NACP Modeling and Synthesis Thematic Data Center (MAST-DC) A project funded by NASA 2005 Research Announcement for the North American Carbon Program Briefing at NASA, October 27, 2006

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NACP Modeling and Synthesis Thematic Data Center
(MAST-DC)A project funded by NASA 2005
Research Announcement for the North American
Carbon ProgramBriefing at NASA, October 27,
2006

• Bob Cook, PI, Oak Ridge National LaboratoryMac
  Post, Co-I, ORNLBruce Wilson, Co-I, ORNLPeter
  Thornton, Co-I, National Center for Atmospheric
  Research
• Period August 2006 July 2009

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Topics

• Background on North American Carbon Program (NACP
  )
• NACP Data System Planning Activities
• MAST-DC Objectives and Tasks (revised)
• Activities proposed, but not being done
• Resource sharing with ORNL DAAC
• Issues facing MAST-DC

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North American Carbon Program
The central objective of the North American
Carbon Program is to measure and understand
carbon stocks and the sources and sinks of CO2,
CH4, and CO in North America and in adjacent
ocean regions.

• Approaching 120 projects
• Involving more than 200 investigators
• About 10 major observation experimental
  networks
• A focus for remote sensing observations and
  research
• Collaboration with Mexico Canada

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NACP Questions

• What is the carbon balance of North America and
  adjacent oceans? What are the geographic
  patterns of fluxes of CO2, CH4, and CO? How is
  the balance changing over time? (Diagnosis)
• What processes control the sources and sinks of
  CO2, CH4, and CO, and how do the controls change
  with time? (Attribution/Processes)
• Are there potential surprises (could sources
  increase or sinks disappear)? (Prediction)
• How can we enhance and manage long-lived carbon
  sinks ("sequestration"), and provide resources to
  support decision makers? (Decision support)

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NACP Approach Data and Modeling Intensive
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NACP Data Management Planning Activities
(Thornton and Cook, Co-chairs)

• January 2005 Workshop
• Multi-agency, international
• workshop to define NACP data system
• NACP Data Systems Task Force (formed May 2005)
• Subgroup of Science Steering Group
• Formed to describe the requirements for an NACP
  Data System that take advantage of existing
  capabilities while providing an integrated
  framework for accumulation, management, and
  distribution of data

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Data Framework for NACPhttp//www.nacarbon.org/na
cp/documents/NACP_Datasystems_recommendations.pdf
(e.g., AmeriFlux)
From the NACP Data Task Force
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Data Support for NACP

• NACP is reducing science scope, because of
  reductions in Federal budget
• In process, not resolved
• NACP and the data task force should reduce scope
  of the Data System (May 2006 CCIWG / SSG Meeting)
• Look at more cost-effective solutions
• Need to know what research projects are funded
  (what data services they require) and what
  funding is available for the data management
  system (right-size the data system)
• High priority data activities identified
  http//www.nacarbon.org/nacp/documents/NACP_data_c
  entral_priorities_20060724-1.pdf

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High Priority Data Functions

1. Coordinate with NACP-related thematic data
   centers
2. Identify and/or define metadata standards
3. Provide metadata entry tools for investigators
   who are not working directly with a thematic data
   center
4. Establish and maintain a metadata index of
   NACP-relevant data holdings across multiple
   Thematic Data Centers, including index of data
   held locally by projects/PIs.
5. Coordinate with NACP Office to link the data set
   metadata index with the project metadata index
   generated and maintained by the NACP Office

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Goals Of MAST-DC

• Support NACP by providing data management
  services to NACP investigators and agencies
  performing modeling and synthesis activities
• Based on NACP requirements established, MAST-DC
  will provide data products and services in a
  central location, in consistent and uniform
  grids, with common and co-registered spatial
  projection, in easily converted formats.
• Free modelers and those doing the synthesis and
  integration from having to perform data
  management functions.

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MAST-DC Tasks

1. Establish specific data management needs of NACP
   modelers and synthesis groups and coordinate with
   other thematic data centers
2. Prepare and distribute model input data
3. Provide data management support for model
   outputs
4. Provide tools for accessing, subsetting and
   visualization
5. Provide observation data packages to evaluate
   model output and
6. Support synthesis activities, including data
   support for workshops

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Task 1. Establish data management needs of NACP
and coordinate with other data centers

