The document describes how the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) enables more collaborative, coordinated, and efficient ecosystem science in Australia. TERN provides infrastructure to support a national network of ecosystem data collection, sharing, and analysis to address important knowledge gaps. This includes long-term monitoring of changes to species distributions, ecosystems, and the impacts of management interventions, from local to global scales, to better understand and manage Australia's ecosystems into the future.

1. TERN
Delivers
for
Ecosystem
Science
and
Management
By:
Professors
Stuart
Phinn
and
Andrew
Lowe
TERN
-­‐
Associate
Science
Directors
+
Prof
Tim
Clancy,
Dr
Suzanne
Long,
Dr
Bek
Christensen,
Dr
Siddeswara
Guru
+
TERN
Facility
Directors

2. Presenta=on
Aims
To
demonstrate
how
the
Terrestrial
Ecosystem
Research
Network:
• has
enabled
a
more
collabora=ve,
coordinated
and
efficient
approach
to
ecosystem
science
in
Australia,
and
• will
con=nue
to
be
built
as
essen=al
infrastructure.

3. • TERN’s
Vision
TERN’s
Vision
is
for
an
Australian
ecosystem
science
community
that
has
undergone
transformaEonal
change
-­‐
from
one
in
which
effort
is
frequently
fragmented,
duplicaEve
and
short-­‐term,
to
one
that
is
naEonal,
networked,
and
delivering
for
Australia’s
future.

4. • TERN’s
Scope
TERN
provides
“infrastructure”
to
enable
development
of
a
sustainable
network
of
people
and
ecosystem
data
collec*on,
discovery
and
sharing
systems
for
advancing
ecosystem
science
and
management
in
Australia.
Collec=on
Data
Data
Policy
+
Methods
Modelling
Storage
Sharing
Management
Instruments
Processing
Data
Cura=on
Data
Analysis
+
Sensors
+
Analysis
+
Publishing
Searching
+
Synthesis

5. • TERN’s
Scope:
Australian
Ecosystem
Science
Communi=es
• An
esEmate
of
the
number
of
“ecosystem”
scienEsts
from
various
sources,
2010-­‐2012
:
• UniversiEes
=
1619
FTE
• CSIRO
=
1127
FTE
• Government
agencies
=
????
• NGO’s
=
????
• Private
Companies
=
????
Sources:
ERA
2010,
CSIRO
Internal
Records

6. • TERN’s
Scope:
Ecosystem
Science
Communi=es

7. Contents
1. Ecosystem
science
ques=ons
being
addressed
using
TERN
2. TERN’s
impact
on
the
ecosystem
science
research
cycle
3. TERN’s
impact
on
research
data
publishing
and
data-­‐sharing
4. How
to
interact
with
and
use
TERN
5. TERN’s
future
roles
in
suppor=ng
ecosystem
science

8. Contents
1. Ecosystem
science
ques=ons
being
addressed
using
TERN
2. TERN’s
impact
on
the
ecosystem
science
research
cycle
3. TERN’s
impact
on
research,
data
publishing
and
data-­‐sharing
4. How
to
interact
with
and
use
TERN
5. TERN’s
future
roles
in
suppor=ng
ecosystem
science

9. 1.
Ecosystem
science
ques=ons
being
addressed
using
TERN
infrastructure
• Australian
ecosystems
• Australian
and
global
ecosystem
science
ques=ons
• TERN’s
infrastructure
for
ecosystem
science

10. • Australian
ecosystems
and
ecosystem
data
collec=on
Eleva=on
Soils
Land
Cover
Run-­‐off
Mean
Annual
Sources:
NASA,
Geosciences
Australia,
Bureau
of
Meteorology
and
CSIRO

11. • Australian
and
global
ecosystem
science
ques=ons
• TERN’s
Vision
is
underpinned
by
ac=vi=es
addressing
cri=cal
ecosystem
science
knowledge
gaps
facing
Australia:
1. How
are
the
spa=al
distribu=on
and
abundance
of
key
Australian
environmental
assets
(plant
and
animal
species,
Carbon
stocks,
and
in
some
cases
water)
changing?
2. How
are
ecosystems
and
ecosystem
processes
changing,
and
what
are
the
key
processes
driving
change?
3. How
are
introduced
plant
and
animal
species
affec=ng
na=ve
ecosystems?
4. How
can
we
beXer
monitor
and
manage
ecosystems?
5. What
is
the
impact
of
management
interven=ons
on
Australian
ecosystems
and
ecosystem
processes?

