Modern Tendencies in Regional Environmental

Studies

E.P. GordovSiberian Center for Environmental Research

and Training and Institute of Monitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems SB RAS,

Tomsk, Russia

OUTLINE

1. Background

2. IGBP Phase Two

3. Earth System Science Partnership

4. Integrated Regional Studies (approach)

5. Integrated Regional Studies (example)

6. Role of Information-Computational Infrastructure

7. SB RAS Integrated Interdisciplinary Environmental Projects

8. Background for Northern Eurasia IRS

Background

Basic tendencies of regional environmental studies are analyzed on the basis of national and international Programs and Projects devoted to investigation of changes in environment caused by growing anthropogenic pressure and Global Climate Change.

Environment = Earth geographic envelope (Atmosphere, Hydrosphere and Active Layer of Lithosphere)

Environmental Sciences:• Multidisciplinary (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Ecology, Social

Sciences, etc.)

• Monitoring (networks of local sensors, satellite remote sensing)

• Mathematical modeling of processes and understanding/handling huge amounts of data

Computational-Information Technologies form infrastructure of basic and applied Environmental Sciences

Challenges: • To understand anthropogenic influence on regional/global

scale;• To elaborate recipes for diminishing its negative consequences;• To suggest a way for sustainable development in the changing

environment.

Climate-Chemistry-Ecosystems → WGCM / GAIM

CLIMATE

CHEMISTRY ECOSYSTEMS

AEROSOLS GHG’s

Greenhouse Effect

CO2

Direct andIndirect Effects

CH4, O3,N2O, CFC

HumanEmissions

HumanEmissions

HumanEmissions

Land-useChange

Online

Offline

Oxidants:OH, H2O2

HO2,O3

Fires: sootMineral dust

Biogenic Emissions:CH4,DMS,VOC’sDry deposition: stomatal conductance

N deposition03, UV radiation

Source - P Cox

IGBP Phase Two

Objective•To describe and understand Earth System dynamics

•focusing on the interactive biological, chemical and physical processes

•the changes that are occurring in these dynamics

•and the role of human activities in these changes

CHARACTERISTICS OF IGBP II

• More integrative, more interdisciplinary • Global change versus climate change • Strong base in biogeochemical sciences • More emphasis on issues of societal

concern• More emphasis on the regional scale • Strategic partnerships via the Earth

System Science Partnership (ESS-P)

Earth System Science Partnership

Systemic behaviour of Earth's environment is due to a combination of external forcing - primarily variations in solar radiation levels near the Earth's surface - and a large and complex array of feedbacks and forcings within Earth's environment itself.

Level of understanding of processes occurring in the Earth System, achieved mainly due to development of computational models and network of environment monitoring, requires to consider regional processes influence on the whole system functioning.

Impossible to analyze dynamics of regional systems in details without proper consideration of global processes influence. And vice versa!

Earth System Science Partnership

HealthHealth StartSTART

The Earth is currently operating in a no-analoguestate. In terms of key environmental parameters, the Earth System has recently moved well outside the range of natural variability exhibited over atleast the last half million years. The nature ofchanges now occurring simultaneously in theEarth System, their magnitudes and rates of change are unprecedented.

From: Steffen et al. 2003

Earth System and Regional ProcessesCurrent knowledge demonstrates that, at the regional level, aspects of global change manifest significantly different—yet surprisingly coherent and teleconnected and may affect Earth System dynamics.

Examples of small scale processes acting on large distances and long times:•Chemical species transport;•Permafrost border shifts.

Region might vary from a part of continent (Northern Eurasia) to a scale of natural/anthropogenic complex (Great Vasyugan Bog/ an irrigation system.

ESSP is currently developing a small set of Integrated Regional Studies (IRS), designed to contribute sound scientific understanding in support of sustainable development at the local level. These studies will also improve overall knowledge of regional-global linkages in the context of Earth System dynamics and seek to generate new knowledge about a region’s climatological, ecological, biogeochemical and hydrological functioning, the impact of land use change on these functions, and the interaction between it and the Earth system.

Integrated Regional Studies (approach)

Formulated within the second phase of IGBP approach to Integrated Regional Studies shows it in most clear form. Apart necessity to take into account interrelations between regional and global processes here stressed is:

•necessity of usage of multidisciplinary approaches, based on information-computational technologies and

•applying basic science results to understanding of regional consequences of specific environment dynamics for population and socioeconomic situation in the region under study

•as well as strong demand in properly educated researchers is announced.

