Scientific Theme: Advanced Modeling and Observing Systems

Complementary Research: CIRES Scientific Centers
Accomplishments
Ecology
Work during the past year on carbon sequestration in Southwestern rangelands demonstrates that dryland regions are
changing mosaics of woody plant classes whose trends through time are logistically difficult to track with traditional
ground-based techniques. Fieldwork linked to remote sensing imagery offers the capability to monitor and track
changes in aboveground carbon pools over large dryland regions and at frequent intervals.
Polar Climate
Evidence of a temperature regulation mechanism at high latitudes related to sea-surface temperatures was found,
which might explain the lower rate of observed Arctic warming than predicted by climate models. Researchers also
found a strong feedback from biosphere albedo in a simple model of the Earth‘s climate system. Finally, observed
trends in reanalysis products were compared with previous claims of tropospheric warming causing some of the rise
in tropopause height in the same data and showed that no warming existed in the data.
Climate Modeling
Researchers published a simple, nonlinear climate model study called a Dynamical Area Fraction Model (DAFM),
which laid the basic theoretical framework for developing simple nonlinear coupled-dynamic models. Two
subsequent experiments with this revised model suggested the domination of negative feedback from the hydrologic
cycle on the climate regulation: the active hydrological cycle greatly reduced the global climate temperature, despite
powerful positive hydrological feedbacks like the ice-albedo and hydrological greenhouse feedbacks. These results
contrast with anthropogenic explanations of climate change that rely heavily on assumptions of positive feedbacks
from the hydrological cycle.
Education and Student Opportunities
Remote sensing is not a discipline in itself, but rather a major, evolving tool applicable to studies of the Earth
involving the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and the solid earth. CSES acts as a focus for
research, campus-wide, in the use of remote sensing for global geosciences studies. So far, master‘s and Ph.D.
candidates from the departments of Anthropology, Geography, Geological Sciences, Electrical Engineering,
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Interdepartmental Geophysics Program have carried out thesis research
in CSES.
CSES Facilities
The CSES facilities include approximately 8000 square feet of lab and office space, which was completely
refurbished in 1994 with support from the W. M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles, CA. CSES occupies the second
floor, South and West wings of the Ekeley Science building in the heart of the University campus. CSES also
contains a 24-seat classroom for teaching, including 10 Windows workstations.
Future of CSES
Professor Alexander F.H. Goetz, director of CSES retired in 2006. CIRES completed a faculty search for a new
director. Negotiations for the new director are almost complete, and it is envisioned that this faculty line and the
director of CSES position will be filled in summer 2008.
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