BER Science Highlights
U.S. Department of Energy | Office of Science | Biological and Environmental Research Program

Terrestrial Ecology

  • Parts of the water cycle like precipitation and evaporaiton interact with vegetation and human environments.

    Major Hydrologic Features of the Southeast Water Cycle

  • Two people with research instruments kneel in a forest floor, surrounded by vines and trees.

    Joint Global Change Research Institute Field Work

    Researchers measure methane and carbon dioxide emitted from coastal forest soil.

  • Illustration of a cloud with arrows representing the flow of particles.

    New Particle Formation

    New particles form in the outflow region of earlier convective clouds, leading to high concentrations of small particles in the free troposphere. These small particles are injected into the boundary layer by the downward motions in the convective system, where they interact with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other gases emitted by vegetation from the Earth’s surface to grow and become cloud condensation nuclei.

  • Tropical trees and plants on a cloudy day,

    NGEE Tropics Field Site

    Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE) Tropics field site in Puerto Rico.

  • Trees surround a walkway and two research enclosures.

    Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments

    The Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments (SPRUCE) research site located in northern Minnesota. The SPRUCE site is part of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Science Science Focus Area.

  • A multisided enclosure with trees in background.

    SPRUCE Experiment

    Ten enclosures are being used in the Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environment (SPRUCE) experiment to expose a bog in northern Minnesota to a range of warming treatments in combination with elevated atmospheric CO2. The experiment takes place in the U.S. Forest Service’s Marcell Experimental Forest.

  • Sun shining above a tree canopy.

    Terrestrial Ecology Landscape

    Collaborating Across Environmental Science Domains. Terrestrial Ecology, Watershed Sciences, and Coastal Systems make up the three domains of the BER Environmental System Science program.

  • Graphic of trees and roots showing nutrient uptake and disturbances.

    Vegetation Dynamics Affecting Ecosystems

    Vegetation Dynamics Affecting Structural Properties and Biogeochemical Functioning of Ecosystems. These dynamic processes include plant growth, mortality and recruitment, seed dispersal, and competition among individuals and species for light, water, and soil nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Physical and biotic disturbances alter vegetation structure and trajectories of vegetation dynamics, as can chronic environmental changes.

  • Spruce trees and a small pond.

    Black Spruce Forest

    Black spruce forest in the Caribou Poker Creeks Research Watershed, Alaska.

  • Overhead view of soil and stream with forest on both sides.

    Large Thermokarst in Alaska

    Large thermokarst along the Selawik River in Northwest Alaska.