Integrated Regional Studies (IRS)

Based on the concept of the region as a holistic entity in the context of the Earth System;

Contribute sound scientific understanding in support of sustainable development in the region;

Contribute to a quantitative and qualitative understanding of regional-global linkages and the consequences of changes in these linkages.

Overall Approach

Each IRS be developed and led by scientists in the region concerned. The studies will reflect the individual characteristics, interests, scientific capabilities and development priorities of the regions themselves; there should be no prescribed or uniform templates for implementation. The commonality between the studies will be based on the fact that all within the set should address the same overall questions:

• What will the region be like in 50 years (2050)?• What will be the consequences of these projected changes (scenarios) for the

welfare of the region?• What are the consequences for the Earth System?

‘Region' in an IRS refers to a large geographical area that must transcend national boundaries as appropriate, according to the following:

IRSs must: (i) transcend disciplinary boundaries across natural and

social sciences, address all relevant aspects of marine, terrestrial, atmospheric, social, economic, cultural, historical etc. components of the Earth System;

(ii)reflect the particular socio-economic and biophysical characteristics of the region ; and

(iii) address regional research as an integrative Earth System science from planning to the synthesis and completion stages of such studies.

IRSs must study how the region functions as an entity as a whole and how that functioning might change.

An IRS must have some explicit relationship to a major feature of Earth System functioning (e.g., the Asian Monsoon system, the Amazon Basin, the Antarctic cryosphere).

IRSs should be built around regions that may function as switch or choke points or hot spots, in which small changes in regional systems may lead to profound changes in the ways in which the Earth System operates.

‘Integrated' in IRSs refers specifically to two types of integration:

(i)'horizontal integration', involving the integration of elements and processes within and across a region; and

(ii) 'Vertical integration', involving the two-way linkages between the region and the global system.

Integrated Regional Studies: example

•assess the influence of regional processes on Earth System functioning (and vice-versa)

•be integrative (natural and social sciences, all components of the Earth System, planning to synthesis)

•contribute sound scientific understanding in support of sustainable development in the region

•be scientifically-driven by scientists in the region, but with global collaboration

An IRS must:

Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA)

•80 research groups - 600 scientists

•How does Amazonia function as a regional entity (e.g., natural cycles of water, energy, aerosols, carbon, nutrient and trace-gases)?

•How will changes in land use and climate affect the biological, chemical and physical functioning of Amazonia, including its sustainability and influence on global climate?

Role of Information-Computational Infrastructure

Evolution of the Scientific Process

• Pre-electronic– Theorize &/or experiment, alone or in small

teams; publish paper

• Post-electronic– Construct and mine very large databases of

observational or simulation data– Develop computer simulations & analyses– Exchange information quasi-instantaneously

within large, distributed, multidisciplinary teams

a new global infrastructure

• the Grid is an emergent infrastructure to deliver dependable, pervasive and uniform access to globally distributed, dynamic and heterogeneous resources

• problems of scalability, interoperability, fault tolerance, resource management and security

sensor nets

data archives

computers

software

colleagues

instruments

• information on demand - like power from a socket• information on demand - like power from a socket

The GridThe Semantic Web

“Resource sharing & coordinated problem solving in dynamic, multi-institutional virtual organizations”

SB RAS Integrated Interdisciplinary

Environmental Projects

SB RAS Integrated Complex and Interdisciplinary Environmental Projects comprise efforts a number of Research

Institutes and Universities

Statistics of environmental Integrated Complex and Interdisciplinary Projects

Typical Complex Project (CP): 5-7 OrganizationsFunded in 2003-2005 12 CP.

Typical Integrated Interdisciplinary Project (IIP): 15 organizationsFunded in 2003-2005 11 IIP.

Background for Northern Eurasia IRS

Необходимость ИТ, как общей вычислительно-информационной платформыИТ – инструмент для превращения наук об окружающей среде в точные науки

A set of SB RAS Integrated Interdisciplinary Projects like IIP NO 138 “Siberian Geosphere – Biosphere

Program: integrated regional study of contemporary

natural and climatic changes” (SGBP)

 

 Новосибирская обл.

Томская обл.

Томск

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Благодарю за внимание!Thanks!

Успешной работы на конференции!