US-Japan Joint Seminar on Responses of Catchment Hydrology and Forest Biogeochemistry to Climatic and Environmental Change

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

A US-Japan Joint Seminar in hydrology will be held has to foster exchange of ideas, bridge gaps in research approaches, and to jointly develop prospective research directions. Historically, there has been limited interaction among scientists between the two countries because language, culture, and research foci separate these scientific communities. These differences highlight a potential for scientific discovery and are the reasons for this US-Japan Joint Seminar in hydrology. The purpose of this forthcoming seminar is to expand the theme of linking hydrology and biogeochemistry to consider effects of climatic and environmental change, as well as emerging measurement and analytical techniques used in catchment science research that allow fundamental scientific advancements. The meeting will host approximately 20 scientists from each country, including students and early career scientists, to present and discuss cutting-edge research in catchment sciences in an open forum to foster collaboration and exchange. The seminar will focus on the following aspects of hydrological and biogeochemical catchment sciences: (1) the role of hydrologic connectivity in regulating carbon and nitrogen cycling and export from catchments in the face of climatic and environmental change; (2) synthesis and cross-site comparison along climatic gradients to understand mechanisms of solute yields from catchments; (3) advances in techniques (trace gas fluxes, isotopic mass balances) for balancing nutrient budgets and better understanding processes (denitrification, transport, uptake, mineralization, etc.); and (4) integrating field observations with theory to inform better model predictions The US-Japan Joint Seminar will 1) foster interaction and develop new collaborative research between US and Japanese catchment scientists, 2) stimulate and engage the next generation of scientists who will become leaders in research and support future interaction between the two countries, and 3) advance understanding of how catchments respond to climatic and environmental changes. Cross-continental synthesis is a challenge, yet a necessity for determining how catchments will respond to global environmental change. To meet that challenge, the proposed multi-perspective seminar in catchment hydrology and forest biogeochemistry will bring together established researchers and early career scientists, providing invaluable opportunities for synthesis in catchment sciences.