Gary N. Geller

Essential Biodiversity Variables

A global system of harmonized observations is needed to inform scientists and policy-makers. Reducing the rate of biodiversity loss and averting dangerous biodiversity change are international goals, reasserted by the Aichi Targets for 2020 by Parties to the United Nations (UN) Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) after failure to meet the 2010 target (1, 2). However, there is no global, harmonized observation system for delivering regular, timely data on biodiversity change (3). With the first plenary meeting of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) soon under way, partners from the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) (4) are developing—and seeking consensus around—Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) that could form the basis of monitoring programs worldwide.

Toward a Global Biodiversity Observing System

Tracking biodiversity change is increasingly important in sustaining ecosystems and ultimately human well-being.

Environmental science: Agree on biodiversity metrics to track from space

Ecologists and space agencies must forge a global monitoring strategy, say Andrew K. Skidmore, Nathalie Pettorelli and colleagues.

The model web: a concept for ecological forecasting

Ecological forecasting capabilities are constrained by the interoperability of ecological and related models, among other things. This limits the types of questions that can be practically addressed, as well as the range of users that can ask them. We are exploring the concept of an ecological model web, an open-ended system of interoperable computer models and databases, with machine and end-user Internet access via web services. The 5-10 year vision includes a distributed network of inter operating models; that grows organically within a framework of broad goals and standards; with models and datasets maintained, operated, and served independently; and that provides interactive web access to researchers, managers, and the public. Increasing the level of interoperability of these models will increase their collective power and the breadth of questions they can answer.

Climate change's impact on key ecosystem services and the human well-being they support in the US

Climate change alters the functions of ecological systems. As a result, the provision of ecosystem services and the well-being of people that rely on these services are being modified. Climate models portend continued warming and more frequent extreme weather events across the US. Such weather-related disturbances will place a premium on the ecosystem services that people rely on. We discuss some of the observed and anticipated impacts of climate change on ecosystem service provision and livelihoods in the US. We also highlight promising adaptive measures. The challenge will be choosing which adaptive strategies to implement, given limited resources and time. We suggest using dynamic balance sheets or accounts of natural capital and natural assets to prioritize and evaluate national and regional adaptation strategies that involve ecosystem services.

Looking forward: Applying an ecological model web to assess impacts of climate change

Abstract Climate change is a major threat to the worlds protected areas, yet the difficulty of making good predictions of the impacts of change constrains management, planning, and policy making. An important factor limiting development of these predictions is the inability of existing computer models, which simulate ecosystem and related processes, to easily exchange information. The ecological Model Web, now in the early stages of development, addresses this limitation. The Model Web will be an open-ended network of interoperable computer models and databases that use web services to communicate with one another and with end-users. Analogous to the World Wide Web, it will grow organically and opportunistically within a framework of broad goals and high-level standards. Making it easier for models to communicate will increase their collective power and the breadth of questions they can address, while providing web access to their results will facilitate greater extraction of societal benefits by managers, policy makers, and the public.

The GEOSS Interoperability Process Pilot Project (IP3)

There is an ever-increasing need to integrate knowledge from the diverse disciplines engaged in studying the constituent parts of the complex Earth system. With the emergence of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), which is bringing together thousands of previously isolated Earth observing systems, the necessity of establishing methods that will help in the integration of varied discipline information systems becomes even more urgent. The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) was established to oversee the creation of GEOSS which seeks to advance the convergence of Earth observing systems based on interoperability arrangements agreed to by consensus. We describe the specific approaches that GEO has proposed for achieving interoperability among its component systems and give an overview of the GEOSS Interoperability Process Pilot Project (IP3). The IP3 is helping to develop an advanced information infrastructure that supports the formation and operation of Earth System Science communities based on cross-disciplinary information exchange. This means moving from discipline-specific monolithic data-centric systems toward modular service-oriented information systems. GEOSS seeks to provide scientists, researchers, and decision makers with a persistent set of independent but interoperable information services that can be applied to address many pressing societal issues. The IP3 is furthering this cause by piloting a framework for multidisciplinary knowledge integration.

Wetland monitoring with Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry

Abstract Information about wetland dynamics remains a major missing gap in characterizing, understanding, and projecting changes in atmospheric methane and terrestrial water storage. A review of current satellite methods to delineate and monitor wetland change shows some recent advances, but much improved sensing technologies are still needed for wetland mapping, not only to provide more accurate global inventories but also to examine changes spanning multiple decades. Global Navigation Satellite Systems Reflectometry (GNSS‐R) signatures from aircraft over the Ebro River Delta in Spain and satellite measurements over the Mississippi River and adjacent watersheds demonstrate that inundated wetlands can be identified under different vegetation conditions including a dense rice canopy and a thick forest with tall trees, where optical sensors and monostatic radars provide limited capabilities. Advantages as well as constraints of GNSS‐R are presented, and the synergy with various satellite observations are considered to achieve a breakthrough capability for multidecadal wetland dynamics monitoring with frequent global coverage at multiple spatial and temporal scales.

An operational definition of essential biodiversity variables

The concept of essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) was proposed in 2013 to improve harmonization of biodiversity data into meaningful metrics. EBVs were conceived as a small set of variables which collectively capture biodiversity change at multiple spatial scales and within time intervals that are of scientific and management interest. Despite the apparent simplicity of the concept, a plethora of variables that describes not only biodiversity but also any environmental features have been proposed as potential EBV (i.e. candidate EBV). The proliferation of candidates reflects a lack of clarity on what may constitute a variable that is essential to track biodiversity change, which hampers the operationalization of EBVs and therefore needs to be urgently addressed. Here, we propose that an EBV should be defined as a biological state variable in three key dimensions (time, space, and biological organization) that is critical to accurately document biodiversity change.

Remote Sensing for Biodiversity

Remote sensing (RS)—taking images or other measurements of Earth from above—provides a unique perspective on what is happening on the Earth and thus plays a special role in biodiversity and conservation applications. The periodic repeat coverage of satellite-based RS is particularly useful for monitoring change and so is essential for understanding trends, and also provides key input into assessments, international agreements, and conservation management. Historically, RS data have often been expensive and hard to use, but changes over the last decade have resulted in massive amounts of global data being available at no cost, as well as significant (if not yet complete) simplification of access and use. This chapter provides a baseline set of information about using RS for conservation applications in three realms: terrestrial, marine, and freshwater. After a brief overview of the mechanics of RS and how it can be applied, terrestrial systems are discussed, focusing first on ecosystems and then moving on to species and genes. Marine systems are discussed next in the context of habitat extent and condition and including key marine-specific challenges. This is followed by discussion of the special considerations of freshwater habitats such as rivers, focusing on freshwater ecosystems, species, and ecosystem services.