Redefining ecological science using data

cology is the study of life and its interactions with the physical environment. Because climate change requires rapid adaptation, new data analysis tools are essential to quantify those changes in the midst of high natural variability. Ecology is a science in which studies have been performed primarily by small groups of individuals, with data recorded and stored in notebooks. But large synthesis studies are now being attempted by collaborations involving hundreds of scientists. These larger efforts are essential because of two developments: one in how science is done and the other in the resource management questions being asked. While collaboration synthesis studies are still nascent, their ever-increasing importance is clear. Computational support is integral to these collaborations and key to the scientific process. how GLobaL chanGes are chanGinG ecoLoGicaL science The global climate and the Earth's landscape are changing, and scientists must quantify significant linkages between atmospheric , oceanic, and terrestrial processes to properly study the phenomena. For example, scientists are now asking how climate fluctuations in temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, length of growing season, and extreme weather events such as droughts affect the net carbon exchange between vegetation and the atmo