Woods Hole Research Center

Measurements of Greenhouse Gases in an Agricultural Field in North Dakota:

Carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) are the most important human-produced greenhouse gases. While most human-produced CO₂ is derived from fossil fuel combustion, soils are the dominant natural source of N₂O, and fertilized agricultural soils are a major source of increasing N₂O in the atmosphere.

Understanding the Forest Carbon Cycle in Harvard Forest:

Forests are an important component of the global carbon cycle. Each year, they withdraw carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and release it to the atmosphere through both plant and microbial respiration. The processes of photosynthesis and respiration are strongly affected by climatic conditions, particularly temperature and precipitation. With a changing global climate, the role forests play in the uptake and release of carbon could be altered. At the Harvard Forest, in western Massachusetts, Woods Hole Research Center scientists are measuring soil respiration and examining the effects of climatic variables through long term plots and amendment experiments.

Understanding Human Impacts on the Chesapeake Bay:

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in North America, encompassing a 168,000 sq. kilometer watershed that covers parts of six states and the District of Columbia. The mixing of salt and freshwater in the Bay creates a diverse and complex ecosystem, which historically has supported thousands of migratory and resident species, including oysters, blue crabs, shad, herring, and waterfowl. The numbers of fish and wildlife that the Bay once supported has diminished drastically due in part to overharvesting and disease, but pollution from urban runoff, agriculture, and inadequate sewage treatment has caused a serious decline in water quality. Because the conversion of natural resource lands to developed land cover poses a significant threat to the Chesapeake Bay, Woods Hole Research Center scientists have focused efforts on simulating and predicting urban and suburban land use change.

Studying Carbon Sequestration in Howland Forest:

Woods Hole Research Center scientists and collaborators from the United States Forest Service, University of Maine, Queen’s University, and Harvard University are studying the forest near Howland, Maine, to measure carbon sequestration -- the amount of carbon that the forest accumulates in trees, deadwood and soil -- and the conditions that favor carbon. This work furthers the understanding of how climate and management affect the rate at which forests store carbon, both now and in the future. The Northeast Wilderness Trust purchased this 558 acre tract of mature forest in 2007, securing it for conservation and ensuring that studies can continue in this unique eastern old-growth forest.