NASA Research Announcement - Important Information

Successful proposers may have the option of becoming members of the ABoVE Science Team. The level of engagement with science team, amount of CCE Office support, and priority for access to the Science Cloud will be determined by the funding Program Manager, the ABoVE Program Manager and the PI, in consultation with the CCE Office.

Solicitation: NNH16ZDA001N-CARBON

Notice of Intent Due: April 1, 2016
Proposal Due: June 15, 2016

See section 3.1.2 Carbon Dynamics in Arctic/Boreal Terrestrial Ecosystems (NASA, DOE)

Arctic tundra, boreal systems, and the transitions in between represent a vast expanse of northern land mass and contain one of the largest volumes of carbon stored in the biosphere. As a consequence of a warming climate, the region may be approaching a potential tipping point with regard to the release of this stored carbon. Climate warming could trigger large-scale releases of CO2 and CH4 from thawing Arctic/boreal soils into the atmosphere. On the other hand, warming may induce perturbations to local hydrology of land surfaces that in turn could increase plant production and either decrease methane production or increase methane consumption, and thus potentially reduce carbon emissions to the atmosphere. These and other processes that can influence carbon dynamics and climate feedbacks are also influenced by social and economic factors and other human decisions and disturbances. Although it is widely accepted that this region is critically important to our understanding and modeling of climate change, our understanding of key processes, impacts, and feedbacks are far from robust. There are currently large uncertainties in the direction and strength of the positive and negative feedbacks and what is likely to occur in the region in response to continued climate change. These ecosystems are remote and measurements and observations that are widespread and common in temperate ecosystems are rare or absent in many of these northern ecosystems.

Therefore, this theme solicits fundamental research to advance our understanding of the function of widespread, critical northern terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in ways that influence carbon cycle feedbacks to the climate system. Particular emphasis is placed on research that combines measurements and/or experiments with modeling to provide improved quantitative and predictive understanding of the coupled biological, chemical, and physical processes that represent potentially strong carbon cycle feedbacks to climate from northern terrestrial ecosystems in a changing climate. Preference will be given to projects that focus on strong potential feedbacks and have wide geographic applicability.

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