University-Led Projects

The Terrestrial Ecosystem Science (TES) program supports a wide array of research projects at universities (and other nonprofit research entities) across the country and internationally. University awards range from short-term, small-scale activities such as workshop support, to large, multi-investigator experimental and synthetic projects. University projects are solicited through an annual Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and are selected based on input from peer review panels and evaluation of mission relevance.

Current

PI (Last Name)	PI (First Name)	Institution	Project Start	Project End	Title	Award
Berkelhammer	Max	University of Illinois, Chicago	9/1/2019	8/31/2021	Water foraging with dynamic roots in E3SM; The role of roots in terrestrial ecosystem memory on intermediate timescales	$271,554.00
Brzostek	Edward	West Virginia University	9/15/2018	9/14/2021	Quantitative, trait-based microbial ecology to accurately model the impacts of nitrogen deposition on soil carbon cycling in the Anthropocene	$732,177.00
Campbell	John	University of California, Merced	7/1/2014	6/30/2020	Scaling from Flux Towers to Ecosystem Models: Regional Constraints on Carbon Cycle Processes from Atmospheric Carbonyl Sulfide	$1,045,721.00
Cardon	Zoe	Marine Biological Laboratory	9/1/2018	8/31/2020	Sticky roots -- implications of widespread, cryptic, viral infection of plants in natural and managed ecosystems for soil carbon processing in the rhizosphere	$294,999.00
Cavaleri	Molly	Michigan Technological University	9/1/2018	8/31/2021	Effects of hurricane disturbance and increased temperature on carbon cycling and storage of a Puerto Rican forest: a mechanistic investigation of above- and belowground processes	$314,394.00
Cusack	Daniela	University of California, Los Angeles	7/15/2016	7/14/2021	Consequences of Plant Nutrient Uptake for Soil Carbon Stabilization	$985,383.00
DeAngelis	Kristen	University of Massachusetts, Amherst	8/15/2016	8/14/2020	Resolving Conflicting Physical and Biochemical Feedbacks to Climate in Response to Long-Term Warming	$570,000.00
Feng	Xue	University of Minnesota	9/1/2018	8/31/2020	Peatland hydrology across scales: a probabilistic framework for confronting variability, heterogeneity, and uncertainty	$255,585.00
Fraterrigo	Jennifer	University of Illinois, Chicago	8/1/2016	7/31/2020	Arctic Shrub Expansion, Plant Functional Trait Variation, and Effects on Belowground Carbon Cycling	$578,910.00
Griffis	Timothy	University of Minnesota	9/1/2019	8/31/2022	Biophysical processes and feedback mechanisms controlling the methane budget of an Amazonian peatland	$974,238.00
Keller	Michael	USDA Forest Service	9/1/2018	8/31/2021	Catastrophic Forest Disturbance and Regrowth in Puerto Rico Following Hurricane Maria: Benchmarks for Earth System Models from Forest Inventory and Remote Sensing Measurements	$376,072.00
Lilleskov	Erik	USDA Forest Service	9/1/2019	8/31/2022	Biophysical processes and feedback mechanisms controlling the methane budget of an Amazonian peatland	$25,760.40
Matheny	Ashley	University of Texas, Austin	9/1/2019	8/31/2022	Exploring halophyte hydrodynamics and the role of vegetation traits on ecosystem response to disturbance at the terrestrial-aquatic interface	$882,483.00
Medvigy	David	University of Notre Dame	9/1/2019	8/31/2022	Unraveling the Mechanisms of Below- And Aboveground Liana-Tree Competition in Tropical Forests	$999,869.00
Megonigal	Patrick	Smithsonian Institution	8/1/2015	1/31/2020	Coastal Wetland Carbon Sequestration in a Warmer Climate	$1,499,952.00
Megonigal	Patrick	Smithsonian Institution	9/1/2018	8/31/2021	Coastal Wetland Carbon Processes in a Warmer Climate	$1,000,000.00
Morton	Douglas	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center	9/1/2018	8/31/2021	Catastrophic Forest Disturbance and Regrowth in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria: Benchmarks for Earth System Models from Forest Inventory and Remote Sensing Measurements	$123,884.00
Neumann	Rebecca	University of Washington	9/1/2018	8/31/2021	Effects of Rapid Permafrost Thaw on CO₂ and CH₄ Fluxes in a Warmer and Wetter Future	$897,199.00
Nippert	Jesse	Kansas State University	9/1/2018	8/31/2021	Using root and soil traits to forecast woody encroachment dynamics in mesic grassland	$998,261.00
Powers	Jennifer	University of Minnesota	8/1/2015	7/31/2020	Extrapolating carbon dynamics of seasonally dry tropical forests across geographic scales and into future climates: improving simulation models with empirical observations	$1,350,000.00
Pries	Caitlin	Dartmouth College	9/1/2019	8/31/2022	Testing mechanisms of how mycorrhizal associations affect forest soil carbon and nitrogen cycling	$959,995.00
Rawlins	Michael	University of Massachusetts Amherst	8/15/2018	8/14/2021	Quantifying Variability and Controls of Riverine Dissolved Organic Carbon Exported to Arctic Coastal Margins of North America	$276,522.00
Reed	Sasha	US Geological Survey	9/1/2018	8/31/2021	Effects of hurricane disturbance and increased temperature on carbon cycling and storage of a Puerto Rican forest: a mechanistic investigation of above- and belowground processes	$224,531.00
Schuur	Edward	Northern Arizona University	9/1/2019	8/31/2022	Coupled Long-Term Experiment and Model Investigation of the Differential Response of Plants and Soil Microbes in a Changing Permafrost Tundra Ecosystem	$999,972.00
Waring	Bonnie	Utah State University	9/1/2019	8/31/2021	Leveraging synthetic root-soil systems to quantify relationships between plant traits and the formation of soil organic carbon	$295,967.00
Wood	Tana	USDA Forest Service	9/1/2018	8/31/2021	Effects of hurricane disturbance and increased temperature on carbon cycling and storage of a Puerto Rican forest: a mechanistic investigation of above- and belowground processes	$370,666.00

