Murphy, T. A. "Western Ecology Division." EPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Alexandria, VA. May 5-7, 1998.

(Paper provided by Hal Kibby for the June 8-9 Researchers Meeting).

(The following summary was prepared by Andrea Soltysik, Penn State University, June 17, 1998)

This paper is a report for the EMMC Biological Advisory Committee describing the Western Ecology Division (WED). The report offers many details concerning what the WED is, including a brief summary of its evolution, goals, facilities, and branches. A description of experiments and studies related to each branch follows.

WED is a division of the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory. Its mission is "to provide EPA with national scientific leadership for terrestrial and regional-scale ecology" and to develop a basis for assessing the condition of ecological resources in the western United States. WED's research sites are both located in Oregon, the main complex is at Corvallis, while the other is in Newport. The division works on both on-site and off-site projects with national and international scientists. Some additional research is provided by post-doctoral fellows through Oregon State University.

There are three branches that support the WED: Terrestrial Plant Ecology Branch, Regional Ecology Branch, and Coastal Ecology Branch. Each branch conducts research specifically concentrated in its area of expertise. Some examples include stress response to tree size and age; "response of watersheds to atmospheric deposition; effects of habitat-altering stressors on fish, invertebrate, and wildlife populations."

The remainder of the report is divided into three sections, each detailing a specific branch of the WED. I feel it would be most appropriate to introduce each topic and allow additional information to be gathered from the report directly.

The research done by the Terrestrial Plant Ecology Branch "focuses on the effects of chemical stresses such as air pollution and global change to terrestrial vegetation to enhance our ability to estimate their risks." A major portion of their studies examines effects of carbon and nitrogen on the rhizosphere. The rhizosphere "is the interface between the primary carbon processes and primary nutrient and water processes." Study of this area involves knowledge of biology, ecology, chemistry, and physics which may directly or indirectly cause stress that will affect an ecosystem. This section describes in detail various stresses on the rhizosphere and its response. Several examples include: elevated CO2 levels, tropospheric ozone, and effects of UV-B.

The Regional Ecology Branch is part of the EPA's research to improve ecosystem risk assessment. Its role is "to provide the understanding, methods and models needed to assess ecosystem condition and responses to stressors at large spatial scales." Their study has been formatted into two themes, each is discussed at length in the report. The first, Monitoring Status and Trends, looks at indicators for a region such as: biological, watershed, and chemical indicators. The second theme, Ecological Effects of Landscape Change, addresses policy-relevant questions. These include: likely future changes in land and water use due to ecological impacts, management options concerning the environment, and the most important areas to protect. This section includes a brief look at the case study of the Willamette River Basin in Oregon.

The final section covers the Coastal Resources Branch. It is their responsibility "to conduct research to improve the assessment of risk associated with alterations of ecological resources of Pacific Northwest estuaries by multiple physical, chemical, and biological stressors at a range of temporal and spatial scales. As with the previous branch, they will conduct research on two key areas. The first is the ecological effects of estuarine habitat alteration, and will focus on species in the Pacific Northwest. The second is the development of indicators in order to provide ecological conditions at "the population and guild levels of ecological organization." Key topics in this section include: effects of DDT contamination, UV radiation, interaction of sunlight and pollutant effects, and detection of organic pollutants. One case study deals with the harbor seal population in the San Francisco Bay area.

I found this report to be beneficial for learning different techniques currently used in the western United States. It illustrates issues which are relevant to the Mid-Atlantic Region as well. Although the report was presented on a general scale, many scientific approaches were included.