At the Biology Graduate Student Symposium, Darby presented her research on carbon fluxes at the Bartlett Experimental Forest, where 20 years of data indicate a declining trend in carbon uptake driven by increasing ecosystem respiration. Her results show that ecosystem respiration is rising during both the winter months and the growing season. In recent years, carbon losses in winter have not been offset by carbon uptake during the growing season. Increases in soil temperature anomalies are a key driver of rising winter ecosystem respiration. Symposium attendees asked insightful questions, including: (1) What does a warming winter mean for plants? (2) Do you expect the carbon balance to continue declining? (3) Could this research influence climate policy?
Darby reported that, “Overall, it was an exciting opportunity to share science with an audience beyond ecosystem ecologists!”
