Urban Resilience across the Terrestrial-Aquatic Continuum
EMSL Project ID
61057
Abstract
Despite the expansion of urban populations, the impacts of urbanization on ecosystem functions remain poorly represented in molecular-to-Earth-System-scale models. In particular, the population-dense near-coastal terrestrial-aquatic continuum1 has an outsized impact on global C cycles but is not well-understood. Recognizing the need to fill knowledge gaps in this area, my goal is to evaluate three urbanized, coastal ecosystems to identify persistent drivers of C cycles and their response to perturbation across upland to coastal continua, developing process-based understanding for assimilation into multiscale modeling frameworks.
Across the urban terrestrial-aquatic continuum, a plethora of land uses and associated anthropogenic activities contribute excess carbon (C) and nutrients (nitrogen [N] and phosphorous [P]) to soils and waterways, which in turn generate distinct biogeochemical processes. Extreme precipitation events heighten these impacts by flushing materials into aquatic ecosystems, and ultimately into the coastal ocean. However, despite the common selective pressures imposed by these factors, each urban system is uniquely designed and managed, so deriving generalized knowledge remains challenging.
To address this need, we will address the overarching hypothesis is that commonalities in urban microbial community function create generalizable mechanisms regulating OM decomposition in the context of anthropogenic activities. The molecular processes uncovered by this proposal are critical to resolving gaps in urban C cycles and improving our predictive abilities in increasingly novel environments. This proposal will propel urban science forward by revealing intertwined hydrobiogeochemical processes that regulate C cycling from source to sink across connected terrestrial-aquatic ecosystems that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Project Details
Start Date
2023-11-21
End Date
N/A
Status
Active
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)
Team Members