I am a mixture of atmospheric scientist and ecologist working in the broad
arena of "global change". In particular, I am interested in
quantification and characterization of the global carbon cycle with
emphasis on exchanges of CO2 with the terrestrial biosphere and the fossil fuel sources of CO2
to the atmosphere. The future evolution and mechanistic underpinnings
of the global carbon cycle are fundamental to climate change research.
In addition to my science research, I have also continued work in the
area of climate change policy through research on those aspects of the
Kyoto Protocol that relate to the carbon cycle.
My research currently has five distinct foci:
1) Carbon Inverse Modeling: The inverse approach uses spatiotemporal patterns of atmospheric CO2
and knowledge of atmospheric transport to infer sources and sinks of
carbon. Inverse modelers have used this tool to hunt for the "missing
sink" - a large amount of carbon that is entering the terrestrial
biosphere each year (though not enough to fully counter that put into
the atmosphere due to fossil fuel emissions) which lacks clear
quantification and mechanistic understanding. I currently direct an
international experiment, "TransCom",
which continues to explore many aspects of this problem. My research in
this area is called "Tara" (Goddess of self-mastery and self-guidance)
2) "Vulcan": My research group has recently complete version 1.1 of a high resolution emissions map of all fossil/industrial CO2 source for North America. This effort, "Vulcan" (Roman god of fire), is
in support of the larger goals of the North American Carbon Program to
quantify all sources and sinks of carbon in North America. Check out our YouTube video! and the presence of Vulcan on Google Earth!
3) "Hestia"
a new research effort, currently in the development phase that will
attempt to expand the Vulcan project up to the globe and downscale to
the city block landscape. Beyond just building an inventory of CO2
emissions at high space and time resolution, Hestia (Greek goddess of
the hearth fire) will also build the process-level detail driving
emissions globally. It will also build this quantified assessment
within a Google Earth-like 3D visualization framework.
3) Climate Variability and Carbon:
The exchange of carbon with the terrestrial biosphere is driven by a
variety of factors. One of these is climate variability. This work
links the interannual varying carbon exchange estimates from the
inverse approach to observations of climate variability. Through PC
analysis and lagged correlation, patterns are emerging that provide
biogeochemical explanations for some of the interannual varying carbon
exchange.
4) Carbon Science Policy: Since the mid-1990s I have been attending the United Nations climate change treaty negotiations as an expert advisor to a consortium of non-governmental
organizations. My focus has been on those aspect of the treaty that
intersect with carbon cycle science. Much of this work centers on
projections of net carbon exchange for countries across the globe. Recent focus is on global deforestation policy.
5) Deforestation-climate-socioeconomics: This new effort is aimed at building a socioeconomic deforestation module into the NCAR CCSM4 (public in December 2009) to explore the multiple cross-feedbacks that occur between deforestation, climate change and the socioeconomic variables constraining land-use decisions in tropical forest lands.
In addition
to the core focus area illuminated above, I also continue work on
previous research I have been involved with over the years. In broad
terms, these can be placed under the banners of climate change science and ozone depletion.
Walking the Talk: 800 Watt solar power array at "StoneReekil", my carbon neutral cabin at 9000 feet in the Rocky Mountains. Go the full article in the PCCRC newsletter.
