SITS: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SOILS ARE SIGNALING SHIFTS IN AGGREGATE LIFE-CYCLES: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR WATER, CARBON AND CLIMATE FEEDBACKS IN THE ANTHROPOCENE?

There is increasing evidence that soils respond to changes in precipitation, caused by climate change, at rates much faster that is broadly appreciated. But how those changes in soil properties, especially how quickly water can move through soils, impact vegetation, water flow, and soil health remain unclear. The goal of this project is to develop improved computational tools that can predict how soil quality, vegetation, and water availability respond to changing soil charateristics. These tools are capable of, for instance, evaluating these changes across the US and other regions so that the scientific community better understands how different regions will respond. This improved knowledge will lead to improved scientific understanding and new insights that may be useful to decision-makers and managers.