KY EPSCoR: A Long-Term Monitoring Network in Kentucky: Linking Carbon and Water Use Efficiency, and Soil with Climate Change

The increased deforestation and urbanization of Earth’s surface changes how the soil system interacts with plants and understanding this relationship is vital in this time of climate change. Yet, how soil affects carbon and water use efficiency in plants is poorly understood. Studies show strong relationships between soil nutrient and vegetation carbon use efficiency (CUE) and water use efficiency (WUE) for different ecosystems, however studies rarely have examined the combined effects of soil characteristics and nutrients on CUE and WUE. This study will use both soil profile and satellite data to explore the role soil properties play in regulating water and carbon use by plants. Site and satellite multispectral and hyperspectral data will be collected from 30 Kentucky ecosystem sites and used to investigate the relationship between spectral reflectance with physical and chemical properties of soil. Insights gained from this proposed study will highlight the importance of biotic and abiotic factors in regulating plant and soil interactions. These types of data are timely and critical for accurate predictions of how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to climate change. The 30 Kentucky ecosystem sites here will serve as the groundwork for a future monitoring network that will involve several Kentucky universities and stakeholders.