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
Baldocchi	Dennis	University of California, Berkeley	8/15/2014	8/14/2017	Connecting AmeriFlux to the Globe, Extending the Partnership with the Global Flux Network, FLUXNET	$882,078
Berry	Joseph	Carnegie Institution of Washington	1/1/2014	12/31/2017	Collaborative Research on Ecophysiological Controls on Amazonian Precipitation Seasonality and Variability	$974,900
Bowling	David	University of Utah	9/1/2013	8/31/2017	Multi-scale Carbon Cycle Observations and Ecosystem Process Modeling at Niwot Rid	$991,445
Campbell	Elliott	University of California, Merced	7/1/2014	6/30/2017	Scaling from Flux Towers to Ecosystem Models: Regional Constraints on Carbon Cycle Processes from Atmospheric Carbonyl Sulfide	$1,045,721
Cavaleri	Molly	Michigan Technological University	7/1/2014	6/30/2017	Effects of Warming on Tropical Forest Carbon Cycling: Investigating Temperature Regulation of Key Tropical Tree and Soil Processes	$696,935
Classen	Aimee	University of Tennessee	9/1/2013	6/1/2017	Incorporating Rhizosphere Interactions and Soil Physical Properties into a Soil Carbon Degradation Model through Experimenting Across Ecotypes	$987,328
DeAngelis	Kristen	University of Massachusetts Amherst	8/15/2016	8/14/2018	Resolving Conflicting Physical and Biochemical Feedbacks to Climate in Response to Long-Term Warming	$570,000
Ehleringer	James	University of Utah	9/1/2013	8/31/2017	Confronting Models with Regional CO₂ Observations	$1,048,742
Eissenstat	David	Pennsylvania State University	7/1/2014	6/30/2017	Linking Topographic Variation in Belowground C Processes with Hydrological Processes to Improve Earth System Models	$1,050,000
Finzi	Adrien	Boston University	7/1/2014	6/30/2017	Modeling the Effects of Warming and Elevated CO₂ on Decomposition in a Northern Minnesota Black Spruce Peatland	$390,825
Fisher	Joshua	University of California- Los Angeles	7/15/2012	7/14/2017	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
Fisher	Joshua	University of California-Los Angeles	8/15/2016	8/14/2018	The Carbon-Nutrient Economy of the Rhizosphere: Improving Biogeochemical Prediction and Scaling Feedbacks From Ecosystem to Regional Scales	$599,834
Fraterrigo	Jennifer	University of Illinois	8/15/2016	8/14/2018	Arctic Shrub Expansion, Plant Functional Trait Variation, and Effects on Belowground Carbon Cycling	$578,910
Gentine	Pierre	Columbia University	1/1/2014	12/31/2017	Collaborative Research on Ecophysiological Controls on Amazonian Precipitation Seasonality and Variability	$974,900
Hinkle	C. Ross	University of Central Florida	7/1/2012	6/30/2018	Carbon Dynamics of the Greater Everglades Watershed and Implications of Climate Change	$845,554
Hinzman	Larry	University of Alaska, Fairbanks	8/15/2014	8/14/2016	Leadership and Coordination: Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic — Bering Beaufort Chukchi Region	n/a
Hofmockel	Kirsten	Iowa State University	8/1/2012	7/31/2017	Can Microbial Ecology and Mycorrhizal Functioning Inform Climate Change Models?	$707,704
Ivanov	Valeriy	University of Michigan	1/1/2014	12/31/2017	Understanding the Response of Photosynthetic Metabolism in Tropical Forests to Seasonal Climate Variation	$970,020
Keeling	Ralph	University of California, San Diego	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
Keller	Jason	Chapman University	8/1/2015	7/31/2018	Understanding Mechanistic Controls of Heterotrophic CO₂ and CH₄ Fluxes in a Peatland with Deep Soil Warming and Atmospheric CO₂ Enrichment	1,019,995
Kostka	Joel	Georgia Institute of Technology	7/1/2014	6/30/2017	Toward A Predictive Understanding of the Response of Belowground Microbial Carbon Turnover to Climate Change Drivers in a Boreal Peatland	$1,019,995
