Synopsis: Global ecosystems are continuing to change dramatically in the face of climate and other anthropogenic stressors, impacting the societal services they provide. While the urgency to understand the drivers and consequences of change is increasing, so is the pace and potential of the research being done on diverse ecosystems. Long-term, large-scale data collection coordinated on a national scale is a significant contributor to the leading edge of earth science research. In this session, experts addressing the most pressing questions and challenges facing ecosystem scientists today will describe the novel findings enabled by this complex data landscape, involving contributions from across United States federal agencies and beyond. The talks will encompass new tools and approaches to studying ecosystems, integration of data across scales from the individual to the landscape, findings from both terrestrial and freshwater habitats. These talks will demonstrate that identifying sustainability solutions and enabling forecasting depend on the synthesis of these diverse data streams coupled with advances in technology and computational approaches.