• Work with NACP leadership groups (e.g., SSG and
  MCI Science Team) to establish data management
  requirements for modeling and synthesis
• Establish a MAST-DC User Group (MUG)
• Provide guidance to MAST-DC in establishing
  specific data management needs of NACP modelers
  and synthesis groups.
• The Group will provide recommendations about data
  set priorities for forward and inverse modeling
  (e.g., requirements for data sets, including
  documentation, formats, projection, gridding
  scheme) and generation of value-added products
  for synthesis activities.
• Communications / meetings
• Email, teleconferences, opportunistic meetings
  (at AGU, NACP meetings, etc.), synthesis
  workshops
• Decisions, actions, and other information from
  User Group will be posted on the MAST-DC Web Site
  and transmitted via email list serve

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Focus on MAST-DC Tasks
(e.g., AmeriFlux)
From the NACP Data Task Force
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Task 2. Prepare and distribute model input
data Task 3. Provide data management support for
model outputs Task 4. Provide tools for
accessing, subsetting, but not visualization Task
5. Provide observation data packages for model
evaluation
Observation Data Packages to evaluate model
results
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In the absence of Data Central, MAST-DC will
provide some of its functions
Thematic Data Center for Modeling and Synthesis
Modeling Community (and others)
Digital Elevation Model - SRTM
Soils CONUS
Land Cover MODIS

• MAST-DC
• Web Page
• Link to Thematic
• Centers
• Index of MAST-DC
• Data (Mercury)
• OPeNDAP access to
• MAST-DC Data

Metadata Registry
Historical Land Use - LEDAPS

• Services
• Data Access
• Subsetting
• WMS/WCS

Weather / Climate -DAYMET
LAI / fPAR Morisettes
Nitrogen Dentener
Observation Data Packages to evaluate model
results
Bottom-up Model Output
N.B. MAST-DC is not replacing Data Central
Other Thematic Data Centers
Top-Down Model Output
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Task 2. Prepare and distribute model input data

• Acquire, process, re-project, and distribute a
  base set of input and driver data in consistent
  and uniform format
• consistent input files will allow all modeling
  groups to start from common boundary conditions
  and driving variables, thus eliminating the
  confounding influence of multiple versions of
  input files
• Rely on existing data activities and, as needed,
  convert products to NACP standard format /
  projection
• LEDAPS, MODIS for NACP (gap-filled LAI / fPAR),
  etc.

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Task 2. Model Input Not Including Data Support
for Atmospheric Transport

• Proposed to generate standard meteorology and
  wind transport aloft for use in inverse modeling
• Inverse modeling community has not evolved to the
  point where collectively they can specify data
  requirements

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Task 4 Provide tools for accessing
and subsetting (reduced scope)

• Task re-scoped to provide basic services only,
  not advanced services and tools as proposed
• Establish an OpenDAP server with basic subsetting
  functions

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Task 5. Provide data packages to evaluate model
output confronting models with data(activity
for later years)

• Develop field-based data products that can be
  used to evaluate the models in a synthesis
  workshop setting
• These data products will include site-based
  measurements of carbon dynamics
• USDA Forest Services Forest Inventory Analysis
  (FIA) data
• Atmospheric CO2 sampling sites to be used to
  evaluate forward models
• Hydrological components of forward models, based
  on national river discharge monitoring networks
• Flux tower data from the AmeriFlux and FLUXNET
  Canada networks

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Task 6. Support synthesis activities

• NACP Science team is organizing and will identify
  synthesis activities
• MAST-DC will work with Science Team and User
  Group to identify high priority synthesis
  products
• Inventory maps
• Anthropogenic emission maps
• Historical and current sources and sinks maps

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NACP Synthesis IdeasCompiled at AmeriFlux
Meeting (October 2006)

1. Treatment of uncertainty in measurements and
   models
2. Components of the N.Am. carbon budget current
   status and potential improvements (e.g.
   urban/suburban flux estimates, fossil fuel
   fluxes). This topic would take SOCCR as a point
   of departure.
3. AmeriFlux network synthesis between-site
   coherence in fluxes
4. Integration of short-term and long-term
   measurements (e.g. flux sites compared to
   biometrics)
5. Formal intercomparisons of inverse modeling
   methods
6. Formal intercomparisons of forward modeling
   methods
7. Comparison of forward and inverse modeling
   methods
8. Carbon-nitrogen cycle interactions

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Points mentioned in funding letter and by peer
review panel

• Agency resources for NACP Data Central have not
  been identified
• Judicious use of MAST-DC resources can forge
  links to thematic data centers and investigators
• Carefully scope MAST-DC and provide oversight by
  NACP users and program management
• Keep MAST-DC coordinated with users and avoid
  mission creep and expectation and budget
  problems.
• MAST-DC should develop metrics to evaluate
  success in service to user community
• Suggest EOSDIS user statistics (products,
  distinct users, etc.)

