Department of Agriculture Areas of Global Change Research. Ground-based research sponsored by USDA focuses on understanding terrestrial systems and the effects of global change (including water balance, atmospheric deposition, vegetative quality, and UV-B radiation) on food and fiber production in agricultural, forest and range ecosystems. It includes research on interactions between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere; the contributions of agricultural sources of methyl bromide to stratospheric ozone depletion and possible alternatives and substitutes for this fumigant; methane generation and nitrous oxide release; soil properties, including moisture, erosion, organic matter, nutrient fluxes and microbes; relationship of global change to forest and range fires, insects and plant pathogens; agricultural management systems; and ground truthing of satellite measurements.
| USDA | Program Title | FY95 | FY96 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARS | Agriculture and Rangeland Global Change | 11.3 | 10.1 |
| ERS | Economics of Global Change and Agriculture | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| FS | Forest Global Change | 22.0 | 22.0 |
| CSREES | Improved Response Models | 10.6 | 10.5 |
| ARS | Methyl Bromide Substitutes | 13.1 | 13.1 |
| NRCS | Soil Carbon Studies | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| CSREES | UV-B Monitoring Network | 1.6 | 3.5 |
| USDA Total | 60.9 | 61.5 |
Related Research. In addition to focused USGCRP research, the USDA sponsors significant research contributing to the assessment of global change effects on the agricultural food and fiber production systems, and on forest and forest ecosystems of the U.S. and worldwide. Programs include: long-term studies addressing the structure, function and management of forest and grassland ecosystems; research in applied sciences including soils, climate, food and fiber crops, pest management, forest fish and wildlife, social sciences; implementation of ecosystem management on national forests and grasslands; and human interaction with natural resources.