scales. This research focuses on understanding biogeochemical processes fundamental to sustaining ecosystem services in the 21st century while supporting the education of undergraduate and graduate students and communicating the science to inform societal and public policy needs.
Animal Health Component
70%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
30%
Applied
70%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1020320107025%
1020110107050%
1020210107025%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships;

Subject Of Investigation
0320 - Watersheds; 0110 - Soil; 0210 - Water resources;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;
Goals / Objectives
During the next 5-year period, the primary objectives of this project will emphasize long-term multi-decadal responses to our changing chemical and physical environment. The research will build on our existing long-term research sites that include paired watershed studies (Bear Brook Watershed in Maine (BBWM), Acadia) and extensive networks of lake watersheds (Long-Term Lake Monitoring - LTM) to achieve project goals. In addition, laboratory, greenhouse, and plot studies are likely to be incorporated as the research develops, typical of the approach taken by this program over the past three decades. More specifically, the goals are as follows:1. Define biogeochemical 'recovery' of forested watersheds (e.g., soils, biota, lakes) as they respond to dramatic reductions in atmospheric N and S deposition in Maine that reflect responses to policy (i.e., the Clean Air Act) and societal change.2. Define multi-decadal biogeochemical responses of forested watersheds (e.g., soils, biota, lakes) to a changing climate (i.e., warming temperatures, intensified hydrologic cycles, and changing winters) and the interaction of those changes with declining N and S deposition.3. Define carbon (C) dynamics in these forested watersheds (e.g., soils, biota, lakes) because of the importance of forested landscapes as sources or sinks (i.e., sequestration) of greenhouse gases.
Project Methods
The overall approach in this project is based on a foundation of long-term research programs that define key biogeochemical processes governing short and long-term responses of ecosystems to environmental change. We conduct hypothesis testing about ecosystem function using the long-term data, as well as discrete short-term studies, often around graduate student programs. Some of the work of this project is truly multi-decadal; it has been ongoing and will continue for decades, well beyond the upcoming 5-year project period. Some of the work is defined at the outset of the project period, but specific studies that evolve later in the project period are not currently known and will be influenced by student interests and available funding.

Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Scientific community through publications and policy-makers through outreach. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project continues to support the research of one graduate student fully, and a second for part of their research focus. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes, through publications and presentations. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continued limited stream chemistry monitoring until the pandemic subsides and work on data and manuscripts.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We continued limited baselines stream monitoring this year due to both a drought that reduced streamflow, and restrictions from COVID-19. We published datasets from this long-term study and the first paper reporting on ecosystem recovery in the treated watershdd.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Bai, Xue, Ivan J. Fernandez. 2020. Comparing publicly available databases to evaluate soil organic carbon in Maine, USA. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 1-15 DOI:10.1002/saj2.20123.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Hazlett, Paul, Caroline Emilson, Gregory Lawrence, Ivan Fernandez, Rock Ouimet, and Scott Bailey. 2020. Reversal of forest soil acidification in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada: site and soil factors contributing to recovery. Soil Systems 4, 54; doi:10.3390/soilsystems4030054.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Puhlick, Joshua J. and Ivan J. Fernandez. 2020. Influence of mechanized timber harvesting on soil compaction in northern hardwood forests. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. DOI: 10.1002/saj2.20127.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Puhlick, Joshua J., Aaron R. Weiskittel, Laura Kenefic, Chrisopher Woodall, and Ivan J. Fernandez. 2020. Strategies for enhancing long-term carbon sequestration in mixed-species, naturally regenerated northern temperate forests. Carbon Mgt. 11(4): 381-397. https://doi.org/10.1080/17583004.2020.1795599
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Patel, K.F., I.J. Fernandez, S.J. Nelson, C.J. Spencer, and S.A. Norton. 2020. The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine, USA: Long-term atmospheric deposition chemistry 1987 - 2012 ver 1. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/c207d374793da5168749d460a4933f2f (Accessed 2020-09-30).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Patel, K.F., I.J. Fernandez, S.J. Nelson, C.J. Spencer, and S.A. Norton. 2020. The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine, USA: Soil quantitative pit chemistry 1998 - 2010 ver 1. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/d100ba93b45049ed7bc7d81ef9aa9304 (Accessed 2020-09-30).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Patel, K.F., I.J. Fernandez, S.J. Nelson, C.J. Spencer, and S.A. Norton. 2020. The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine, USA: Soil moisture record 2003 - 2016 ver 1. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/5d2772e51968230ceec2242e8990529e (Accessed 2020-09-30).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Patel, K.F., I.J. Fernandez, S.J. Nelson, C.J. Spencer, and S.A. Norton. 2020. The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine, USA: Long-term stream chemistry 1986 - 2016 ver 1. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/04d5e1c0533b1e60537530f726876952 (Accessed 2020-10-01).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Patel, K.F., I.J. Fernandez, S.J. Nelson, C.J. Spencer, and S.A. Norton. 2020. The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine, USA: Long-term soil temperature 2001 - 2016 ver 1. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/5d3763b5bf1a7077a7acc2d337f6b094 (Accessed 2020-10-05).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Patel, K.F., I.J. Fernandez, S.J. Nelson, J. Malcomb, and S.A. Norton. 2020. Contrasting stream nitrate and sulfate response to recovery from experimental watershed acidification 1988 - 2018 ver 1. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/ac940d77e7a677efb8fe764421da1687 (Accessed 2020-10-26).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Puhlick, Joshua J., Shawn Fraver, Ivan J. Fernandez, Aaron Teets, Aaron R. Weiskittel, and Laura S. Kenefic. 2019. Site quality, disturbance, and vegetation effects on carbon storage and accumulation in old, mixed-species stands in central Maine, USA. Natural Res. J. 39(4): 429-441.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Patel, Kaizad F., Ivan J. Fernandez, Sarah J. Nelson, Jacob Malcomb and Stephen A. Norton. 2020. Contrasting stream nitrate and sulfate response to recovery from experimental watershed acidification. Biogeochemistry Letters https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-020-00711-5.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Patel, Kaizad F., Corianne Tatariw, Jean MacRae, Tsutomu Ohno, Sarah J. Nelson and Ivan J. Fernandez. 2020. Snowmelt periods as hot moments for soil N dynamics: A case study in Maine, USA. Environ. Monitor. Assess. (in press).
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Fernandez, I., S. Birkel, C. Schmitt, J. Simonson, B. Lyon, A. Pershing, E. Stancioff, G. Jacobson, and P. Mayewski. 2020. Maines Climate Future 2020 Update. Orono, ME: University of Maine. climatechange.umaine.edu/climate-matters/mainesclimate-future/, DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.24401.07521
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Fernandez, Ivan and Robert Marvinney (co-Chairs and Editors). 2020. Scientific Assessment of Climate Change and Its Effects in Maine, an assessment report by the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Maine Climate Council. 370 pp.