Completed

PI (Last Name)	PI (First Name)	Institution	Project Start	Project End	Title	Award
Baldocchi	Dennis	University of California Berkeley	8/15/2014	8/14/2018	Connecting AmeriFlux to the Globe, Extending the Partnership with Global Flux Network FLUXNET	$882,078.00
Barnard	Holly	University of Colorado, Boulder	9/15/2011	3/14/2016	Carbon-Water Cycling in the Critical Zone: Understanding Ecosystem Process Variability Across Complex Terrain	$647,020.00
Belnap	Jayne	U.S. Geological Survey	5/15/2013	5/14/2014	Climate Change in Arid Lands	$224,600.00
Berry	Joe	Carnegie Institute of Washington	1/1/2014	12/31/2018	Collaborative Research on Ecophysiological Controls on Amazonian Precipitation Seasonality and Variability	$451,784.00
Bowling	David	University of Utah	9/1/2013	8/31/2018	Multi-scale Carbon Cycle Observations and Ecosystem Process Modeling at Niwot Rid	$955,445.00
Bridgham	Scott	University of Oregon	6/15/2012	6/15/2016	Understanding the Mechanisms Underlying Heterotrophic CO₂ and CH₄ Fluxes in a Peatland with Deep Soil Warming and Atmospheric CO₂ Enrichment	$1,047,425.00
Cardon	Zoe	Marine Biological Laboratory	6/15/2012	6/14/2016	Hydraulic Redistribution of Water Through Plant Roots - Implications for Carbon Cycling and Energy Flux at Multiple Sites	$1,048,327.00
Cavaleri	Molly	Michigan Technological University	7/1/2014	6/30/2019	Effects of warming on tropical forest carbon cycling: investigating temperature regulation of key tropical tree and soil processes	$776,935.00
Classen	Aimee	University of Tennessee	9/1/2013	6/1/2018	Incorporating Rhizosphere Interactions and Soil Physical Properties into a Soil Carbon Degradation Model through Experimenting Across Ecotypes	$905,433.00
Curtis	Peter	Ohio State University	9/1/2011	12/31/2014	Forecasting Carbon Storage as Eastern Forests Age: Joining Experimental and Modeling Approaches at the UMBS Ameriflux Site	$1,030,767.00
Davidson	Eric	Woods Hole Research Center	9/15/2011	9/14/2015	Partitioning CO₂ Fluxes With Isotopologues Measurements and Modeling to Understand Mechansims of Forest Carbon Sequestration	$275,060.00
Day	Frank	Old Dominion University	6/15/2012	12/14/2014	Advancing Understanding of the Role of Belowground Processes in Terrestrial Carbon Sinks Through Ground-Penetrating Radar	$149,999.00
Domec	Jean-Christophe	North Carolina State University	9/1/2011	8/31/2015	Quantifying the Effect of Nighttime Interactions Between Roots and Canopy Physiology and Their Control of Water and Carbon Cycling on Feedbacks Between Soil Moisture and Terrestrial Climatology under Variable Environmental Conditions	$462,546.00
Dukes	Jeffrey	Purdue University	7/1/2012	6/30/2015	Climate Change Feedbacks from Interactions Between New and Old Carbon	$171,981.00
Dunn	Robert	North Carolina State University	1/1/2012	12/31/2013	Impacts of Elevated Temperature on Ant Species, Communities and Ecological Roles at Two Temperate Forests in Eastern North America	$721,000.00
Dye	Dennis	U.S. Geological Survey	1/1/2014	12/31/2016	Understanding the Response of Photosynthetic Metabolism in Tropical Forests to Seasonal Climate Variations	$410,344.00
Ehleringer	James	University of Utah	9/1/2013	8/31/2017	Confronting Models with Regional CO₂ Observations	$1,048,742.00
Eissenstat	David	Pennsylvania State University	7/1/2014	6/30/2018	Linking topographic variation in belowground C processes with hydrological processes to improve Earth system models	$1,050,000.00
Fendorf	Scott	Stanford University	9/1/2013	12/31/2016	Spatial Variation in Microbial Processes Controlling Carbon Mineralization within Soils and Sediments	$900,857.00
