Aquatic-terrestrial Biogeochemistry (ATBGC)

Rationale: There is very little interaction among terrestrial and aquatic biogeochemists except where the water meets the land. Thus, research in riparian ecotones has been critical in getting ecologists from both groups to think along different lines than they are accustomed to. Yet, it seems there is a missed opportunity to blend conceptual models of material cycling in streams and terrestrial ecosystems. For example, my colleagues and I have been thinking of how models of nutrient processing along stream, riparian, and hyporheic flowpaths can be extended up into the catchment in aridland streams, and how this might differ from patterns in temperate watersheds (Fisher et al. 1998).

Objectives: The overall aim of this project is to broaden generalities about nutrient cycling beyond the habitat chauvinism that is prevalent today. We will ask whether a common approach, for example one centered on hydrologic models of transport and retention, is reasonable for both terrestrial and lotic ecosystems. A working group or series of working groups will consider this question, and will include biogeochemists who work in diverse ecosystems, modelers, hydrologists, and other physical scientists.