CCR has extensively studied surface-atmosphere interactions linking vegetation, soil moisture, snowpack, lakes, and topography to atmospheric processes. Ecosystem-atmosphere exchanges of trace gases have been measured at flux towers across Midwestern wetlands/forests. Modeling and statistical methods have been applied to explore the impact of Rocky Mountain snowpack on the North American monsoon, the Great Lakes’ influence on regional climate, the capacity of afforestation to slow anthropogenic warming, the global monsoons’ sensitivity to vegetation feedbacks, and oceanic versus terrestrial drivers of drought. The observational and remote sensing analysis of Middle Eastern dust storms has offered the potential for seasonal prediction. Using models and proxy data, CCR has studied abrupt African climate-ecosystem change during the mid-Holocene and impacts of Tibetan uplift on the Asian monsoons.
Principal Investigators
Ankur Desai, Tristan L’Ecuyer, Zhengyu Liu, Michael Notaro, John (Jack) Williams
Affiliates
Karl-Heinz Wyrwoll
Current and Recent Projects
Simulating and Understanding Abrupt Climate-Ecosystem Changes During Holocene with NCAR-CCSM3
Zhengyu Liu, Professor
Growth of the Tibetan Plateau and Eastern Asia Climate: Clues to Understanding the Hydrological Cycle
Zhengyu Liu, Professor
John Kutzbach, Professor Emeritus
Seasonal and Interannual Prediction of Saudi Arabian Dust Storms
Zhengyu Liu, Professor
Michael Notaro, CCR Associate Director, Senior Scientist
Evaluation of the Large-Scale and Regional Climatic Response Across North Africa to Natural Variability in Oceanic Modes and Terrestrial Vegetation Among the CMIP5 Models
Michael Notaro, CCR Associate Director, Senior Scientist
ABI Development: The PEcAn Project: A Community Platform for Ecological Forecasting
Ankur Desai, Professor
A Regional Atmospheric Continuous Co2 Network in the Rocky Mountains: Understanding Drivers of Flux Variability and Optimizing Regional Observations
Ankur Desai, Professor
Impact of Vegetation on North American Climate
Michael Notaro, CCR Associate Director, Senior Scientist
Zhengyu Liu, Professor
Roles of Forest Ecosystem in Mitigating Climate Change Impacts through Land-Surface Energy and Water Processes
Zhengyu Liu, Professor
Michael Notaro, CCR Associate Director, Senior Scientist
Phase 2: Role of Forest Ecosystems in Mitigating Climate Change Impacts through Land-Surface Energy and Water Processes
Zhengyu Liu, Professor
Guangshan Chen, CCR Assistant Scientist
Michael Notaro, CCR Associate Director, Senior Scientist
Statistical and Dynamical Exploration of Land-Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions in Two Contrasting Monsoon Regions: China and Northern Australia
Michael Notaro, CCR Associate Director, Senior Scientist