Kueppers	Lara	University of California-Merced	8/1/2012	7/31/2017	Subalpine and Alpine Species Range Shifts with Climate Change: Temperature and Soil Moisture Manipulations to Test Species and Population Responses	$1,231,277
Law	Beverly	Oregon State University	7/1/2014	6/30/2017	Carbon Cycle Dynamics Within Oregon's Urban-Suburban-Forested-Agricultural Landscapes	$400,000
Lee	Jung-Eun	Brown University	1/1/2014	12/31/2017	Collaborative Research on Ecophysiological Controls on Amazonian Precipitation Seasonality and Variability	$974,900
Lintner	Benjamin	Rutgers University	1/1/2014	12/31/2017	Collaborative Research on Ecophysiological Controls on Amazonian Precipitation Seasonality and Variability	$974,900
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	$1,049,130
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
Megonigal	Patrick	Smithsonian Institution	8/1/2015	7/31/2018	Coastal Wetland Carbon Sequestration in a Warmer Climate	$1,499,952
Melillo	Jerry	Marine Biological Laboratory	9/1/2013	8/31/2017	Changes in Soil Carbon Dynamics in Response to Long-Term Soil Warming — Integration Across Scales from Cells to Ecosystems	$1,049,000
Morton	Douglas	NASA- Goddard Space Flight Center	5/15/2016	5/14/2018	NASA Contribution to NGEE Tropics	$340,751
Powers	Jennifer	University of Minnesota	8/1/2015	7/31/2018	Extrapolating Carbon Dynamics of Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests Across Geographic Scales and Into Future Climates: Improving Simulation Models With Empirical Observations	$1,350,000
Reed	Sasha	US Geological Survey	7/1/2014	6/30/2017	Effects of Warming on Tropical Forest Carbon Cycling: Investigating Temperature Regulation of Key Tropical Tree and Soil Processes	n/a
Reed	Sasha	US Geological Survey	9/1/2013	8/31/2017	Dryland Feedbacks to Future Climate Change: How Species Mortality and Replacement will Affect Coupled Biogeochemical Cycles and Energy Balance	$1,049,357
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
Richardson	Andrew	Harvard University	8/15/2014	8/14/2017	Modeling the Temporal Dynamics of Nonstructural Carbohydrate Pools in Forest Trees	n/a
Richardson	Curtis	Duke University	8/1/2014	7/31/2017	Phenolic Compounds and Black Carbon Feedback Controls on Peat Decomposition and Carbon Accumulation in Southeastern Peatlands under Regimes of Seasonal Drought, Drainage and Frequent Fire: A New Model for Management of Carbon Sequestration	$994,896
Schuur	Ted	Northern Arizona University	8/1/2015	7/31/2018	Regional Vulnerability of Permafrost Carbon to Climate Change: A Multifactor Experiment and Model Network	$1,409,666
Silver	Whendee	University of California-Berkeley	9/1/2013	8/31/2017	Determining the Drivers of Redox Sensitive Biogeochemistry in Humid Tropical Forests	$869,143
Strand	Alan	College of Charleston	8/1/2015	7/31/2017	Effects of Fine-Root Senescence Upon Soil Communities and Nutrient Flux Into Soil Pools	$149,933
Trettin	Carl	U.S. 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
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	$1,049,996
Wieder	William	University of Colorado, Boulder	8/1/2015	7/31/2017	Benchmarking and Improving Microbial-explicit Soil Biogeochemistry Models	$497,780

Completed

PI (Last Name)	PI (First Name)	Institution	Project Start	Project End	Title	Award
Baldocchi	Dennis	University of California-Berkeley	9/15/2010	9/14/2014	Using a Regional Cluster of AmeriFlux Sites in Central California to Advance Our Knowledge on Decadal-Scale Ecosystem-Atmosphere Carbon Dioxide Exchange	$1,002,405
Barnard	Holly	University of Colorado	9/15/2011	9/14/2015	Carbon-Water Cycling in the Critical Zone: Understanding Ecosystem Process Variability Across Complex Terrain	$647,020
