Title: Integrating ecosystem modeling and field observations to explore alpine tundra response to climate change
Speaker: Katya Jay, ESIIL Postdoctoral Associate

Abstract:  Alpine tundra ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate warming but are governed by local-scale abiotic heterogeneity, making it difficult to predict responses to environmental change. In addition, land models simulate ecosystem processes using plant functional types (PFTs), where vegetation is broadly grouped based on similar characteristics and biomes. These groupings are unable to characterize the diversity of plant growth strategies, particularly in tundra ecosystems. Incorporating site-level measurements into land models provides a valuable tool to generate ecological hypotheses and advance process-based understanding of climate change impacts on ecosystem function. To investigate responses to warming in alpine tundra vegetation, I ran ecosystem-scale Community Land Model (CLM) simulations with a novel hillslope hydrology configuration and incorporated community-specific plant functional traits. In this talk, I will discuss (1) the role of topographic heterogeneity and aspect in shaping tundra ecosystem functions and exposure to climate change, and (2) the relative contribution of plant trait versus climate forcing scenario uncertainties in shaping future tundra productivity outcomes. I will also outline my current research at ESIIL, where I will integrate remote sensing and ecosystem modeling tools to quantify woody encroachment into herbaceous alpine tundra.Integrating ecosystem modeling and field observations to explore alpine tundra response to climate change

Speaker Bio:  Katya Jay is a postdoctoral associate in the Environmental Data Science Innovation & Inclusion Lab at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her work focuses on global change effects on terrestrial ecosystems and bridging field ecology with computational approaches. Currently, she is investigating the role of abiotic heterogeneity, plant traits, and woody expansion in shaping alpine tundra ecosystem functions and exposure to climate change. She received her BA in Biology from Macalester College and her PhD in Integrative Biology from Oregon State University.