INSPIRE Track 1: Earthcasting fluvial systems: Physical, ecological, and biogeochemical dynamics

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

This INSPIRE award is partially funded by <the Hydrologic Sciences Program in the Division of Earth Sciences in the Directorate for Geosciences, the Geomorphology and Land Use Dyanmics Program in the Division of Earth Sciences in the Directorate for Geosciences, the Ecosystems cluster in the Division of Environmental Biology in the Directorate for Biological Sciences. Most natural systems are structured by diverse processes that operate over a wide range of scales, but current understanding is derived primarily from controlled investigations of isolated subsystems with suppressed complexity. As a result, available models for landscape and ecosystem dynamics consider only a very limited range of processes and scales, and this incomplete understanding sharply limits our ability to predict future system trajectories. The project team will develop a general trans-disciplinary basis for Earthcasting coupled system dynamics by providing the theory, models, and data needed to relate local dynamics of water, soils, sediments, cells, carbon, and nutrients to large-scale geomorphological, ecological, and biogeochemical outcomes. The project team will explore the underlying structure and connectivity of river networks to provide a common basis for linking physical, ecological, and biogeochemical dynamics in watersheds. This work will exploit concurrent advances in theory for stochastic transport and dynamical processes on networks to develop methods for probabilistic prediction across scales. The resulting holistic, multi-scale simulations will be used to design data collection strategies that better consider the underlying system dynamics. By advancing general theory for anomalous transport on complex networks and partnering with diverse data collection efforts, this project will develop both the theoretical and observational basis for Earthcasting. The research effort will be linked with integrative, trans-disciplinary education in earth, ecosystem, and sustainability science. The project team will develop a cross-cutting course on fluvial system dynamics and related stand-alone educational modules on geomorphological and biogeochemical processes, and deliver them via an innovative web-based, multi-institutional format. Subsequently this material will be developed into a massive open on-line course (MOOC) focused on Earthcasting. The project includes eight international research partners from seven countries including Spain, Canada, the United Kingdom and Austria. This effort will improve capability to predict earth and ecosystem dynamics. Such Earthcasting capability is needed to achieve long-term sustainability of land, water, and ecosystems. The central contribution of the proposed research will be to determine how basic processes interact to control important outcomes in river and floodplain environments. This effort focuses specifically on river systems because they support extensive human populations and are tremendously important to storage, processing, and export of carbon, sediments, and nutrients. This project will develop the essential underpinnings of Earthcasting and work with leading data collection efforts in the U.S. and Europe to translate these fundamental advances into practical management strategies. The project team will also use these scientific gains as the basis for educational programs delivered both through virtual courses and live outreach activities.