The Global Drylands Center of Arizona State University hosted a meeting entitled “Assessing the Relative Importance of Atmospheric vs. Soil Water as Controls of Carbon Cycling in Terrestrial Ecosystems” in Scottsdale, AZ on April 25. Although both atmospheric and soil water describe distinct stages within the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, they have traditionally been explored by different scholarly communities. The workshop brought together 13 scholarly representatives from both communities, who discussed alternative approaches of research and compared the strengths and weaknesses of different methods. By evaluating complementarities and identifying knowledge gaps, we sought to address where, when, and how much atmospheric and soil water affect ecosystem functioning. The meeting concluded on April 26 with plans for three potential publications synthesizing our current knowledge and exploring ways in which we may quantify the effects of atmospheric and soil water on terrestrial carbon cycling. Additional meetings will further support observational and experimental studies that are arising to create a better understanding of atmospheric and soil water dynamics.
April 25 & 26, 2024 | Fort McDowell, AZ
program | logistics | participants
Introduction
Assessing the relative importance of soil moisture vs. VPD as controls of C cycling in terrestrial ecosystems.
This workshop will be focused on high-level scoping/planning around the topic of VPD, with some preliminary data analysis. A few synthetic “state-of the field” talks are also planned. Subsequent meetings may be planned in the future based on workshop outcomes.
Schedule of Events
4/24
| All day | Arrival of Attendees – Lyft/Rideshare to Adero Scottsdale |
| 7:00 PM | Dinner Reservation at Cielo at ADERO |
4/25
| 9:00 – 9:30 AM | Welcome & Introductions Osvaldo Sala | Red Mountain Room |
| 9:30 – 10:00 AM | The Role of Soil & Atmospheric Water as Constraints on Productivity – The View from the Ground Alan Knapp | Red Mountain Room |
| 10:00 – 10:30 AM | VPD vs Soil Water Constraints on the C Cycle – The View from Space Alex Konings | Red Mountain Room |
| 10:30 – 10:45 AM | Break Red Mountain Room |
| 10:45 – 11:15 AM | Drylands vs Mesic Ecosystems – Flux Tower Perspectives Marcy Litvak & Steve Kannenberg | Red Mountain Room |
| 11:15 – 12:00 PM | General Discussion Red Mountain Room |
| 12:00 – 1:30 PM | Lunch Red Mountain Room |
| 1:30 – 1:45 PM | VPD & Soil Moisture Controls Over Carbon Cycle – Differences Across Space & Time | Introduction to Working Group 1 Steve Kannenberg | Red Mountain Room |
| 1:45 – 4:00 PM | Working Group 1 Red Mountain Room |
| 4:00 – 4:20 PM | Break Red Mountain Room |
| 4:20 – 5:00 PM | Reporting, Working Group 1 Red Mountain Room |
| 6:00 PM | Dinner Reservation at Cielo at ADERO |
4/26
| 9:00 – 9:30 AM | Introduction to the ARID Program Sasha Reed & Andrew Feldman | Red Mountain Room |
| 9:30 -10:00 AM | Field Experimental Approach | Beyond the Stomata Osvaldo Sala & Scott Collins | Red Mountain Room |
| 10:00 – 10:30 AM | Introduction to Working Group 2 Enrique Vivoni | Red Mountain Room |
| 10:30 – 10:45 AM | Break Red Mountain Room |
| 10:45 – 12:00 PM | Meteorological Determinants of Spatial Temporal Patterns of VPD | Working Group 2 Red Mountain Room |
| 12:00 – 1:30 PM | Lunch Red Mountain Room |
| 1:30 – 2:00 PM | Report of Working Group 2 Red Mountain Room |
| 2:00 – 5:00 PM | Synthesis & Next Steps Red Mountain Room |
| 5:30 PM | Dinner Reservation at Cielo at ADERO |
Venue Information & Maps
The workshop will be hosted at ADERO Scottsdale, in the Red Mountain Room.
The Red Mountain Room is situated between the guest rooms & the lobby.
If you have any issues finding the suite, please reach out to Em Gonzalez at (623) 249-8675.
For an entire breakdown of ADERO Scottsdale’s amenities, feel free to explore their Resort Guide. The campus also offers several dining locations and hiking trails.
Driving directions from ASU to ADERO Scottsdale.
Driving directions from Phoenix Sky Harbor to ADERO Scottsdale.
Participants
Regents’ Professor, Global Drylands Center | Arizona State University
Professor, Program Coordinator for Forestry | University of New Hampshire
Distinguished Professor, Loren Potter Chair of Plant Ecology | University of New Mexico
Assistant Research Scientist | NASA
Post Doctoral Scholar, School of Life Sciences | Arizona State University
Assistant Professor | University of Arizona
Assistant Professor | West Virginia University
University Distinguished Professor | Colorado State University
Associate Professor of Earth System Science, Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and Geophysics | Stanford
Professor | University of New Mexico
Research Ecologist | Southwest Biological Science Center, USGS
Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Colorado State University
Director, Center for Hydrologic Innovations | Arizona State University
Support: Em Gonzalez
