FACTS II: The Aspen FACE Experiment
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The Aspen FACE (Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) Experiment is a multidisciplinary study to
assess the effects of increasing tropospheric ozone and carbon dioxide levels on the structure and function of northern forest ecosystems.

Aspen FACE continued in 2010 as the Northern Forest Ecosystem Experiment (NFEE), funded by the US Forest Service. Original trees were harvested during 2009 and a new forest vigorously sprouted under the FACE treatments in 2010 before treatments were discontinued. Researchers interested in data or samples from FACE and NFEE should fill out a research registration form using the link above.

fall flyover
Located at the Harshaw Experimental Forest near Rhinelander, Wisconsin, the Aspen FACE Experiment operates as a DOE User Facility, and is a collaborative effort among the following organizations:
Michigan Technological University
US Forest Service Northern Research Station
Brookhaven National Laboratory (FACTS I)
Natural Resources Research Institute
University of Michigan
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Estonian Academy of Science
Canadian Forest Service
Slovak Forest Resources Institute
Academy of Finland
University of Nevada-Reno
 
Distribution of species within ring.

   

The Aspen FACE experiment consists of twelve 30m rings in which the concentrations of carbon dioxide and tropospheric ozone can be controlled. The design provides the ability to assess the effects of these gasses alone, and in combination, on many ecosystem attributes, including growth, leaf development, root characteristics, and soil carbon.

 
Each ring consists of a series of vertical ventpipes which disperse carbon dioxide, ozone or normal air into the center of the ring. This computer controlled system uses signal feedback technology to adjust gas release each second in order to maintain a stable, elevated concentration of carbon dioxide and/or ozone throughout the experimental plot. Because there is no confinement, there is no significant change in the natural, ambient environment other than elevating these trace gas concentrations. 

 

What's New

The following is a list of recent accomplishments for the project.

Notices on events, meetings, publications, and new links are published here. 

 
 
June 2011
 
View Joseph Darbah'slatest J. Env. Monitoring paper (in PDF format) here: Darbah JEnvMonit
 
June 2011
 
View Ivan Edward's latest Global Change Biologyl paper (in PDF format) here: Edwards Global Change
 
March 2011
 
View Kirsten Hofmockel's latest Biology & Biochemistry paper (in PDF format) here: Hofmockel Biology & Biochemistry
 
June 2011
 
View Gabriela Onandia's latest Environmental Pollution paper (in PDF format) here: Onandia ENPO
 
June 2011
 
View Alan Talhelm's latest Ecosystems paper (in PDF format) here: In Press
 
June 2010
 
View Michael Hillstrom's latest Plant and Soil paper (in PDF format) here: Hillstrom Plant and Soil
 
April 2010
 
View Timothy Meehan's latest Soil Biology and Biochemistry paper (in PDF format) here: Meehan Soil Biology
 
April 2010
 
View Johan Uddling's latest Environmental Pollution paper (in PDF format) here: Uddling ENPO
 
April 2010
 
View Helen Tai's latest Environmental Pollution paper (in PDF format) here: Tai ENPO
 
April 2010
 
View Johanna Riikonen's latest Environmental Pollution paper (in PDF format) here: Riikonen ENPO
 
April 2010
 
View Lee Rhea's latest Environmental Pollution paper (in PDF format) here: Rhea ENPO
 
April 2010
 
View Asko Noormets' latest Environmental Pollution paper (in PDF format) here: Noormets ENPO
 
April 2010
 
View Justin McGrath's latest Environmental Pollution paper (in PDF format) here: McGrath ENPO
 
April 2010
 
View Kathryn Lenz's latest Environmental Pollution paper (in PDF format) here: Lenz ENPO
 
April 2010
 
View Sari Kontunen-Soppela's latest Environmental Pollution paper (in PDF format) here: Kontunen-Soppela ENPO
 
April 2010
 
View Katre Kets' latest Environmental Pollution paper (in PDF format) here: Kets ENPO
 
April 2010
 
View Joseph Darbah's latest Environmental Pollution papers (in PDF format) here: Darbah ENPO(1) and ENPO(2)
 
April 2010
 
View Carlo Calfapietra's latest Environmental Pollution paper (in PDF format) here: Calfapietra ENPO
 
April 2010
 
View Leanne Vigue's latest Agricultural and Forest Entomology paper (in PDF format) here: Vigue Agric&ForEntom
 
February2010
 
View Lingli Liu's latest two papers (in PDF format) here: Liu Ecosystems and Liu Global Change
 
February 2010
 
View Victoria Wittig's latest Global Change Biology paper (in PDF format) here: Wittig Global Change
 
February 2010
 
View Johan Uddling's latest Tree Physiology paper (in PDF format) here: Uddling Tree Physiol and Environ Pollut
 
February 2010
 
View Leland Cseke's latest New Phytologist paper (in PDF format) here: Cseke New Phytol
 
February 2010
 

View Carlo Calfapietra's latest Trends in Plant Science paper (in PDF format) here: Calfapietra Trends

For complete citation information, go to http://www.elsevier.com/copyright

 
February 2010
 
View Carrie Andrew's latest Ecology Letters paper (in PDF format) here: Andrew Ecology
 
January 2010
 
View Richard Lindroth's latest Journal of Chemical Ecology paper (in PDF format) here: Lindroth J Chem Ecol
 
September 2009
 
View Alan Talhlem's latest Ecology Letters paper (in PDF format) here:Talhlem Ecology Letters
 
September 2009
 
View 2009 AspenFACE Newsletters (in PDF format) here:January and September 2009
 
June 2009
 

Summer harvest began June 8.

 
May 2009
 

David F. Karnosky Laboratory dedicated on May 15. View the story written in the Daily Mining Gazette here: Mining Gazette

View USFS story here: USFS

 
April 2009
 

AspenFACE was featured in Scientific American on April 7. View the story here: Scientific American

 
February 2009
 

View Joseph Darbah's latest Evironmental Pollution article here: Darbah Environmental

 
January 2009
 

View the latest news on the summer harvest of 2009 here: Harvest

View full detail (in PDF format) here: Details

 
2001-08
 
Click here for past news, .pdfs and videos from 2001-2008.

Visit other FACE, global change, and modeling web sites here:

  
AspenFACE Meteorological Data

    Duke University FACE site
    The FACE Program at Brookhaven National Labratory
    AspenFACE Micromet Tower Data
    FACE for Agronomic Crops - Maricopa, Arizona
    BIOCON - The University of Minnesota Grassland FACE site

The Northern Forest Ecosystem Experiment (NFEE) is funded by the US Forest Service. The Aspen FACE Experiment is funded principally by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Additional support is from the USFS Global Change Program, Michigan Technological University, the Canadian Forest Service and the USFS Northern Research Station.
For more information on this project, contact Dr. Andrew J. Burton (Michigan Technological University) at (906) 487-2566 or mailto:ajburton@mtu.edu, or Dr. Mark E. Kubiske (Northern Research Station) at (715) 362-1108 or mailto:mkubiske@fs.fed.us.
For questions or suggestions regarding this website, please contact Wendy Jones at mailto:wsjones@mtu.edu.
Last updated: MAY, 2012