1) We quantified how much carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and sequestered in U.S. lands, and we wrote portions of the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory required under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This inventory is important because it quantifies the amount of greenhouse gases being sequestered and emitted by the U.S. each year. Carbon sequestration reduces the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions and therefore reduces harmful effects of climate change.
2) Ozone is a widespread air pollutant that damages human and plant health. We quantified the degree to which U.S. forests and agricultural ecosystems are damaged by ground-level ozone. We used this information to write portions of the scientific document that forms the basis for setting the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Ozone. This standard is required under the Clean Air Act. It is important because it affects how much ground-level ozone pollution is allowed in the air without damaging human and environmental health.
3) We are also currently working with a team from throughout the Northeast and North-Central U.S. to identify the best approaches for sustainable production of bioenergy. The most sustainable practices will have the greatest production of energy with the least impact on soil, air, and water quality, and the least overall greenhouse gas emissions.
impact statement issue
We need improved methods to integrate and analyze different kinds of environmental information so that it can be used to make better decisions at all levels -- at farms, watersheds, states, and the nation. We face many challenges as we seek to increase the production of food, feed, fiber, and fuel while improving the quality of our air, soil, and water.
We need ways to synthesize information from many sources, including agricultural and ecological experiments, as well as state, federal, and other monitoring programs that collect data about soil, air, and water quality. We also need ways to predict what will happen over large areas based on data from only a few experimental and monitoring locations.
Finally, we need ways to predict what will happen in the future based on environmental data from the past and present. Fortunately, modeling and database management tools are being developed to better integrate different kinds of data and develop models that can help us understand environmental processes and develop management practices to improve air, soil, and water quality. Like any tools, they must be used carefully, making sure that we can make reliable predictions.
impact statement response
We study ways to manage agricultural and forest ecosystems to improve sustainability, including air, soil, and water quality. Because we study complex problems over large areas, we develop multi-disciplinary teams to make sure that we study all parts of each problem.
We use modern computer modeling tools such as geographic information systems and simulation models to integrate data from experiments with data from environmental monitoring programs. These tools help us improve our understanding of how stresses such as ground-level ozone, excess nitrogen, and global change affect agricultural and forest ecosystems. These tools also allow us to study areas that are too large for experiments, such as the entire U.S.
We are using these tools to identify the most sustainable ways to produce bioenergy in New York and the Northeastern U.S. Bioenergy is important because it can reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels. We compare different bioenergy approaches to find those that best reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is important because it reduces the negative effects of climate change. We have also quantified the amount of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere and stored in plants and soil. Such "carbon sequestration" is important because it reduces the negative effects of climate change.
impact statement summary
1) We are working with a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional team to quantify the environmental impacts of biofuel production in New York state.
We are also working with a multi-disciplinary multi-institutional team to assess potential bioenergy feedstock production and sustainability in New York. This issue is important because bionenergy has the potential to reduce petroleum imports, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve environmental quality. However, research is needed to determine the land resources available and which types of biomass are most suitable for different types of land. For example, sloping land that is prone to erosion is more suited to perennial vegetation than annual vegetation.
2) We are also currently working with a team from throughout the Northeast and North-Central U.S. to identify the best approaches for sustainable production of bioenergy. The most sustainable practices will have the greatest production of energy with the least impact on soil, air, and water quality, and the least overall greenhouse gas emissions.
We are also working with a large multidisciplinary team on the Future Midwestern Landscapes research project, which is investigating how bioenergy activities during coming decades may affect land use and ecosystem services (such as provision of clean air and clean water) throughout the Midwestern U.S.
3) We are working with a multi-disciplinary team to model nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loading to streams and rivers in the Upper Susquehanna watershed. This issue is important because nutrients and sediment can reduce water quality in streams and rivers and also travel downstream to estuaries where they contribute to eutrophication and other water quality problems. We are developing better tools and techniques to determine the sources of nutrients and sediments so that they can be mitigated in a cost-effective manner.
Other federal funding
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Other private funding
Sun Grant Initiative, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Transportation