Belnap	Jayne	US Geological Survey	5/15/2008	5/14/2014	Climate Change in Arid Lands: How Effects Differ Among Plant Functional Groups	n/a
Bridgham	Scott	University of Oregon	6/15/2012	6/14/2015	Understanding the Mechanisms Underlying Heterotrophic CO₂ and CH₄ Fluxes in a Peatland with Deep Soil Warming and Atmospheric CO₂ Enrichment	$1,047,425
Burton	Andrew	Michigan Technological University	4/1/2008	3/31/2014	Impacts of Elevated CO₂ & O₃ Alone and in Combination, on the Structure and Functioning of a Northern Forest Ecosystem: Operating the Aspen FACE User Facility	n/a
Cardon	Zoe	Marine Biological Laboratory	6/15/2012	6/14/2015	Hydraulic Redistribution of Water Through Plant Roots — Implications for Carbon Cycling and Energy Flux at Multiple Sites	$1,048,327
Curtis	Peter	Ohio State University	9/1/2011	8/31/2014	Forecasting Carbon Storage as Eastern Forests Age: Joining Experimental and Modeling Approaches at the UMBS AmeriFlux Site	$1,030,767
Davidson	Eric	Woods Hole Research Center	9/15/2011	9/14/2014	Partitioning CO₂ Fluxes With Isotopologues Measurements and Modeling to Understand Mechanisms of Forest Carbon Sequestration	$1,039,878
Day	Frank	Old Dominion University	6/15/2012	6/14/2015	Advancing Understanding of the Role of Belowground Processes in Terrestrial Carbon Sinks Through Ground-Penetrating Radar	$149,999
Domec	Jean-Christophe	North Carolina State University	9/1/2011	8/31/2014	Quantifying the Effect of Nighttime Interactions Between Roots and Canopy Physiology and Their Control of Water and Carbon Cycling on Feedbacks Between Soil Moisture	$462,546
Dukes	Jeffery	Purdue University	7/1/2012	6/30/2015	Climate Change Feedbacks from Interactions Between New and Old Carbon	$149,981
Dye	Dennis	US Geological Survey	1/1/2014	12/31/2016	Understanding the Response of Photosynthetic Metabolism in Tropical Forests to Seasonal Climate Variations	$970,020
Ehleringer	James	University of Utah	9/15/2010	9/14/2014	Improving Representation of Drought Stress and Fire Emissions in Climate Carbon Models: Measurements and Modeling with a Focus on the Western USA	$1,049,850
Fendorf	Scott	Stanford University	9/1/2013	8/31/2016	Spatial Variation in Microbial Processes Controlling Carbon Mineralization within Soils and Sediments	$1,050,857
Finzi	Adrien	Boston University	9/15/2011	9/14/2014	Partitioning CO₂ Fluxes with Isotopologue Measurements and Modeling to Understand Mechanisms of Forest Carbon Sequestration	$1,039,787
Genereux	David	North Carolina State University	9/1/2011	8/31/2015	Water-Carbon Links in a Tropical Forest: How Interbasin Groundwater Flow Affects Carbon Fluxes and Ecosystem Carbon Budgets	$768,331
Germino	Matthew	US Geological Survey	8/1/2012	8/31/2014	Subalpine and Alpine Species Range Shifts with Climate Change: Temperature and Soil Moisture Manipulations to Test Species and Population Responses	$136,006
Gonzalez-Meler	Miquel	University of Illinois	9/1/2011	11/30/2015	Permafrost Thawing and Vegetation Change Effects on Cryoturbation Rates and C and CH₄ Dynamics	$1,034,150
Goulden	Michael	University of California-Irvine	5/1/2008	4/30/2014	Physiological, Demographic, Competitive and Biogeochemical Controls on the Response of California's Ecosystems to Environmental Change	n/a
Hollinger	David	USDA-ARS	9/1/2011	8/31/2015	Supporting Carbon Cycle and Earth Systems Modeling with Measurements and Analysis from the Howland AmeriFlux Site	$1,048,730
Hungate	Bruce	Climate Wise Solutions	7/15/2012	7/14/2014	Synthesis of Scrub-Oak Ecosystem Responses to Elevated CO₂	$91,094
