Cornell Climate Change

Program or topic

Riverine nitrogen dynamics (Howarth/Marino Lab)

Department(s) or unit(s)

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Contact information

• Robert W. Howarth
  David R. Atkinson Professor of Ecology & Environmental Biology
  rwh2@cornell.edu
• Roxanne Marino
  Senior Research Associate
  rmm3@cornell.edu

Program goals

Determine how climatic variation and change affects coastal nitrogen pollution.

Brief Description

Nitrogen is the largest pollution problem in coastal waters of the United States with an estimated two-thirds of U.S. coastal rivers and bays moderately or severely degraded. Sources of N pollution include sewage discharges, runoff from agricultural fields and feed lots, and atmospheric deposition. However, the relative importance of individual sources is poorly known for many watersheds and a better assessment of sources and the climatic factors that influence the delivery of nitrogen to coastal ecosystems is essential for more cost-effective management of nitrogen pollution.

The Howarth/ Marino lab (EEB) is active in several projects, in collaboration with other labs participating in Cornell University’s Agricultural Ecology Program (AEP), the NOAA Coastal Hypoxia Program, and the Woods Hole SeaGrant Program, to better determine the sources of nutrient pollution (particularly nitrogen) to coastal waters, to determine how climatic variation and change affects the delivery of this pollution to the coast, and to provide practical approaches for managers to use to reduce the problem. We have used a variety of approaches including field work on atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and the development and refinement of the SCOPE/NANI and ReNuMa models

Our recent work indicates that watersheds in wetter environments export a significantly larger portion of the net anthropogenic nitrogen inputs to them (~35 percent to 40 percent, vs. 10 percent to 20 percent in more dry environments). We have projected that future climate change, which is likely to lead to more wet environments in the northeast U.S., may partially, or even totally undermine management efforts to reduce nitrogen pollution.

For more information

For more information, please visit the project pages:

• Regional Nutrient Management (ReNuMa)
• Agricultural Ecology Program (AEP)
• Coastal Hypoxia Research Program (CHRP)

Program or topic

Genomics-enabled biogeochemical ecology of marine microorganisms

Department(s) or unit(s)

Microbiology

Contact information

Ian Hewson, Assistant Professor
ih88@cornell.edu

Program goals

To elucidate marine microbial community diversity, function and interactions between food web components as it relates to biogeochemical cycling in the ocean.

Brief Description

Marine bacteria comprise about 80% of open ocean biomass, remineralize most organic matter into inorganic forms (which are then bioavailable to phytoplankton), and play crucial roles in most elemental cycles. Marine viruses infect and kill bacteria, phytoplankton, eukaryotic microorganisms and metazoa, and in doing so influence the overall biogeochemical cycling of the ocean.

Hence, viral activities in the ocean are directly linked to ocean-atmosphere fluxes. Research in the marine microbiology laboratory focuses on the biogeochemical impacts of marine viruses on communities of microorganisms, and understanding how variability in the composition, function, and interactions between components of pelagic microorganisms relates to ecosystem-scale processes.

For more information

Hewson Lab

Program or topic

Ocean Resources & Ecosystems Program

Department(s) or unit(s)

Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences

Contact information

Charles H. Greene, Professor
Director, Ocean Resources and Ecosystems Program
chg2@cornell.edu

Brief Description

Climate Impacts on Ocean Ecosystems and Living Resources
Sustainable Earth, Energy and Environmental Systems

My research focuses on the impacts of climate variability and change on marine ecosystems. Recent research efforts have resulted in major breakthroughs in our understanding of climate impacts on the continental shelf ecosystems of the northwest Atlantic.

I have also recently led efforts to promote the emerging new field of Conservation Oceanography. Conservation Oceanography incorporates the latest advances in sensor technology, ocean observing systems, and computational methods to provide resource managers and policy makers with the information they need to ensure the sustainability of both exploited and protected marine populations.

For more information

Websites:

• Charles H. Greene’s profile page.

Publications:

• 2001 MERCINA. Oceanographic responses to climate in the Northwest Atlantic. Oceanography 14: 77-83.
• 2002 Drinkwater, K.F., A. Belgrano, A. Borja, A. Conversi, M. Edwards, C.H. Greene, G. Ottersen, A.J. Pershing, and H. Walker. The Response of Marine Ecosystems to climate variability associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation. Pages 211-234 in J.W. Hurrell, Y. Kushnir, G. Ottersen, and M. Visbeck, editors. The North Atlantic Oscillation: Climatic Significance and Environmental Impact. American Geophysical Union Monograph Series Vol. 134, Washington, DC.
• 2003 Greene, C.H., and A.J. Pershing. The flip-side of the North Atlantic Oscillation and modal shifts in slope-water circulation patterns. Limnol. Oceanogr. 48: 319-322.
• Greene, C.H., A.J. Pershing, R.D. Kenney, and J.W. Jossi. Impact of climate variability on the recovery of endangered North Atlantic right whales. Oceanography 16: 96-101.
• MERCINA. Trans-Atlantic responses of Calanus finmarchicus populations to basin-scale forcing associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation. Prog. Oceanogr. 58: 301-312.
• 2004 Greene, C.H., and A.J. Pershing. Climate and the conservation biology of North Atlantic right whales: the right whale at the wrong time? Front. Ecol. Environ. 2: 29-34.
• Pershing, A.J., C.H. Greene, B. Planque, and J.-M. Fromentin. The influence of climate variability on North Atlantic zooplankton populations. Pages 59-69 in N.C. Stenseth, G. Ottersen, J. Hurrell, and A. Belgrano, editors. Ecological Effects of Climatatic Variations in the North Atlantic. Oxford University Press.
• MERCINA. Supply-side ecology and the response of zooplankton to climate-driven changes in North Atlantic Ocean circulation. Oceanography 17(3): 10-21.
• 2005 Pershing, A.J., C.H. Greene, J.W. Jossi, L. O’Brien, J.K.T. Brodziak, and B.A. Bailey. Interdecadal variability in the Gulf of Maine zooplankton community with potential impacts on fish recruitment. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 62: 511-523.
• 2007 Greene, C.H., and A.J. Pershing. Climate drives sea change. Science 315: 1084-1085.
• 2008 Greene, C.H., A.J. Pershing, T.M. Cronin, and N. Cecci. Arctic climate change and its impacts on the ecology of the North Atlantic. Ecology 89(11) Supplement 2008: S24-S38.
• Baker, D.J., C.H. Greene, R. Spinrad, and J. Yoder. Turning the challenges of climate change into opportunities. Sea Technology 49(9): 7.
• 2009 Greene, C.H., B.A. Block, D. Welch, G. Jackson, and G.L. Lawson. Advances in conservation oceanography: new tagging and tracking technologies and their potential for transforming the science underlying fisheries management. Oceanography 22 (1): 210-223.
• Greene, C.H., B.C. Monger, and L.P. McGarry. Some like it cold. Science 324: 733-734.

Program or topic

New York State Water Resources Institute

Department(s) or unit(s)

• Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
• Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

Contact information

Susan Riha
Director, NYS Water Resources Institute
Charles L. Pack Research Professor of Forest Soils
Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
(607)255-1729
sjr4@cornell.edu

Program goals

To study the effects of climate change on various water resource issues, such as rising sea levels and current groundwater uses, storm water surges, flooding, drought, and water quality.

Brief description

New York State Water Resources Institute collaborates with regional, state, and national partners to increase awareness of emerging water resources issues and to develop and assess new water management technologies and policies. The institute connects the water research and water management communities.

Current climate predictions will challenge water managers in many ways, including:

• Evaporation will intensify and total precipitation may increase 10% by end of the century, with most of the increase concentrated in the winter months and a higher proportion of winter precipitation falling as rain rather than snow.
• Average precipitation on rainy days, the number of heavy events with more than 2 inches of rainfall in a single day, and the total rainfall in the biggest storms are projected to increase substantially by the end of the century. More rain on rainy days and more frequent large rainfall events will increase surface runoff, thereby influencing flooding risks and diminishing groundwater recharge.
• Increasing evaporative demand with rising summer temperatures coupled with stable summer rainfall, will increase the frequency of summer drought.
• Reduced snowpack and an increase in winter rainfall, higher frequencies of summer drought, and a change in rainfall intensity will all impact streamflow, groundwater recharge, and the reliability of water supply systems. In coastal areas, rising sea level will exacerbate saltwater intrusion into groundwater.

For more information

Websites:

New York State Water Resources Institute

Key Publications:

• Johnson, M.S., M. Weiler, E.G. Couto, S. Riha and J. Lehmann. 2007. Storm pulses of dissolved CO2 in a forested headwater Amazonian stream explored using hydrograph separation. Water Resources Research. (In press).
• Feldpausch, T.R., C. Prates-Clark, E.C.M. Fernandes and S.J. Riha. 2007. Secondary forest growth deviation from chronosequence predictions in central Amazonia. Global Change Biology. 13, 967-979.

Program or topic

• National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCAES)
• Coral Reef Targeted Research (CRTR)

Department(s) or unit(s)

• Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Contact information

Drew Harvell
Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Faculty Curator, Malacology Collection
(607)255-6175
cdh5@cornell.edu

Program goals

• National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCAES): To model systems for climate and disease reactions with a focus on pathogen growth and immune compromise. Recent studies have introduced new concepts on the role of climate and environmental factors with respect to the spread of the Aspergillus-Gorgonian coral epizootic.
• Coral Reef Targeted Research (CRTR): To predict disease dynamics under climate change scenarios with the use of computer models so that reef managers can make better management decisions.

