Smithsonian Institution Areas of Global Change Research. Within the Smithsonian Institution, research conducted at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), the National Air and Space Museum (NASM), the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) and the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) concentrates on monitoring indicators of natural and anthropogenic environmental change on daily to decadal time scales, and on longer term indicators present in the historical artifacts and records of the museums as well as in the geologic record at field sites. The primary thrust of the Smithsonian's work is to improve knowledge of the natural processes involved and to continue to provide a long-term repository for present and future studies.
| SI | Program Title | FY95 | FY96 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NMNH/STRI | Long-Term Environmental Change | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| SAO/NASM/SERC | Monitoring Natural Environmental Change | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| SI Total | 2.8 | 2.8 |
Related Research. Contributing research of the Smithsonian Institution on biological diversity and ecosystem functions falls into two broad areas: Tropical Biological Diversity and Ecosystem Response to Fragmentation. Studies of Tropical Biological Diversity are done at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). The Tropical Biological Diversity Program (TROBID), concentrates on inventories of biodiversity and species distribution in tropical forests, monitoring biodiversity through repeated standardized sampling of flora and fauna, and identifying the physical and biological processes of growth and decline of species.