Congratulations to the Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis Class of FY21 Working Group
By John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
July 6, 2020
The Powell Center is pleased to announce six new Working Groups for FY21 support.
The Powell Center is pleased to announce six new Working Groups for FY21 support. These projects were ranked highly by the Science Advisory Board and reflect the highest quality science, breadth, depth and relevance reflective of the mission of the USGS.
The John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis serves as a catalyst for innovative thinking in Earth system science research by providing the time, creative space, and computational, data manipulation and data management resources to promote synthesis of existing information and emergent knowledge. The USGS congratulates these new Working Groups and welcomes them to the Powell Center.
More information on these and all other Working Groups is available on our website.
| Working Group Title | Investigators | Related Mission Areas | Financial Co-sponsors |
| Markov Decision Processes in Non-autonomous Socio-ecological Systems | Michael Runge Patrick Devers James Lyons | Ecosystems | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Forecasting Mosquito Phenology in a Shifting Climate: Synthesizing Continental-scale Monitoring Data | Daniel Grear Katharine Gerst Katherine LeVan Sarah Paull | Ecosystems | NSF - Division of Environmental Biology and Division of Biological Infrastructure |
| Improving Representation of Groundwater in Foundational Great Lakes Hydrologic and Hydrodynamic Models and Data Sets | Andrew Gronewald Sandra Eberts Juliane Mai Howard Reeves | Water | Geological Survey of Canada |
| A Global Synthesis of Multi-year Drought Effects on Terrestrial Ecosystems | Melinda Smith Scott Collins Seth Munson | Ecosystems | USDA Agricultural Research Service |
| Developing and Implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Science, and Rapid Damage Assessment | David Wald Ayse Hortacsu Tatiana Goded | Hazards | Earthquake and Hazards Program |
| Using a Multi-scale Approach to Synthesize Measurements and Models of C4 Photosynthesis | Danica Lombardozzi Russ Monson Sasha Reed Gordan Bonan | Ecosystems | Core Science Systems, National Center for Atmospheric Research |
Related
Markov decision processes in non-autonomous socio-ecological systems
Our ability to effectively manage natural resources is founded in an understanding of how our actions and the environment influence populations, communities, and ecosystems. Current practices use monitoring data from the past to determine key ecological relationships and make predictions about the future with the assumption that those relationships will remain constant. However, many...
Developing and Implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Science, and Rapid Damage Assessment
The USGS “Did You Feel It” (DYFI) is an extremely popular way for members of the public to contribute to earthquake science and earthquake response. DYFI has been in operation for nearly two decades (1999-2019) in the U.S., and for nearly 15 years globally. During that period the amount of data collected is astounding: Over 5 million individual DYFI intensity reports—spanning all...
Using a multi-scale approach to synthesize measurements and models of C4 photosynthesis
Plants convert carbon dioxide into sugars for food during photosynthesis, and this provides food for all animal life. However, photosynthesis is inhibited when a plant’s enzymes use oxygen instead of carbon dioxide. To avoid this use of oxygen, some plants developed a photosynthetic adaptation – called C4 photosynthesis – to concentrate carbon dioxide around the enzymes. While less than...
Forecasting Mosquito Phenology in a Shifting Climate: Synthesizing Continental-scale Monitoring Data
Climate change is expected to have significant effects on the phenology of vectors of arthropod-borne diseases, particularly mosquitoes. However, forecasting the direction and magnitude of future phenological shifts requires a more detailed understanding of the climate drivers of mosquito phenology. Addressing this knowledge gap is particularly salient for mosquitoes, as they have the...
Improving representation of groundwater in foundational Great Lakes hydrologic and hydrodynamic models and data sets
Groundwater plays a critical role in the water balance, however the groundwater component of the hydrologic cycle is frequently overlooked at basin scales because it is difficult to observe and quantify. We address this problem through a novel framework that combines existing hydrological models and data sets with groundwater flux estimates across Earth's largest system of lakes; the...
A global synthesis of multi-year drought effects on terrestrial ecosystems
Drought impacts on terrestrial ecosystems have increased globally in the 21st century, and droughts are expected to become more frequent, extreme, and spatially extensive in the future. Historical site-based observations are inadequate to predict how future extreme water deficits will affect the global terrestrial surface, because future droughts and their impacts may be more extreme...
Related
Markov decision processes in non-autonomous socio-ecological systems
Our ability to effectively manage natural resources is founded in an understanding of how our actions and the environment influence populations, communities, and ecosystems. Current practices use monitoring data from the past to determine key ecological relationships and make predictions about the future with the assumption that those relationships will remain constant. However, many...
Developing and Implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Science, and Rapid Damage Assessment
The USGS “Did You Feel It” (DYFI) is an extremely popular way for members of the public to contribute to earthquake science and earthquake response. DYFI has been in operation for nearly two decades (1999-2019) in the U.S., and for nearly 15 years globally. During that period the amount of data collected is astounding: Over 5 million individual DYFI intensity reports—spanning all...
Using a multi-scale approach to synthesize measurements and models of C4 photosynthesis
Plants convert carbon dioxide into sugars for food during photosynthesis, and this provides food for all animal life. However, photosynthesis is inhibited when a plant’s enzymes use oxygen instead of carbon dioxide. To avoid this use of oxygen, some plants developed a photosynthetic adaptation – called C4 photosynthesis – to concentrate carbon dioxide around the enzymes. While less than...
Forecasting Mosquito Phenology in a Shifting Climate: Synthesizing Continental-scale Monitoring Data
Climate change is expected to have significant effects on the phenology of vectors of arthropod-borne diseases, particularly mosquitoes. However, forecasting the direction and magnitude of future phenological shifts requires a more detailed understanding of the climate drivers of mosquito phenology. Addressing this knowledge gap is particularly salient for mosquitoes, as they have the...
Improving representation of groundwater in foundational Great Lakes hydrologic and hydrodynamic models and data sets
Groundwater plays a critical role in the water balance, however the groundwater component of the hydrologic cycle is frequently overlooked at basin scales because it is difficult to observe and quantify. We address this problem through a novel framework that combines existing hydrological models and data sets with groundwater flux estimates across Earth's largest system of lakes; the...
A global synthesis of multi-year drought effects on terrestrial ecosystems
Drought impacts on terrestrial ecosystems have increased globally in the 21st century, and droughts are expected to become more frequent, extreme, and spatially extensive in the future. Historical site-based observations are inadequate to predict how future extreme water deficits will affect the global terrestrial surface, because future droughts and their impacts may be more extreme...