A new paper published by scientists in the Northeast finds that long-term studies at the local scale are needed to accurately predict and manage the effects of climate change.
The study “Long-Term Integrated Studies Show Complex and Surprising Effects of Climate Change in the Northern Hardwood Forest” published in BioScience found that global level climate change models do not account for changes that are occurring in local forests and ecosystems. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Microbial Ecologist Peter Groffman is the lead author.
Co-Author Syracuse University Professor of Environmental Systems Engineering Charlie Driscoll says because climate change plays out slowly over time, these localized studies are more able to determine trends.
Peter Groffman agrees that it’s critical to do localized research in order to fully comprehend the implications of climate change.
21 researchers across the Northeast studied the forest ecosystem at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest New Hampshire and used archival data collected there since 1955.