NSF Workshop on Data-model Assimilation in Ecology

Stephenson Research and Technology Center

University Of Oklahoma

Norman, OK 73019

October 22-24, 2007

Day 1, October 22, 2007

Session I. The need for data-model assimilation

Chair: Yiqi Luo

8:30                                        Introduction to each other

8:35     Liz Blood                   NSF perspectives on data-model assimilation

8:50    Yiqi Luo                       Overview on quantitative ecology and data-model assimilation

9:10    Dave Schimel             NEON’s perspectives on data-model assimilation

9:25    Debra Peters              Data-model assimilation issues at LTER

9:30     Joe Zhou                     Data-model assimilation issues for environmental genomics

9:35     Andrew Richardson   Data-model assimilation issues at AmeriFlux

9:40                                         Discussion

9:50 Break

Session II. Data-model assimilation for population and community ecology

Chair: Brett Melbourne

10:20   Jim Clark                     Integrating data and models to infer forest dynamic processes

10:40   Alan Hastings             Population ecology

11:00 Paul Moorcroft            Data-model assimilation with ED model

11:20 Andrew Latimer          Biodiversity over space

11:40                                      Discussion

Session III. Lunch and group discussion on Issues to be addressed by data-model assimilation

12:00 Lunch by groups, four groups led by Clark, Hastings, Ogle, and Williams

Charges to the groups:

1.      Identify research questions in ecology that require data-model assimilation and are to be addressed in 5-10 years.

2.      How can the data-model assimilation contribute to ecological forecasting?

2:30 Break

3:00                                        Reports from group discussion on research questions and ecological forecasting

4:00    Kelvin Droegemeier   Data-model assimilation for weather forecasting

                                                Tour of weather forecasting research facility in National Weather Center

6:00                                         Evening mixer and poster session

7:00                           Dinner

Day 2, October 23, 2007

Session IV: Data-model assimilation for biogeochemical cycles

Chair: Sean McMahon

8:30    Kiona Ogle                  Soil processes with a Bayesian approach

8:50     Gaby Katul                  On the spectrum of soil moisture in a shallow-rooted uniform pine forest: from hourly to inter-annual scales

9:10     Andrew Richardson    Error structure and implications on data-model assimilation

9:30    Mathew Williams        Multiple data sets with Kalman filter

9:50     Yiqi Luo                       Assimilation of data from manipulative experiments

10:10                                       Discussion

10:30  Break

Session V: Data-model assimilation for spatial analysis

Chair: Marie-Josee Fortin

11:00   Ying Ping Wang          Integration of biosphere and atmosphere observations

11:20   Damion Barrett           Regional residence times with genetic algorithms

11:40   Shunlin Liang              Assimilation of satellite and ecological data

12:00                                       Discussion

Session VI: Lunch and Group discussion on Techniques of data-model assimilation

12:20    Lunch by groups, four groups led by Clark, Hastings, Ogle, and Williams

Charge to the group: Discussion on technical issues in data-model assimilation such as:

1.      Information content of data and models 

2.      Best strategies (i.e., search methods) to extract information

3.      Ill-conditioned inversion

4.      Selection of target variables

3:00      Break

3:30                                        Reports from group discussion on technique issues

Session VII: Reflection, publication plan, and future research

Chair:  Rich Locus

4:00    S. Lakshmivarahan     Reflection by technical expert

4:20     Jarrett Barber             Reflection by Statistician

4:40     Yiqi Luo                       Products of the workshop:

a) Meeting summary (e.g., New Phytologist, EOS, Dafeng Hui),

b) Invited feature in Ecology or TREE

c) Science/Nature/Frontier paper: set up future research agenda, programmatic issues.

5:00     Dave Schimel             Community research and governance for NEON’s data products

5:20                                         Discussion

5:30                                         Free time

6:30                           Group dinner at Benvenuti

Day 3, October 24, 2007

Session VIII. Education and future research

Chair: Sean McMahon

8:30    Tom Hobbs                Introducing model-data fusion to graduate students in ecology

8:55                                        Group discussion on education and future research

Charges to the group:

1. How to promote data-model assimilation in ecological research and education

2. Community research and governance for NEON’s data products 

10:00    Break

10:30                         Reports from group discussion on education and future research

11:30                                      General discussion

12:00                                       Adjourn

Writing groups continue to work on papers in Wednesday afternoon and possibly Thursday.  Tentative titles are:

1. A conceptual paper: Questions à observations à data à data products à ecological forecasting (Schimel, Luo, Clark, …)
2. Invasive species (Hastings et al.),
3. Infectious diseases (Tom Hobbs et al.)
4. Carbon foresting and management (Luo, Schimel et al.)
5. Forest dynamics (Clark et al.)
6. Reflections by statisticians/technical experts (Lakshmivarahan and Barber)

Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Oklahoma, Norman OK, 73019