Brief Description

With oceans absorbing about 22 million tons of carbon dioxide each day combined with warming temperatures, coral reefs are facing unprecedented new threats. It is now believed that increases in sea water acidity and temperature will lead to mass extinctions within the next fifty years if carbon dioxide emissions are not drastically reduced. Now more than ever, marine researchers and reef managers must work together on all levels to solve issues relevant to their specific needs while evaluating the impacts of a changing climate on coral reef ecosystems. Using a variety of approaches, including field studies, molecular techniques, chemical analyses, and mathematical modeling, research in the Harvell lab attempts to answer questions such as how does coral disease affect fish and invertebrate populations, how does disease alter the reef’s ability to support diverse fish populations, and are there correlations between water quality and disease prevalence? Dr. Harvell’s work has led to the now widespread acceptance that diseases in marine ecosystems are important, particularly in the very climate-sensitive coral reef ecosystems.

For more information

Websites:

• Harvell Lab Home Page
• Coral Reef Targeted Research group
• National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis

Key publications:

• Harvell, C. D. et al. 2002. Climate warming and disease risks for terrestrial and marine biota. Science. 296, 2158–2162.
• Harvell, C.D., E. Jordan-Dahlgren, S. Merkel, E. Rosenberg, L. Raymundo, G. Smith, E. Weil and B. Willis. 2007. Coral Disease, Environmental Drivers and the Balance Between Coral and Microbial Associates. Oceanography. 20:58-81

Program or topic

Marine Ecosystem Responses to Climate in the North Atlantic (MERCINA)

Global Biogeochemical Engineering

Department(s) or unit(s)

• Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Contact information

Charles H. Greene

Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Director, Ocean Resources and Ecosystems Program

(607)255-5449

chg2@cornell.edu

Program goals

Marine Ecosystem Responses to Climate in the North Atlantic (MERCINA): Research focuses on the impacts of climate variability and change on marine ecosystems in the North Atlantic, with the goal of understanding and predicting the effects of climate change and variability on the structure and dynamics of marine ecosystems and fisheries.

Global Biogeochemical Engineering: Research focuses on development of algalbioenergy for use in powering direct air capture of carbon dioxide, with ultimate goals of reducing the threats from greenhouse warming and ocean acidification.

Brief Description

Charles Greene’s groundbreaking work with sensor technology, ocean observing systems, and computational methods is shining new light on the response of marine ecosystems to a changing climate. With oceans covering more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, it is critical to understand the implications of climate change to this colossal system. Dr. Greene uses a combination of process-oriented field studies and retrospective analysis to predict how marine ecosystems respond to climate change. Greene’s work has provided insight on regime shifts in the context of fisheries, right whale protection, and major ecosystem shifts in response to many factors including climate. Using over 50 years of time-series data, Greene and his colleagues have created predictive models that will help commercial fisheries and also guide policymakers in designing effective plans for populations of exploited and protected cetacean species in the Atlantic. Cornell researchers were among the first to sound the warning bell about the threat of Arctic climate change to marine ecosystems along the eastern seaboard of North America.

Charles Greene has taken responsibility for coordinating Cornell University’s Sustainable Earth, Energy, and Environmental Systems (SEEES) Initiative. This responsibility includes coordinating a campus-wide SEEES seminar series and freshman writing course during autumn semesters, supervising a Sustainable Earth and Environmental Systems Semester in Hawaii Program during spring semesters, and supervising the new Cornell – WHOI Master of Engineering Program in Ocean Observing Science and Technology. Recently, he has facilitated a partnership between Cornell, other universities, and the private sector to develop innovative research initiatives in algal bioenergy production and biogeochemical engineering, with a special focus on carbon dioxide reduction technologies.

For more information

Websites:

Charles Greene’s Home Page

Charles Greene’s Research Program

Key publications:

• Greene, C.H., A.J. Pershing, T.M. Cronin, and N. Cecci. 2008. Arctic climate change and its impacts on the ecology of the North Atlantic. Ecology 89(11) Supplement 2008: S24-S38.
• Greene, C.H., D.J. Baker, and D.H. Miller. 2010. A very inconvenient truth. Oceanography 23 (1): 214-218.
• Greene, C.H., Monger, B.C., Huntley, M. 2010. Geoengineering: the inescapable truth of getting to 350. Solutions 1(5): 57-66. (http://www.thesolutionsjournal.com/node/771).
• Greene, C.H., and B.C. Monger. 2012. An Arctic wildcard in the weather. Oceanography 25 (2); 7-9.
• Greene, C.H., et al. 2012. Recent Arctic climate change and its remote forcing of Northwest Atlantic shelf ecosystems. Oceanography 25 (3): in press.