You are invited to attend the AGUJ oint Assembly session GC03: Human-Induced Changes in Biogeochemical and Hydrological Cycles in Monsoon Asia, 23-26 May 2006 at the Baltimore Convention Center (CC), located at 1 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland.
--- GC03: Human-Induced Changes in Biogeochemical and Hydrological Cycles in Monsoon Asia Convener: Hanqin Tian Auburn University SFWS Building 602 Duncan Drive Auburn, AL, USA 36849 334-844-1059 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Jerry M. Melillo Marine Biological Laboratory 7 MBL Street Woods Hole, MA, USA 02543 508-289-7494 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hassan Virji START, International START Secretariat 2000 Florida Avenue NW Washington, DC, USA 20009 202-462-2213 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Index Terms: 0315 0414 1632 1637 1836 . Description: The purpose of this session is to use Monsoon Asia/China as a model to examine human impacts on biogeochemical and hydrological cycles and their effects on climate and sustainability. Monsoon Asia refers to the portion of the Asian continent where a significant seasonal shift of wind patterns occurs throughout the entire area. The region includes the Indian sub-continent, Southeast Asia and East Asia. Monsoon Asia is home to more than one-half of the world population. This region is covered by a range of ecosystems from tropical forests in Southeast Asia to boreal forests in the northern Asia, and from temperate forests in Eastern Asia to deserts in western Asia and tundra in the Himalayan Mountains. These ecosystems account for about one fourth of the potential global terrestrial net primary productivity and for a similar fraction of the carbon stored in land ecosystems. The structure and functioning of these ecosystems are being affected by a complex set of multiple human-induced stresses including air pollution and land transformation. The unprecedented combination of economic and population growth has led to a dramatic land transformation and air pollution across monsoon Asia. The large-scale land transformation and air pollution have important implications for the cycles of carbon, nitrogen and water at regional and global scales. The importance of monsoon Asia to the Earth system has been recognized by a new initiative, MAIRS (Monsoon Asia Integrated Regional Study), which is a joint effort among START, IGBP, WCRP, and IHDP. Contributions are invited that examine: 1) changes in land-cover and land use, climate, chemistry of the atmosphere and precipitation, and magnitude of disturbances such as fire and hurricane, and 2) their impacts on the cycles of carbon, nitrogen and water, and 3) human-monsoon interactions and the linkage of Asian monsoon to global climate. We intend to bring together scientists from different background to identify gaps and limitations in existing information that need to be investigated in the future to improve our understanding of human/nature dynamics in monsoon Asia and its linkage to the Earth system. http://www.agu.org/meetings/ja06/?content=search&show=detail&sessid=157 -- Dr. Hanqin Tian Professor of Ecology School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Auburn University 602 Duncan Drive Auburn, AL 36849, USA. Phone: (334) 844-1059 Fax: (334) 844-1084 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] website: http://www.sfws.auburn.edu/tian _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/