Finzi	Adrien	Boston University	7/1/2014	6/30/2018	Effects of Experimental Warming and Elevated CO₂ on CO₂ and CH₄ Fluxes in an Ombrotrophic Black-Spruce	$390,825.00
Fisher	Joshua	University of California, Los Angeles	7/15/2012	7/31/2017	Nutrient Cycle Impacts on Forest Ecosystem Carbon Cycling: Improved Prediction of Climate Feedbacks From Coupled C-Nutrient Dynamics From Ecosystem to Regional Scales	$1,044,839.00
Genereux	David	North Carolina State University	9/15/2011	9/14/2016	Water-Carbon Links in a Tropical Forest: How Interbasin Groundwater Flow Affects Carbon Fluxes and Ecosystem Carbon Budgets	$788,331.00
Gentine	Pierre	Columbia University	1/1/2014	12/31/2017	Collaborative Research on Ecophysiological Controls on Amazonian Precipitation Seasonality and Variability	$527,758.00
Germino	Matthew	U.S. Geological Survey	8/1/2012	9/30/2016	Subalpine and Alpine Species Range Shifts with Climate Change: Temperature and Soil Moisture Manipulations to Test Species & Population Responses	$68,003.00
Gonzalez-Meler	Miquel	University of Illinois, Chicago	9/1/2011	11/30/2016	Permafrost Thawing and Vegetation Change Effects on Cryoturbation Rates and C and CH₄ Dynamics	$1,034,150.00
Goulden	Michael	University of California , Irvine	5/1/2008	4/30/2015	Physiological Demographic Competitive And Biogeochemical Controls On The Response Of California's Ecosystems To Environmental Change	$1,852,586.00
Hayes	Daniel	University of Maine	12/15/2015	12/14/2018	Model-Data Fusion Approaches for Retrospective and Predictive Assessment of the Pan-Arctic Scale Permafrost Carbon Feedback to Global Climate	$150,000.00
Hinkle	Charles	University of Central Florida	7/1/2012	6/30/2019	Carbon Dynamics of the Greater Everglades Watershed and Implications of Climate Change	$972,678.00
Hofmockel	Kirsten	Iowa State University	8/1/2012	7/31/2017	Can Microbial Ecology and Mycorrhizal Functioning Inform Climate Change Models?	$707,704.00
Hollinger	David	USDA Forest Service	9/1/2011	8/31/2015	Supporting Carbon Cycle and Earth Systems Modeling with Measurements and Analysis from the Howland AmeriFlux Site	$349,815.00
Hungate	Bruce	Climate Wise Solutions	7/15/2012	7/14/2014	Synthesis of Scrub-Oak Ecosystem Responses to Elevated CO₂	$91,094.00
Ivanov	Valeriy	University of Michigan	1/1/2014	12/31/2018	Understanding the Response of Photosynthetic Metabolism in Tropical Forests to Seasonal Climate Variation	$1,339,508.00
Katul	Gabriel	Duke University	9/1/2011	8/31/2016	Constraining the Simultaneous Effects of Elevated CO₂, Temperature, and Shifts in Rainfall Patterns on Ecosystem Carbon Fluxes using Multi-Scale Resource	$826,270.00
Keeling	Ralph	Scripps Institute of Oceanography	7/1/2014	6/30/2017	Measurements and modeling of CO₂ concentration and isotopes to improve process-level understanding of Arctic and boreal carbon cycling	$1,050,000.00
Kostka	Joel	Georgia Tech	9/15/2011	9/14/2015	The Response of Soil Carbon Storage and Microbially Mediated Turnover to Simulated Climatic Disturbance in a Northern Peatland Forest: Revisiting the Concept of Soil Organic Matter Recalcitrance	$822,625.00
Kostka	Joel	Georgia Tech	7/1/2014	6/30/2018	Toward a predicitive understanding of the response of belowground microbial carbon turnover to climate change drivers in a boreal peatland	$1,019,995.00
Kueppers	Lara	University of California, Merced	8/1/2012	7/31/2017	Subalpine And Alphine Species Range Shifts With Climate Change: Temperature & Soil Moisture Manipulations To Test Species & Population Responses	$1,231,277.00
Law	Beverly	Oregon State University	7/1/2014	6/30/2017	Carbon Dynamics within urban-suburban-forested-agricultural landscapes	$430,634.00
