and thus
she really to four
we focus so i looking at you like or system
so i'll component but framework for researches only go system response to disturbances disturbance gonna
be environmental issues like acid rain climate change or can be management issues like harvesting
other disturbances on an ecosystem
the big question is what are the underlying mechanisms that drive ecosystem response to changing
chemical and physical climb
if we really understand the mechanisms and not just correlations then we can build models
and make management decisions to address all sorts of challenges
this research allows us to better utilise the natural resources the come from ecosystem services
that society is built on and our work has contributed to everything from the re
authorisation of the clean air act of nineteen ninety to state laws on management environmental
issues to
practical management the data database
probably the biggest picture take a message comes from these long-term studies probably because they're
so rare there is only a handful of whole calibrated what are should research programs
particularly with whole watershed manipulations as part of the experimental design
to address certain question what we see is that the our understanding on the short
term is often not applicable on the long-term and so if we're developing policy local
national international policy on a on the environment
we really want to know that our understanding of the response of ecosystems and you
go system services that society depends on will stand the test of time much of
the work is in fact in a in so the answer the question of how
does this relate to my life relative to main citizens and managers and the policy
litres
is this is what's happening in your backyard and this is what supports the economy
that we all live so there is a very direct effect a good example would
be this long-term their broke study recent years as we come along with it concerns
with by low energy the sustainability of the main force to support
one of the renewable energy options that we have we turn to bear broke because
of the rich database we drive models of nutrient cycling to ask questions about it
will increase remove rules have a detrimental affect the long-term productivity
so if you do good science and you understand mechanisms then you can both address
the questions you started out to answer as well as being well prepared to address
undoubtedly the new questions and a new challenges the come for
another colleague in the institute george jacobson and i were involved with leading the mains
climate future it's no known as a publication which is an assessment of the climate
change implications for the state of maine which is had
pretty important impact on the public robot regulators managers and different resource sectors understanding how
climate change might relate to their everyday lives and has a the area that i'm
particularly interested now is how that translates into adaptation
climate change is changing i the growing season's longer ice out is earlier all sorts
of things are changing in the environment and as people come forward and ask what
are these changes in what are the implications for their ecosystems that i'm involved with
hopefully some of the science that we do and unquestionably some of the size we
do in the climate changes to can address those kinds of concerns
our students undergraduate students graduate students are able to be actively involved all your around
with both fieldwork work in laboratories working greenhouses and it's are real thrilled to be
have them as part of the team
and it's even more of a thrill when they go off and they're all around
us in society here remain and reflect fondly about a what they learned here and
how they're applying it
close to a two