Katul	Gabriel	Duke University	9/1/2011	8/31/2015	Constraining the Simultaneous Effects of Elevated CO₂, Temperature, and Shifts in Rainfall Patterns on Ecosystem Carbon Fluxes using Multi-Scale Resource Optimization Theories	$826,270
Keeling	Ralph	University of California-San Diego	9/15/2010	9/14/2014	Developing Model Constraints of Northern Extra-Tropical Carbon Cycling Based on Measurements of the Abundance and Isotopic Composition of Atmospheric CO₂	$1,048,537
Kostka	Joel	Georgia Institute of Technology	9/15/2011	9/1/2015	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	$1,049,977
Law	Beverly	Oregon State University	9/1/2011	8/31/2014	Enhancing the Precision and Accuracy Within and Among AmeriFlux Site Measurements	$1,049,381
Law	Beverly	Oregon State University	9/15/2010	5/14/2014	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
Leclerc	Monique	University of Georgia	9/15/2011	9/14/2014	A New Carbon Flux Site: Innovative Methods of Atmosphere-Terrestrial Carbon Exchange Measurements and Modeling	$100,000
Megonigal	Patrick	Smithsonian Institution	6/15/2012	6/14/2015	Sources, Sinks and Processes Regulating Cryptic Methane Emissions from Upland Ecosystems	$149,907
Megonigal	Patrick	Smithsonian Institution	8/1/2012	7/31/2015	Archiving Data to Support Data Synthesis of DOE Sponsored Elevated CO₂ Experiments	$109,000
Melillo	Jerry	Marine Biological Laboratory	1/1/2012	8/31/2014	Effects of Warming on Tree Species' Recruitment in Deciduous Forests of the Eastern United States	$170,772
Monson	Russ	University of Colorado	9/15/2010	9/14/2014	Carbon Cycling Dynamics in Response to Pine Beetle Infection and Climate Variation	$1,033,242
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	$1,039,878
Oechel	Walter	San Diego State University	9/15/2010	9/14/2014	Seasonal and Inter-Annual Controls on CO₂ Flux in Arctic Alaska	$370,185
Oren	Ram	Duke University	8/1/2009	12/31/2014	Duke Forest FACE Experiment: Forest-Atmosphere Carbon Transfer and Storage (FACTS-I)	$249,689
Pendall	Elise	University of Wyoming	9/1/2011	9/14/2015	Direct, Indirect and Interactive Effects of Warming and Elevated CO₂ on Grassland Carbon Metabolism	$1,044,170
Pockman	William	University of New Mexico	3/15/2009	3/14/2014	Hydraulic Mechanisms of Survival and Mortality During Drought in Pinon-Juniper Woodlands of Southwestern USA	n/a
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
Richardson	Andrew	Harvard University	9/1/2012	8/31/2015	Improving Models to Predict Phenological Responses to Global Change	$40,560
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
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	$1,039,878
Schafer	Karina	Rutgers University	9/15/2011	6/14/2015	Effects of Disturbance on Carbon Sequestration in the New Jersey Pine Barrens	$549,343
Schuur	Ted	University of Florida	9/1/2011	9/14/2015	Effects of Warming the Deep Soil and Permafrost on Ecosystem Carbon Balance in Alaskan Tundra: A Coupled Measurement and Modeling Approach	$1,024,426
Sumner	David	US Geological Survey	7/1/2012	6/30/2015	Carbon Dynamics of the Greater Everglades Watershed and Implications of Climate Change	$40,000
Teixiera	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	$314,913
Tharayil	Nishanth	Clemson University	9/1/2013	8/31/2015	Rigid Nanostructured Organic Polymer Monolith for In Situ Collection and Analysis of Plant Metabolites from Soil Matrices	$127,497
Trowbridge	Amy	HyPerspectives, Inc.	9/1/2013	8/31/2015	Above and Belowground Connections and Species Interactions: Controls Over Ecosystem Fluxes	$150,000
Wofsy	Steven	Harvard University	7/15/2012	7/14/2015	Fluxes of CO₂, CH₄, CO, BVOCs, NOx and O₃ in An Old Growth Amazonian Forest: Ecosystem Processes, Carbon Cycle, Atmospheric Chemistry, and Feedbacks on Climate	$1,048,187