12. • Ecosystem
science
and
management
ques=ons

13. • Ecosystem
science
and
management
ques=ons

14. • Ecosystem
science
ques=ons,
local
to
global
scales
Muller,
F.
(1992).
“Hierarchical
approaches
to
ecosystem
theory.”
Ecological
Modelling
63:
215-­‐242.

15. • Integrated
long
term
monitoring
–
spa=al
and
temporal
sampling
Longitudinal
trends
vegeta=on
cover
on
Main
Camp
plots
in
the
Simpson
Desert
Study
-­‐
cover
of
spinifex
(alive
and
dead)
assessed
by
eye
at
six
fixed
quadrats
on
3
–
12
1-­‐ha
study
plots,
expressed
as
means
±
SE.
Longitudinal
trends
in
fauna
popula=ons
at
the
Main
Camp
site
in
the
Simpson
Desert
Study:
capture
rates
of
Spinifex
Hopping-­‐
mouse
Notomys
alexis
Dickman,
C.R.,
Wardle,
G.M.,
Foulkes,
J.
N.
and
de
Preu,
N.
(2013)
Desert
complex
environments.
Chapter
10
.
In:
Lindenmayer,
D.B.,
Burns,
E.,
Thurgate,
N.,
and
Lowe,
A.
(Editors)(2013).
Monitoring
environmental
change.
CSIRO
Publishing,
Melbourne.

16. • Integrated
long
term
monitoring
–
spa=al
and
temporal
sampling
Longitudinal
trends
vegeta=on
cover
on
Main
Camp
plots
in
the
Simpson
Desert
Study
-­‐
cover
of
spinifex
(alive
and
dead)
assessed
by
eye
at
six
fixed
quadrats
on
3
–
12
1-­‐ha
study
plots,
expressed
as
means
±
SE.
Landsat
Thema=c
Mapper
-­‐
October
2005

17. • Ecosystem
science
ques=ons,
local
to
global
scales
Muller,
F.
(1992).
“Hierarchical
approaches
to
ecosystem
theory.”
Ecological
Modelling
63:
215-­‐242.

18. • TERN’s
infrastructure
for
ecosystem
science

19. • TERN’s
infrastructure
for
ecosystem
science

20. seconds
Years
106 GCM
Satellite
Remote
Sensing
105
Plot
Level
Observa=ons
Days 104
Aircrad
Remote
Sensing
103
Scale
Time
Leaf
Level
Physiology
Land
Surface
102 assumed
to
apply
Model
Aircrad
Fluxes
Minutes
Leaf
Level
101
Observa=ons
Flux
Tower
Direct
measurement
Seconds 100 Indirect
measurement
(remote
sensing)
Modelling
10-1
metres
10-3 10-2 10-1 100 101 102 103 104
Leaf Length Canopy Patch Region
Scale

21. • TERN’s
infrastructure
for
ecosystem
science
Collec=on
Data
Data
Policy
+
Methods
Storage
Sharing
Modelling
Management
Instruments
Processing
Data
Cura=on
Data
Analysis
+
Sensors
+
Analysis
+
Publishing
Searching
+
Synthesis

22. Contents
1. Ecosystem
science
ques=ons
being
addressed
using
TERN
2. TERN’s
impact
on
the
ecosystem
science
research
cycle
3. TERN’s
impact
on
research,
data
publishing
and
data-­‐sharing
4. How
to
interact
with
and
use
TERN
5. TERN’s
future
roles
in
suppor=ng
ecosystem
science

23. 2.
TERN’s
impact
on
the
ecosystem
science
research
cycle:
increasing
efficiency
and
effec=veness
• Ecosystem
science
research
cycle(s)
• TERN’s
infrastructure
and
its
impact
• Examples
of
increasing
efficiency
and
effec=veness

24. • Ecosystem
science
research
cycle(s)
Ecosystem Science
Enhanced ability to
Research output:! revise, question and Knowledge gap:
new data and ! expand knowledge! research
publications! questions!
eased e ectiv
E ciency ga
r
Data analysis,!
Proposal and
integration and !
planning!
synthesis
Storage,! Data collection,
preservation and! verification,
Enables large scale and
discoverability ! quality assurance
coordinated data
of data and control!
collection, sharing and
multiple re-uses!
Data + meta-data,!
licensing

25. • Ecosystem
science
research
data
cycle(s)
DataOne
-­‐
www.dataone.org/best-­‐prac=ces

27. • TERN’s
infrastructure
and
its
impact:
Number
of
symposium
abstracts
per
topic
area