Law	Beverly	Oregon State University	9/15/2010	9/14/2015	The Effects of Climate, Forest Age, and Disturbance History on Carbon and Water Processes at Ameriflux Sites Across Gradients in Pacific Northwest Forests	$1,049,381.00
Lee	Jung-Eun	Brown University	1/1/2014	12/31/2017	Collaborative Research on Ecophysiological Controls on Amazonian Precipitation Seasonality and Variability	$524,941.00
Lintner	Benjamin	Rutgers University	1/1/2014	12/31/2017	Collaborative Research on Ecophysiological Controls on Amazonian Precipitation Seasonality and Variability	$113,983.00
Litvak	Marcy	University of New Mexico	6/15/2012	6/14/2017	Determining The Impact Of Forest Mortality In Semi-Arid Woodlands On Local And Regional Carbon Dynamics	$1,129,113.00
Luo	Yiqi	University of Oklahoma	7/1/2012	6/30/2017	Data Synthesis and Data Assimilation at Global Change Experiments and Fluxnet Toward Improving Land Process Models	$1,050,000.00
Megonigal	Patrick	Smithsonian Institution	8/1/2012	5/31/2017	Archiving Data to Support Data synthesis of DOE Sponsored Elevated CO₂ Experiments	$203,608.00
Megonigal	Patrick	Smithsonian Institution	6/15/2014	12/31/2015	Sources, Sinks and Processes Regulating Cryptic Methane Emissions from Upland Ecosystems	$34,575.00
Melillo	Jerry	Marine Biological Laboratory	1/1/2012	12/31/2014	Effects Of Warming On Tree Species' Recruitment In Deciduous Forests Of The Eastern United States	$461,006.00
Melillo	Jerry	Marine Biological Laboratory	9/1/2013	8/31/2018	Changes in Soil Carbon Dynamics in Response to Long-Term Soil Warming - Integration Across Scales from Cells to Ecosystems	$1,049,999.00
Moorcroft	Paul	Harvard University	9/15/2011	9/14/2015	Partitioning CO₂ Fluxes with Isotopologue Measurements and Modeling to Understand Mechanisms of Forest Carbon Sequestration	$224,915.00
Morton	Douglas	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center	5/15/2016	3/31/2019	NASA Contribution To NGEE Tropics	$526,007.00
Neumann	Rebecca	University of Washington	7/15/2013	7/14/2019	Methane Oxidation in the Rhizosphere of Wetland Plants	$750,000.00
Oren	Ram	Duke University	8/1/2009	12/31/2015	DUKE FOREST FACE - Forest-Atmosphere Carbon Transfer And Storage (FACTS-I)	$1,970,107.00
Pendall	Elise	University of Wyoming	9/15/2011	9/14/2015	Direct, Indirect and Interactive Effects of Warming and Elevated CO₂ on Grassland Carbon Metabolism	$1,044,170.00
Pockman	William	University of New Mexico	3/15/2009	3/14/2015	Hydraulic Mechanisms Of Survival And Mortality During Drought In Pinon Juniper Woodlands Of Southwestern USA	$2,319,408.00
Reed	Sasha	US Geological Survey	9/1/2013	8/31/2018	Dryland Feedbacks to Future Climate Change: How Species Mortality and Replacement will Affect Coupled Biogeochemical Cycles and Energy Balance	$1,049,357.00
Reed	Sasha	US Geological Survey	7/1/2014	6/30/2019	Effects of warming on tropical forest carbon cycling: investigating temperature regulation of key tropical tree and soil processes	$172,065.00
Reich	Peter	University of Minnesota	8/1/2011	7/31/2018	Climate Change Impacts At The Temperate-Boreal Ecotone: Interactions Between Warming And Precipitation	$2,528,252.00
Resh	Sigrid	Michigan Technological University	9/1/2011	8/31/2014	Interactive Effects of Climate Change and Decomposer Communities on the Stabilization of Wood-Derived Carbon Pools: Catalyst for a New Study	$149,397.00
Richardson	Andrew	Harvard University	8/15/2014	8/14/2017	Modeling the temporal dynamics of nonstructural carbohydrate pools in forest trees	$149,998.00
Richardson	Andrew	Harvard University	9/1/2012	8/31/2015	Improving Models to Predict Phenological Responses to Global Change	$40,560.00
