Publications about Worldwide

IAN is committed to producing practical, user-centered communications that foster a better understanding of science and enable readers to pursue new opportunities in research, education, and environmental problem-solving. Our publications synthesize scientific findings using effective science communication techniques.

Unfamiliar Territory: Emerging Themes for Ecological Drought Research and Management (Page 1)

Unfamiliar Territory: Emerging Themes for Ecological Drought Research and Management

Crausbay SD, Betancourt J, Bradford J, Cartwright J, Dennison WC, Dunham J, Enquist CAF, Frazier AG, Hall KR, Littell JS, Luce CH, Palmer R, Ramirez AR, Rangwala I, Thompson L, Walsh BM, Carter S ·
2020

Novel forms of drought are emerging globally, due to climate change, shifting teleconnection patterns, expanding human water use, and a history of human influence on the environment that increases the probability of transformational ecological impacts. These costly ecological impacts cascade to human communities, and understanding this changing drought landscape is one of today’s grand challenges.

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Evaluating Transdisciplinary Approaches (Page 1)

Evaluating Transdisciplinary Approaches

Emily Nastase, Heath Kelsey, Bill Dennison, Max Hermanson, Katie May Laumann, Sky Swanson ·
28 July 2020

The Evaluating Transdisciplinary Approaches Workshop was convened by the Belmont Forum at the National Science Foundation and facilitated by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in Alexandria, VA, USA on 26–28 June 2019. Participants of the workshop are part of a growing community of transdisciplinary research supporters and practitioners. Their efforts contribute to our fundamental and applied understanding of complex systems.

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Adapting the dynamic LakeMab model to simulate seasonal variations of phosphorus concentration in reservoirs: a case study of Lake Bultière (France) (Page 1)

Adapting the dynamic LakeMab model to simulate seasonal variations of phosphorus concentration in reservoirs: A case study of Lake Bultière (France)

Roubeix V, Minaudo C, Prats J, Reynaud N, Zhang Q, Moatar F, Danis PA ·
2020

Controlling phosphorus is fundamental to limit the risk of eutrophication of continental aquatic ecosystems. Integrated modelling of its concentration in the aquatic continuum requires specific tools for water bodies. However, although simple static empirical models and complex biogeochemical models are numerous, there are few relatively simple and flexible models able to simulate seasonal variations in phosphorus concentrations in water bodies and particularly in reservoirs.

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Using macroalgal bioindicators to map nutrient plumes from fish farms and other sources at a bay-wide scale (Page 1)

Using macroalgal bioindicators to map nutrient plumes from fish farms and other sources at a bay-wide scale

Howarth LM, Filgueira R, Jiang D, Koepke H, Frame MK, Buchwald C, Finnis S, Chopin T, Costanzo SD, Grant J ·
2019

Human activities can elevate coastal levels of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN). As macroalgae readily absorb and accumulate DIN, the elemental (total N and C:N ratio) composition of their tissues is less affected by temporal fluctuations compared to more direct measures of DIN concentration. Additionally, their isotopic (δ15N) composition can reflect that of the source, which could potentially be used to identify between multiple effluent sources.

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River Water‐Quality Concentration and Flux Estimation Can be Improved by Accounting for Serial Correlation Through an Autoregressive Model (Page 1)

River water‐quality concentration and flux estimation can be improved by accounting for serial correlation through an autoregressive model

Zhang Q, Hirsch RM ·
2019

Accurate quantification of riverine water‐quality concentration and flux is challenging because monitoring programs typically collect concentration data at lower frequencies than discharge data. Statistical methods are often used to estimate concentration and flux on days without observations. One recently developed approach is the Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS), which has been shown to provide among the most accurate estimates compared to other common methods.

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Moving beyond the ecosystem in ecosystem health report cards (Page 1)

Moving beyond the ecosystem in ecosystem health report cards

Laumann KM, Nastase EA, Vargas-Nguyen V, Kelsey RH, Carew A, Donovan EC, Fries AS, Spitzer SE, and Dennison WC ·
2019

Early ecosystem health report cards focused on assessing the health of natural ecosystems, producing a “snapshot” of ecosystem health at one point in time. Ecosystem health report cards are used to guide efforts that improve ecosystem health through natural resources manage- ment and stakeholder engagement. Common themes among Report Cards include water quality and quantity and habitat. These indicators are not strictly environmental concerns, though.

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Scenarios of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (Page 1)

Scenarios of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Projecting changes in biodiversity and ecosystem services for decision-making

Brianne Walsh, Heath Kelsey, Bill Dennison ·
6 November 2019

The Belmont Forum Synthesis Workshop was held virtually, with four project teams from around the globe participating remotely. The process was convened by the Belmont Forum and facilitated by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. It served as the-end term meeting for the Scenarios of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services I (CRA). Project teams from around the globe participated virtually via online software.

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Understanding Responses to Global Change (Page 1)

Understanding Responses to Global Change

International collaborations for practical outcomes

Vanessa Vargas-Nguyen, Yesenia Valverde, Jane Hawkey, Bill Dennison, Heath Kelsey, Katie May Laumann, Sky Swanson ·
6 November 2019

The Tripartite Valorization Workshop was convened by the Belmont Forum and facilitated by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in Washington DC on 8-10 December 2018. It served as the-end term meeting for the Food Security and Land Use Change Collaborative Research Action (CRA), and mid-term meetings for the Arctic Observing and Science for Sustainability and Mountains as Sentinels of Change CRAs.

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