1. Integrated Science for Society and the Environment

3. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

4. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

9. Establish a framework for an integrated long-term multi-site research program based on (anthropogenic) pulse-press interactions in ecosystems and their feedbacks with human societies. Press factor – variable or driver that is applied continuously at rates ranging from low to high (e.g., atmospheric nitrogen deposition, elevated CO2). Includes changes in rates (increases, decreases) relative to some historical baseline. Pulse factor – variable or driver that is applied once or at periodic intervals (e.g., fire, extreme climatic events). Includes changes in the size, magnitude and frequency at which pulses occur. Scale issues – Pulses become presses over some temporal scale (e.g., annual burning in grasslands is a pulse in one season but a press across many years) Concept from Bender et al. 1984. Perturbation experiments in community ecology: Theory and practice. Ecology 65(1):1-13. Approach

12. Hierarchical structure of the LTER Planning Framework Climate Variability Climate Change Social-Ecological Systems Altered Biotic Structure Altered Biogeochemical Cycles

13. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

16. US Long-term Ecological Research Network (LTER)

17. Resource and Amenity-based Migration and Land Use Dynamics 2. evolution of human attitudes and values as both ecosystems and human communities change over time. 3. experimental market ecology to examine institutional structures that affect ecosystems over time. 1. human settlement and development patterns in relation to natural resources and aesthetic and biodiversity amenities. WATER CARBON DIVERSITY

18. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES Water supply, water quality; environmental flows; fish and wildlife; aesthetic and recreational values; flood regulation ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION Water balance; nutrient regulation; local climate regulation; soil/substrate stability COMMUNITY STRUCTURE Functional types and heterogeneity of primary producers; soil/substrate formation; albedo, detrital organic matter PULSES & PRESSES Extreme events; altered storm runoff & floods; altered surface- & ground-water hydrology; altered precipitation and ET; altered snowpack; Increased human water demand; water quality degradation; interbasin water transfers; irrigation; salinization HUMAN BEHAVIOR Water demand; efficiency of use; regulatory & legal settings; human migration patterns; water compacts Q4 Q5 Q3 Q2 Q1 EXTERNAL DRIVERS such as climate change & atmospheric inputs

19. Altered Biogeochemical and Hydrological Cycles: Q1/Q2 What are the mechanisms and rates of feedback between hydrology, topography and ecology, and how do these vary as a function of local climate and climate variability? Are there threshold phenomena in these feedback mechanisms? Q1/Q2 How do hydrological changes impact ecosystems along downstream flow paths (surface and subsurface), including ultimately the coastal marine environment? And do they impact local climate? Q1 How do changes in climate and climate variability affect ecosystem services delivered by coupled terrestrial-aquatic ecosystems across a gradient of water availability? Q3 What are the controls on the ecosystem services of water supply (provisioning), water quality protection (regulating), protection from flooding (regulating), or cultural services? Q4 How do we prioritize ecosystem services and how do we resolve the conflicts and tradeoffs among them? Q4 How are regional populations, and components of those populations, differentially affected by these changes in ecosystem services (i.e., who is susceptible)? Q4/Q5 How do individuals, communities, and institutions respond to these changes? What new institutions or other radical changes in human behavior and action could lead to different outcomes? Q5 How do these responses translate into drivers affecting press and pulse disturbances and, consequently, ecosystem structure and function?

20. Disturbance Regimes Pulse : floods; sediment loading; point source contaminants; fire; local precipitation; heat extremes; Press : base flow flux, sediment reduction (erosion); nutrient inputs; landscape conversion; drought; warming; channel stabilization; ground water depletions; External Drivers (Solar output; tectonics) Biotic Structure Native/non-native interactions; microbial communities; vegetation stand structure; vegetation density (LAI); landscape patch mosaic; biodiversity status (all elements); Ecosystem Function ET/water budget; decomposition rates; nutrient cycling (e.g. nitrogen processing) /hydrology coupling; fluvial geomorphology; riverine groundwater recharge; ground water/surface water interactions; river primary production and metabolism Ecosystem Services Water quality/quantity; biodiversity maintenance; aesthetic values; fire reduction; hydrological security; Human Behavior Water use (urban/agric); recreation; urban/agricultural conversion (economic value); cultural fabric (historical social contingencies); changing demography; government regulations/ management (e.g. DSS); NGO initiatives; science literacy; Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q1: How do long-term flow regulation and short-term flow variability (floods, droughts, and river drying) interact to alter the Rio Grande riverine corridor? Q2: How are feedbacks between water availability, decomposition, nutrient cycling, and fluvial geomorphology (ecosystem processes) and vegetation structure, patch dynamics, biodiversity, and microbial communities (biotic structure) affected by flow regulation and flow variability? Q3: How do changing river and riparian ecosystems affect the regional water budget, channel characteristics, water quality, fire regime, and biodiversity? Q4: How does the human population along the Middle Rio Grande respond to decreased water availability and quality, increased fire frequency, biodiversity losses, non-native species, and competing water demands? Q5: How do humans decisions and actions affect flow characteristics of the managed riverine corridor and responses to floods, fire, drought, and drying? SEV: Middle Rio Grande Riverine Social-Ecological System Regional Drivers Snowmelt hydrology; Regional economy; Compact requirements