28. • TERN’s
infrastructure
and
its
impact:
Size
of
word
=
frequency
of
use
in
2013
TERN
Symposium
abstracts

29. • TERN’s
infrastructure
and
its
impact
TERN
infrastructure
and
processes
provide:
-­‐
Surety
of
data
storage
and
archiving;
-­‐
Na=onally
and
interna=onally
accepted
data
licensing
standards;
-­‐
Data
publishing
as
a
viable
research
output;
-­‐
Data
cita=on
as
a
measure
of
research
impact;
-­‐
Data
to
be
verified
and
checked
independently;
-­‐
Mul=ple
returns
on
an
ini=al
investment
when
data
are
re-­‐used;
-­‐
Data
collec=on
methods
to
be
shared,
reviewed
and
replicated;
-­‐
Na=onally
accepted
data
storage,
meta-­‐data
and
licensing
resource;

30. • Examples
of
increasing
efficiency
and
effec=veness
-­‐
Carbon
dynamics
-­‐
Sustainable
land
use
-­‐
Biodiversity
-­‐
Monitoring
-­‐
Data

31. • Carbon
Dynamics
• Big
quesEons
need
big
soluEons:
Australia's
carbon
cycle
• DetecEng
forest
structure
from
space
• How
will
eucalypt
forest
ecosystems
respond
to
increased
atmospheric
carbon
dioxide?
EucFACE
Experiment
How
elevated
CO2
affects
OzFlux
measured
GPP
and
simula=ons
ecosystem
processes
of
a
mature
H.
Cleugh
&
E
Van
Gorsel,
CSIRO
evergreen
sclerophyllous
ecosystem
D.
Ellsworth,
UWS

32. • Carbon
Dynamics
• EvoluEon
of
Australia’s
soil-­‐carbon
map
• Improving
long-­‐term
predicEons
of
carbon
and
nitrogen
dynamics
in
Australia’s
agro-­‐ecosystems
• Estuarine
and
coastal
carbon
dynamics
,
CSIRO
Blue
Carbon
Cluster
Soil
Carbon
Research
Program
(SCaRP)

33. • Sustainable
land-­‐use
• Working
together
to
improve
land-­‐management
outcomes
naEonally
• Monitoring
the
success
of
rangelands
management
• Persistence
pays
off
for
AusCover
and
partners
• NCRIS
partners
work
together
to
build
Soils-­‐to-­‐Satellites
tool
max
min
Non-­‐per
mask

34. • Biodiversity
• Wave
of
exEncEons
in
the
north
shows
history
repeaEng
itself
• Improved
federal
capacity
for
biodiversity
assessments
• NaEonally
consistent
taxonomic
searching
• Analysis
shows
sharp
decline
of
koalas
in
Queensland
NSW
Mean
koala
popula=on
per
bioregion,
a
synthesis
product

35. • Biodiversity
–
Integra=ng
long
term
ecological
studies
BOOK
Monitoring
Environmental
Change
(to
be
modified)-­‐
Lindenmayer,
D.B.,
Burns,
E.,
Thurgate,
N.,
and
Lowe,
A.
(Editors;
2013).
• 83
contribuEng
environmental
professionals
(primarily
ecological
scienEsts)
• Describe
changes
in
a
range
of
Australian
ecosystems
that
have
long-­‐term
research.
POLICY
HANDBOOK
-­‐
Learning
from
long-­‐term
research
to
be@er
manage
biodiversity
in
Australia
Emma
Burns
and
David
Lindenmayer
–
and
book
contributors

36. • Monitoring
-­‐
MulE-­‐scale
Plot
Network
Book
Core
ecosystem
study
contents:
• Chapter
summary
• Key
discoveries
feature
box
• IntroducEon
• DefiniEon
of
the
system
–
including
conceptual
model
• Overview
of
studies
show
cased.
• Trends
in
environmental
change
and
biodiversity
based
on
plot
data
• General
conclusions
and
recommendaEons

37. • Data
• Greater
efficiency
and
effecEveness
through
TERN’s
naEonal
ecosystem
data
infrastructure
• Discovering
Australia's
ecosystem
data:
the
TERN
Data
Discovery
Portal
• TERN’s
licensing
policy
opens
door
on
data
• Data
partnerships
bode
well
for
sharing
government
ecological
datasets

38. Contents
1. Ecosystem
science
ques=ons
being
addressed
using
TERN
2. TERN’s
impact
on
the
ecosystem
science
research
cycle
3. TERN’s
impact
on
research,
data
publishing
and
data-­‐sharing
4. How
to
interact
with
and
use
TERN
5. TERN’s
future
roles
in
suppor=ng
ecosystem
science

39. 3.
TERN’s
impacts
on
research
data
publishing
and
sharing
• TERN’s
impact
on
research
data:
-­‐
collec=on
-­‐
publishing
-­‐
sharing
• TERN’s
impact
on
ecosystem
science
and
management?