Richardson	Curtis	Duke University	8/1/2014	7/31/2018	Phenolic Compounds and Black Carbon Feedback Controls on Peat Decomposition and Carbon Accumulation in Southeastern Peat	$994,906.00
Roberts	Scott	Mississippi State University	9/1/2011	8/31/2014	Exploratory Research - Using Volatile Organic Compounds to Separate Heterotrophic and Autotrophic Forest Soil Respiration	$149,978.00
Saleska	Scott	University of Arizona	9/15/2011	9/14/2015	Partitioning CO₂ Fluxes with Isotopologue Measurements and Modeling to Understand Mechanisms of Forest Carbon Sequestration	$274,903.00
Schuur	Edward	Northern Arizona University	8/1/2015	7/31/2016	Effects of Warming the Deep Soil and Permafrost on Ecosystem Carbon Balance in Alaskan Tundra: A Coupled Measurement and Modeling Approach	$28,847.59
Schuur	Edward	Northern Arizona University	8/1/2015	7/31/2019	Regional Vulnerability of Permafrost Carbon to Climate Change: A Multifactor Experiment and Model Network	$1,409,666.00
Silver	Whendee	University of California, Berkeley	9/1/2013	8/31/2018	Determining the Drivers of Redox Sensitive Biogeochemistry in Humid Tropical Forests	$869,143.00
Smith	Melinda	Yale University	12/15/2009	12/14/2013	Bridging the Divide: Linking Genomics to Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change	$560,029.00
Sumner	David	U.S. Geological Survey	7/1/2012	6/30/2015	Carbon Dynamics of the Greater Everglades Watershed and Implications of Climate Change	$40,000.00
Tang	Jianwu	Marine Biological Laboratory	9/1/2011	8/31/2013	Quantifying the Control of Plant Photosynthesis on Root Respiration by Measuring and Manipulating Photosynthate Transport Rates in the Tree Phloem	$149,805.00
Teixeira	Kristina	Smithsonian Institution	6/1/2013	10/31/2015	Carbon Dynamics of Forest Recovery Under a Changing Climate: Forcings, Feedbacks, and Implications for Earth System Modeling	$153,155.00
Tharayil	Nishanth	Clemson University	9/1/2013	3/31/2016	Rigid Nanostructured Organic Polymer Monolith for In Situ Collection and Analysis of Plant Metabolites from Soil Matrices	$127,497.00
Trettin	Carl	USDA Forest Service	8/1/2016	7/31/2019	Wood decomposition and mineral soil C: using the d13C signature in FACE wood to measure the contribution of dead wood to mineral soil C pools	$598,213.00
Trowbridge	Amy	HyPerspectives, Inc.	9/1/2013	8/31/2016	Above and Belowground Connections and Species Interactions: Controls Over Ecosystem Fluxes	$150,000.00
Wallenstein	Matthew	Colorado State University	9/1/2013	8/31/2017	Understanding Litter Input Controls on Soil Organic Matter Turnover and Formation are Essential for Improving Carbon-Climate Feedback Predictions for Arctic, Tundra Ecosystems	$940,996.00
Wieder	William	University of Colorado, Boulder	8/1/2015	7/31/2018	Benchmarking and Improving Microbial-explicit Soil Biogeochemistry Models	$497,780.00
Wofsy	Steven	Harvard University	7/15/2012	7/14/2016	Fluxes of CO₂, CH₄, CO, BVOCs, NO_x and O₃ in An Old Growth Amazonian Forest: Ecosystem Processes, Carbon Cycle, Atmospheric Chemistry, and Feedbacks on Climate	$1,048,187.00
Fisher	Joshua	University of California, Los Angeles	8/15/2016	8/14/2019	The Carbon-Nutrient Economy of the Rhizosphere: Improving Biogeochemical Prediction and Scaling Feedbacks From Ecosystem to Regional Scales	$599,834.00
Keller	Jason	Chapman University	8/1/2015	7/31/2019	Understanding Mechanistic Controls Of Heterotrophic CO₂ and CH₄ Fluxes In A Peatland With Deep Soil Warming And Atmospheric CO₂ Enrichment	$1,495,783.00
Strand	Allan	College of Charleston	8/1/2015	7/31/2019	Effects of fine-root senescence upon soil communities and nutrient flux into soil pools	$149,933.00

