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NEON - National Ecological Observatory Network

 

The mission of NEON is to provide the capacity to forecast future states of ecological systems for the advancement of science and the benefit of society. NEON is the first ecological observatory network designed to test and develop ecological theory by detecting and forecasting ecological change at continental scales over multiple decades. Of central focus is the magnitude, pace, and geography of ecological changes, and to understand the underlying mechanisms and implications of such changes for species and for the provision of ecosystem services to humans. The Observatory's network of coordinated sensors, experiments, and cyberinfrastructure will collect the ecological data needed to develop the scientific understanding and theory necessary to manage the Nation's grand ecological challenges (see also NRC Grand Challenges):

>How will ecosystems and their components respond to changes in natural- and human-induced

forcings such as climate, land use, and invasive species across a range of spatial and temporal

scales? And, what is the pace and pattern of the responses?

>How do the internal responses and feedbacks of biogeochemistry, biodiversity, hydroecology and

biotic structure and function interact with changes in climate, land use, and invasive species? And,

how do these feedbacks vary with ecological context and spatial and temporal scales?

Continuous NEON data streams, made possible by state-of-the-art computing power and sensor and communications technologies, will be a national resource for ecological research. This synthesis, computation, and visualization infrastructure will create a virtual laboratory that will permit the development of a predictive understanding of the direct effects and feedbacks between environmental change and biological processes.

 

NEON, Inc. has announced a group of 20 candidate Core Sites across the United States that will be included in the NEON Project Execution Plan (see map). 
 
For more information, see:
A plan for a stable isotope network within NEON (Isotope_Network_12.pdf).

NEON Website - http://www.neoninc.org/

NEON climate domains - see map
NEON regional observatories www.coreoneon.org
NEON Request for Information - http://www.neoninc.org/RFI

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.