NCAR advanced study program students "method hop" their way to regional biogeochemistry

The National Center for Atmospheric Research's (NCAR's) 2007 graduate student summer colloquium on regional biogeochemistry discussed the need to produce tangible results out of local or regional-scale biogeochemical interactions between the land, ocean and atmosphere. The 2007 NCAR batch included 48 doctoral students from 20 countries, who where then given the chance to interact with more than 25 experts in the field from premier US research universities and more than 15 NCAR and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists. At the colloquium, the students found the relevance of method hopping in assessing regional biogeochemical interactions. The term method hopping pertains to the integration of different observational and modeling methodologies across temporal and spatial scales. At the end of the colloquium, both the lecturers and students many regional and global biogeochemical models are missing critical components like impacts of synoptic-scale flows in the atmosphere and vegetation dynamics.