DE-FOA-0002230 – Earth System Model Development and Analysis.
Now accepting applications. Pre-Application Due: February 14, 2020, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. [1/20]

DE-FOA-0002215 – ESPCoR Building EPSCOR-State/National Laboratory Partnerships.
Now accepting applications. Pre-Application Due: January 16, 2020, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. [12/19]

DE-FOA-0002173 – Early Career Research Program.
Now accepting applications. Pre-Application Due: January 7, 2020, at 5:00 pm Eastern Time (PDF) [11/19]

2019 TES Awards Announced
Summary of projects awarded in summer 2019 (PDF) [9/19]

2019 ESS PI Meeting
Research summaries from the April 30-May 1, ESS PI Meeting are now available.

More News and Announcements »

DE-FOA-0002230 – Earth System Model Development and Analysis.
Now accepting applications. Pre-Application Due: February 14, 2020, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. [1/20]

DE-FOA-0002215 – ESPCoR Building EPSCOR-State/National Laboratory Partnerships.
Now accepting applications. Pre-Application Due: January 16, 2020, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. [12/19]

DE-FOA-0002173 – Early Career Research Program
Now accepting applications. Pre-Application Due: January 7, 2020, at 5:00 pm Eastern Time

DE-FOA-0002184 – Environmental System Science
Now accepting applications. Pre-Application Due: December 5, 2019, 5:00 pm Eastern Time.

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