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MAST-DC Support to Mid-Continent Intensive
Campaign

• Initial focus on MCI Campaign
• MCI has near-term goals and data needs
• Use MCI as a test of MAST-DC approach for model
  input and model output

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MAST-DC Data First steps

• Establish NACP projections, grid system, and
  georegistration
• E.g., lat-lon and albers equal area at 1-km
• Establish File Formats
• netCDF and ASCII
• Choose a landwater mask
• MODIS
• SRTM (NGA 90-m product)

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Data Products Activities in first year (focus on
MCI)

• Digital Elevation Model
• SRTM 30 arcsecond with GTOPO30 north of 60oN
• Soil data (international mid-latitude cyrosphere
  working group and CONUS)
• DAYMET (NCAR) (continental focus)
• Daily, 1-km data from 1980 to 2005, with annual
  updates
• Working with Agriculture Canada to extend DAYMET
  into Canada
• Need to forge relationship with Mexico at JNACP
  Meeting in January

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MAST-DC Services

• Web Site
• http//nacp.ornl.gov/mast-dc/
• Mercury for MAST-DC
• Clearinghouse for modeling and synthesis data and
  information
• Have incorporated 200 metadata records for North
  American background data on the Internet (see
  handout)
• Metadata editor for entering new records
• OPeNDAP developed in first year
• North America WebGIS
• Web Map Server and Web Coverage Server

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MAST-DC Search (based on Mercury)
Spatial data for North America (see Handout)
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WebGIS for North America
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North America WebGIS Features

• North America WebGIS supports Web Map Service
  (WMS) and Web Coverage Service (WCS) OpenGIS
  protocols
• Includes land cover, biophysical, elevation, and
  geopolitical layers
• Provides access to other Open Geospatial
  Consortium (OGC) layers
• Users can interrogate map features and extract
  and download selected map features, including
  map layers (shape files)

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Issues / Challenges

• Coordinating with NACP and North American carbon
  cycle research communities
• Most projects included funding for data support
  for their projects and, in some sense, may not
  need MAST-DC
• Forging links and setting up cooperative
  activities
• Facilitating solution of technical issues
• Existing Agency and national data streams
  required for NACP
• Forest and agriculture inventories, weather,
  soils, etc.
• Establish coordination / cooperation agreements
  to ensure that agency and national data resources
  are available to NACP researchers

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Additional Slides
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NASA-Sponsored Datasets for Driving Carbon
Calculations
Kevin Gurney (CSU) High-Resolution Fossil Fuel Emission Estimates in Support of NACP CO2 Measurements and Assimilation System Fossil Fuel Emissions, NOx, SOx
Goward, Samuel (UMD) North American Forest Distrubance and Regrowth since 1972 Empeirical Assessment with Field Measurements and Satellite Remotely Sensing Observations Forest Disturbance
Jeff Masek (GSFC) A Community-Driven, North American Disturbance Record and Processing System for Land Satellite Data Forest Disturbance
Sassan Saatchi (JPL) Forest Woody Biomass Carbon Estimates of North America from Synergistic Analysis of MODIS, MISR, and JERS Data in Support of the North American Carbon Program Biomass
Josef Kellendorfer (WHI) The National Biomass and Carbon Dataset 2000 Biomass
Kyle McDonald (JPL) Satellite Monitoring of Landscape Freeze-Thaw State and Associated Constraints to the North American Carbon Budget Freeze-thaw area/timing
Jeff Morisette (GSFC) Improving Access to Land and Atmosphere science products from Earth Observing Satellites Helping NACP Investigators Better Utilize MODIS Data Products Data Preparation, Format, Distribution
James Randerson (CalTech) Using Satellite and Inverse Techniques to Constrain Regional and Global Fire Emissions from 1997 to 2005 An Approach Based on the Carbon Isotope Ratio of Fire Emissions Biomass burning
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Inverse Model Solutions for Sources and Sinks
Air Parcel
Air Parcel
Air Parcel
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Task 5. Provide observational data packages to
evaluate model output (continued)

• Flux tower data from the AmeriFlux and FLUXNET
  Canada networks NACP Requirements of Flux
  Networks
• Flux Tower sites with data from 1997 to the
  present
• Gap-filled, aggregated data files for water
  vapor, carbon dioxide, and sensible heat, as well
  as ancillary biological / ecological measurements
  for the tower sites
• Day/night, daily, weekly, monthly, and annual
  aggregates, and including the percentage of gaps
  filled in each aggregation
• Data files in ASCII and netCDF format