2020 ESA Annual Meeting (August 3 - 6)

SYMP 1 - The Role of Networks in the Ecological Data Revolution: Successes, Opportunities, and Challenges of Integrating Cross-Network Data to Advance Ecological Science

Thursday, August 6, 2020: 3:00 PM-3:30 PM
Organizer:
Eric R. Sokol
Co-organizers:
Margaret O'Brien , Martha Downs and Katherine M. Thibault
Moderator:
Eric R. Sokol
Long-term environmental research and observation networks, including the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) network, Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network, Critical Zone Observatory (CZO), Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON), and National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), are providing an important underpinning to the ecological data revolution. These collaborative efforts often provide economies of scale that yield data sets spanning larger spatial scales and/or longer time-scales than could be collected by a single investigator. Many of these networks both provide and actively advocate for open and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data. Such networks also provide a hub for communities of expertise to set standards for experimental and science designs, data collection, data management, and synthesis. Continued investment in large-scale and long-term programs provides the opportunity for inter-generational cooperation and continuity in data-streams that improve conceptual and numerical modeling efforts and yield higher impact science, but also many challenges. The variety of networks that are currently operating provide diversity in both publicly available data as well as approaches to solving the many challenges that come with managing complex networks of infrastructure and heterogeneous data streams. The goal of this session is to highlight grand challenges in ecology and the environmental sciences that can be addressed as we de-silo and integrate across networks. The speakers will address questions such as: Where are opportunities for cross-program collaboration and synthesis? What are barriers to cross-network collaboration? Where are common areas of need? What are common challenges that might have common solutions? What are some success stories? What are important initiatives that the community should know about? How can early career researchers get involved, provide input, use data, and participate in synthesis? What resources are available for researchers who want to tap into network infrastructure or data for synthesis work? The speakers will provide a variety of perspectives, representing some of the different ways in which scientists interface with different networks (e.g., network leadership, advisory committee, investigator, data manager, data end user, facilitator of network synthesis science). We hope this symposium will bring scientists from different networks, or those who wish to learn about such networks, together to listen to each other’s goals and challenges and find opportunities to for cross-network synergies.
3:00 PM
Increasing research network connectance through synthesis - an LTER perspective
Frank Davis, University of California Santa Barbara; Martha Downs, LTER Network Office; Jennifer E. Caselle, University of California, Santa Barbara
3:20 PM
The Long-term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network: Towards sustainable food, environmental integrity, and resilience in working lands
Elizabeth Boughton, Archbold Biological Station; Claire Baffaut, USDA ARS; Brandon T. Bestelmeyer, USDA Agricultural Research Service; Dawn Browning, USDA - Agricultural Research Service; Justin D. Derner, Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Unit; Nick Haddad, Michigan State University; Nicole E. Kaplan, Colorado State University; Lauren M. Porensky, USDA-ARS; Amartya Saha, Archbold Biological Station; Vivienne Sclater, Archbold Biological Station; Grégory Sonnier, Archbold Biological Station; Hilary Swain, Archbold Biological Station; Teferi Tsegaye, USDA ARS
3:40 PM
The role of the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) in the ecological data revolution
Paul Hanson, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Kathleen Weathers, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
4:00 PM
Improving ecological prediction: The role of cross-network data fusion in iterative ecological forecasting
Michael C. Dietze, Boston University; Peter Adler, Utah State University; Colin Averill, ETH Zürich; Carl Boettiger, University of California Berkeley; Jennifer A. Brentrup, Dartmouth; Jennifer M. Bhatnagar, Boston University; David Cameron, UK Center for Ecology & Hydrology; Cayelan Carey, Virginia Tech; John R. Foster, Boston University; Andrew M. Fox, University of Arizona; Leah R. Johnson, Virginia Tech; Melissa Kenney, University of Minnesota; Shannon L. LaDeau, Cary Insitute of Ecosystem Studies; Christine Laney, Battelle, National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON); Mary E. Lofton, Virginia Tech; Jason McLachlan, University of Notre Dame; Jody A. Peters, University of Notre Dame; William D. Pearse, Utah State University; Alexey Shiklomanov, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Quinn Thomas, Virginia Tech; Kathleen Weathers, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Jake Weltzin, US Geological Survey; Zoey R. Werbin, Boston University; Kathryn I. Wheeler, Boston University; Whitney M. Woelmer, Virginia Tech; Katherine A. Zarada, Boston University
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