Project Details
Case Study Description
A team of international scientists and students installed PME miniDOTs to study the temperate Steppe Rivers of the American West and Mongolia in order to estimate the metabolism of the rivers as part of the NSF MACRO project. They’re aiming to sample three eco regions on each continent over the span of three years.
The team studying these rivers is an eclectic group of individuals approaching this topic from a diverse group of subdisciplines. Their backgrounds include invertebrate communities, food web assemblages, and system metabolism to name a few. This gives them a unique perspective in tackling this research project.
Researching the Steppe Rivers
The Steppe Rivers, American West and Mongolia, vary greatly. The differences between these rivers are caused by differential land use, climate, and potential future development.
One challenge facing these researchers is the lack of data on Mongolia. It is the least densely populated nation on the planet but is one of the most rapidly warming areas as well. This makes Mongolia a prime learning opportunity for researchers to test rivers and grow their knowledge beyond what they already know to be true.
Studying Metabolism
One of the scientist working on this project is, Anne Schechner, Doctoral Candidate in Aquatic Ecology of Dodds Lab at Kansas State University. She is part of the metabolism team and currently researching the patterns of metabolism, primarily production and respiration.
Her recent focus has been on exploring how localized heterogeneity contributes to the variation of these rates. The goal of her research is to figure out how this heterogeneity could help to elucidate controls on these rates of metabolism.
PME Offers High-Performing Monitoring Instruments
PME’s high-performing environmental monitoring instruments can take your research to the next level. Learn how the miniDOT logger can help you and your team with your next research project.