Mercury Consortium Projects

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC)

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) for Biogeochemical Dynamics is operated by the ORNL Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) as part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) program. The ORNL DAAC archives data and model products related to biogeochemical dynamics which are the result of the interactions between the biological, geological, and chemical components of the Earth's environment.

As components of the Earth Observing System (EOS) Data Information System (EOSDIS), DAACs generate EOS standard data products and carry out NASA's responsibilities for data archival, distribution, and management. Many of these sites also carry related data products that pre-date EOS. DAACs and affiliated data centers have home pages and FTP sites for transfer of information and data.

National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII)

The National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) is a broad, collaborative program to provide increased access to data and information on the nation's biological resources. The NBII links diverse, high-quality biological databases, information products, and analytical tools maintained by NBII partners and other contributors in government agencies, academic institutions, non-government organizations, and private industry. NBII partners and collaborators also work on new standards, tools, and technologies that make it easier to find, integrate, and apply biological resources information. Resource managers, scientists, educators, and the general public use the NBII to answer a wide range of questions related to the management, use, or conservation of this nation's biological resources.

The NBII Program is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey's Biological Informatics Office.

Large Scale Biosphere Atmosphere Experiment (LBA)

What is LBA? The Large-Scale Biosphere Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) is a cooperative international project led by Brazil. The Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology - MCT - is responsible for the policy management of LBA. The National Institute for Amazonian Research - INPA - is responsible for the scientific coordination of the experiment and for its implementation. Created through an international cooperative agreement, LBA has important institutional relations, including ties with over 40 Brazilian institutions, 25 institutions from various Amazonian countries, as well as institutions from the US and 8 European nations.

DADDI Discovery, Access, and Delivery of Data for IPY (DADDI)

The DADDI Discovery, Access, and Delivery of Data for IPY is a NASA supported project to improve the availability of Arctic coastal data. Our goal is to develop a system that can be readily extended to support the International Polar Year (IPY). DADDI is a collaborative project between NSIDC, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center for Biogeochemical Dynamics (ORNL DAAC), the Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) at Columbia University, and the Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN). We are also collaborating with the International Permafrost Association's Arctic Coastal Dynamics (ACD) project and the interagency Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH).

Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN)

The Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network is an Internet-based forum for technical and scientific cooperation that seeks to promote greater coordination among Western Hemisphere countries in the collection, sharing, and use of biodiversity information relevant to decision-making and education. IABIN is an initiative of the Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development and was mandated as Initiative 31 of the Action Plan resulting from the December 1996 Summit in Bolivia. The Inter-American Committee on Sustainable Development (CIDS) of the Organization of American States endorsed IABIN in a resolution passed in October 1999. Thirty-four countries in the Americas have designated official IABIN Focal Points to coordinate national efforts to implement the network. The U.S. Geological Survey is the U.S. Focal Point for IABIN. The IABIN Council comprises the official national Focal Points as well as representatives from interested inter-governmental organizations and initiatives. The Executive Committee guides the operations of IABIN and executes the policy decisions of the Council.

NARSTO

The NARSTO partnership is a non-binding, tri-national public/private alliance, open to science agencies, regulatory agencies, regulated industries, academic institutions, environmentalists, and public interests groups in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The NARSTO mission is to plan, coordinate, and facilitate comprehensive, long-term, policy-relevant scientific research and assessment of primary and secondary pollutant species emitted, formed, transformed, and transported in the troposphere over the North American continent. The current emphasis is directed toward the study of ozone, particulate matter, and their precursors. To accomplish this mission, NARSTO provides a cross-organization planning process that determines the most effective strategies for scientific investigation, and establishes and maintains effective communication channels with the policy, control technology, and health and ecological effects communities.

Walker Branch Watershed
Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Walker Branch Watershed is located on the U. S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation near Oak Ridge, in Anderson County, Tennessee. The watershed consists of two subcatchments with a total area of approximately 100 ha. The climate is typical of the humid southern Appalachian region. The forest soils are acidic, very cherty, infertile, and permeable. They are formed over dolomitic bedrock, but retain little evidence of their carbonate parent material. The forest vegetation is primarily oak-hickory with scattered pine on the ridges and mesophytic hardwoods in the valleys. The Walker Branch Watershed Project began in 1967 under sponsorship of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission (now the U. S. Department of Energy). Initially, the project centered primarily on the geologic and hydrologic processes that control the amounts and chemistry of water moving through the watershed. Past projects have included:

U. S. Department of Energy funded studies of watershed hydrology and forest nutrient dynamics,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration funded studies of forest micrometeorology,
studies of atmospheric deposition under the National Atmospheric Deposition Program,
the International Biological Program Eastern Deciduous Forest Biome Project,
National Science Foundation sponsored studies of trace element cycling and stream nutrient spiraling, and
Electric Power Research Institute funded studies of the effects of acidic deposition on canopy processes and soil chemistry.

These projects have all contributed to a more complete understanding of how forest watersheds function and have provided insights into the solution of energy-related problems associated with air pollution, contaminant transport, and forest nutrient dynamics. This is one of a few sites in the world characterized by long-term, intensive environmental studies.