Research agenda as part of or aligned with NPN

Framing issues and questions

Research topics that could be addressed

Connecting science to monitoring, outreach and decision making

Promoting communication across researchers

Additional Science components for NPN to consider

“Science” synthesis breakout 8/25/05

A strong scientific research component is necessary to guide procedures and structure, to assure quality and effectivenessof the observational network, and to make NPN “pay off”.

However, to what extent the research component is directly integrated into the NPN program, vs. affiliated as an outside aligned activity, needs clarification. A broad research agenda may be too complex and too expensive to include a in the NPN monitoring effort. But should there be a modicum of analysis and within NPN to keep the operational staff engaged with the data and the research community?

Research areas:trends and variability social and economic, including vulnerabilityhazards (health, ecosystem damage, etc)ecological function and structure

National scale, nested network required to address key q’s:weather and climate variations occur at regional to continental scales. Nested intensive & distributed network provides opportunityto inform questions regarding mechanisms and processes revealed in spatial and temporal structure. Ultimately, NPNcan inform decisionmakers via a variety of scientific processes: observing, monitoring, analysis, modeling, and predicting

Framing questions:*How can NPN be used to observe/detect the effects of climate change and variability on biota *What are vulnerabilities in Nation’s agricultural system ?*How does land use affect spatial patterns of phenology? *Effects of changing composition of the atmosphere?

Promoting interactions across researchers

Web siteWorkshops (Regional or topical)Professional meeting sessionsSeed grants

Graduate course offerings (IGERTs, etc):“Intellectual engineering of phenology as a science

from flower to the globe”.

Potential Additional Science components for NPN

IT scientists -- data sharing and information transfer

Social scientists to study and advise on: organizational structure & dynamicsresearcher—decisionmaker interactions

Research translators for general public and decisionmakers