40. • TERN’s
impact
on
research
data
collec=on

41. • TERN’s
impact
on
research
data
collec=on:
Part
of
a
Guinness
World
Record
for
Longest
Ecosystem
Monitoring
Program?
Landsat
8
launch
Tuesday
12
Feb
2013
0405
AEST

42. • TERN’s
impact
on
research
data
collec=on
–
Source
M.Lyons

43. • TERN’s
impact
on
research
data
collec=on

44. • TERN’s
impact
on
research
data
collec=on
Source:
K.Calders
J.
Armston

45. • TERN’s
impact
on
research
data
publishing:
Alterna=ves
?

46. • TERN’s
impact
on
research
data
publishing

47. Data
cita=on

48. •
Data
Cita=on

49. • Data
cita=on

50. • TERN’s
impact
on
research
data
sharing
–
helping
change
• Facility
data
storage
portals
–
discipline
relevant
support
• Data
and
meta-­‐entry
tools
and
protocols
• Meta-­‐data
standards
• TERN
Licences
and
Licensing
Framework
• Links
to
naEonal
research
data
catalog
• InternaEonal
standard
Digital
Object
IdenEfiers
(DOI)
• Replicable,
extendable
and
scale-­‐able
model
for
data
storage
and
publishing

51. • TERN’s
impact
on
ecosystem
science
and
management
• Standardised
data
collecEon
+
analysis
• New
conEnental
data
sets
• Reduce
duplicaEon
across
jurisdicEons
• New
knowledge
and
science
• Transferring
science
to
management

52. • TERN’s
impact
on
ecosystem
science
and
management?
TERN
infrastructure
use
for
2011-­‐2012:
Es=mated
member
numbers
for
ecosystem
sciences
communi=es
>
5000
NewsleXers
Subscribers
1500
Interna=onal
collabora=ons
53
Universi=es
involved
17
State
and
Federal
agencies
25
Commercial
engagement
3
Interna=onal
Partners
3
Peer
reviewed
publica=ons
-­‐
journal
ar=cles
64
Conference
papers/presenta=ons
112
End-­‐user
community
(Uni,
Gov,
NGO,
Industry)
~
10-­‐20,000

53. • Australian
and
Interna=onal
Ecosystem
Science
Communi=es
• Linking
Australian
ecosystem
science
communiEes
• Ecological
Society
of
Australia
• Biogeophysical
(AMOS,
OzEWEX)
• Data
collecEon,
storage,
processing:
(ANDS,
ALA)
• Enabling
establishment
of
Australian
Ecosystem
Science
Community
and
CoordinaEng
Group
–
Academies
(AAS),
Individuals
(Fellows),
peer-­‐groups
(Wentworth)
• InternaEonal
collaboraEons:
• Data
collecEon:
CEOS,
IGOOS,
Fluxnet,
GlobalSoils
• Data
storage/sharing:
DataOne
• Long
Term
Monitoring:
iLTER
• Integrated
systems:
NEON,
CZO,
EXPEER,…..
• Synthesis
Centres:
NESCENT,
SeSYNC,
……..

54. Contents
1. Ecosystem
science
ques=ons
being
addressed
using
TERN
2. TERN’s
impact
on
the
ecosystem
science
research
cycle
3. TERN’s
impact
on
research,
data
publishing
and
data-­‐sharing
4. How
to
interact
with
and
use
TERN
5. TERN’s
future
roles
in
suppor=ng
ecosystem
science

55. 4.
How
to
interact
with
and
use
TERN
• Data
Collec=on,
Storage,
Licensing
and
Publishing
• Data
Analysis
• Australian
and
Interna=onal
Ecosystem
Science
Communi=es
• Integra=on,
Analysis
and
Synthesis

