Baltimore Ecosystem Study Goals

1
Baltimore Ecosystem StudyGoals

• Investigate metropolitan Baltimore as an
  ecological system
• Advance scientific understanding of urban
  ecosystems
• Develop resources for education and decision
  making

2
Research Questions

1. What are the fluxes of energy and matter in urban
   ecosystems, and how do they change over the long
   term?
2. How does the spatial structure of ecological,
   physical, and socio-economic factors in the
   metropolis affect ecosystem function?
3. How can urban residents develop and use an
   understanding of the metropolis as an ecological
   system to improve the quality of their
   environment and their daily lives?

3
NSF Obligations

• Data and documentation on
• Biological primary productivity
• Mineral nutrient dynamics
• Carbon dynamics
• Important biological populations
• Natural disturbances in our ecosystem
• Plus..

4
More NSF Obligations

• Study of the human population
• Social Institutions
• Social Dynamics
• And..

5
More NSF Obligations

• Conduct educational activities that reach from
  the general public to elementary school

6
Research Areas

• Soil science
• Atmospheric science
• Microbial ecology
• History
• Plant Ecology
• Wildlife Ecology
• Social Sciences

• Hydrology
• Ecological Economics
• Remote Sensing
• Paleoecology
• Spatial Analysis
• Urban Design