56. • Data
Collec=on,
Storage,
Licensing
and
Publishing
Ecosystem
ScienEsts
or
Managers
Require
data
storage
and
Require
access
to
data
set(s)
to
Require
contact
with
ecosystem
use
in
research,
monitoring,
or
scienEsts
or
managers
for
licensing
to
publish
data
research
or
integraEve/
and
meta-­‐data
management
applicaEons
synthesis
acEviEes
TERN
Portal
Other
Australian
Other
Australian
Meta-­‐data
(ANDS)
Australian
Ecosystem
Data
Discovery
Environmental
Data
Portals
(IMOS,
ALA,…)
Ecosystem
Scien=fic
TERN
Facility
Portals
Community
-­‐ Meta
Data
InternaEonal
Environmental
-­‐ People
-­‐ Data
Data
Portals
-­‐ Contacts
-­‐ Researchers
(
Fluxnet,
GEOSS,
…)
-­‐ Knowledge
-­‐ Data
CollecEon
-­‐ Equipment
Infrastructure

57. • TERN
as
an
ecosystem
science
aXractor

58. • Data
Analysis
and
the
Other
Bits……
• Methods,
algorithms
and
documents
available
for
public
use
• Training
for
data
collecEon
,
analysis
and
publicaEon
• Training
for
the
ecosystem
data
cycle

59. Contents
1. Ecosystem
science
ques=ons
being
addressed
using
TERN
2. TERN’s
impact
on
the
ecosystem
science
research
cycle
3. TERN’s
impact
on
research,
data
publishing
and
data-­‐sharing
4. How
to
interact
with
and
use
TERN
5. TERN’s
future
roles
in
suppor=ng
ecosystem
science

60. 5.
TERN’s
future
role
in
suppor=ng
ecosystem
science
• TERN’s
Science
Plan
The
TERN
science
plan
defines
the
acEviEes
that
are
driving
data
collecEon,
analysis,
storage,
sharing
and
synthesis
required
for
the
science
to
management
process
.
• What
is
TERN’s
role
in
Australian
ecosystem
science?
• What
factors
drive/influence
the
current
acEviEes
of
TERN?
• Why
does
TERN
mawer
/
what
advances
is
TERN
enabling
/
how
is
TERN
delivering
for
the
ecosystem
science
community
• What
is
TERN’s
role
in
the
future
of
Australian
ecosystem
science?

61. Sustaining
Long
Term
Environmental
Data
Collec=on
Infrastructure
–
main
stages
of
science
plan
• TERN
has
an
integral
role
to
play
in
sustaining
Australian
ecosystem
science
By
2022
the
Australian
ecosystem
science
community
is
using
TERN
infrastructure
to:
• Collect,
publish
and
share
ecosystem
data
sets
as
standard
pracEce
• Act
collecEvely
to
address
key
ecosystem
science
and
management
quesEons
Commonwealth,
State
Long
Term
Funding
Research
+
Educa=on
and
Local
Governments
Ins=tu=ons
Coordinated
Ecosystem
Science
Communi=es
Ecological
Bio-­‐geophysical
Informa=cs
Spa=al
Analysis
&
Modelling

62. Sustaining
Long
Term
Environmental
Data
Collec=on
Infrastructure
–
main
stages
of
science
plan
• TERN
will
work
with
the
ecosystem
science
communiEes
to
enable
them
to
work
collaboraEvely
in
an:
“Australian
Ecosystem
Science
and
Management
Advisory
Group”
• IniEate
acEviEes
to:
(1)
Determine
the
representaEon
required
for
ecosystem
sciences
in
Australia
(2) IniEate
a
process
with
relevant
professional
communiEes
and
bodies
to
develop
a
Decadal
or
Strategic
Plan
for
Ecosystem
Science

63. Sustaining
Long
Term
Environmental
Data
Collec=on
Infrastructure
Helping
make
the
case
• Ecosystem
services
are
at
risk
($30
trillion)
• carbon
dynamics
• clean
air/water
• pollinaEon
• health
Intergovernmental
Platform
on
Biodiversity
&
Ecosystem
Services
• food
security
Notable
problems
in
Australia
with
managing
natural
resources
(exEncEons,
degradaEon)
Poor
ability
to
report
on
change
Technology
driven
area
Australia
can
be
world
leader
Ecosystem
science
has
broad
community
Jobs
and
underpinning
sustainable
growth

64. • TERN’s future roles in supporting ecosystem science

65. Interna=onal
Partners
TERN
is
supported
by
the
Australian
Government
through
the
NaEonal
CollaboraEve
Research
Infrastructure
Strategy
and
the
Super
Science
IniEaEve

66. Ques=ons?
Professor
Stuart
Phinn
s.phinn@uq.edu.au
Professor
Andy
Lowe
a.lowe@adelaide.edu.au
www.tern.org.au