ORCID ID
John Van Stan II https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0692-7064
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-29-2023
Publication Title
Bioscience
Abstract
Stormwater is a vital resource and dynamic driver of terrestrial ecosystem processes. However, processes controlling interactions during and shortly after storms are often poorly seen and poorly sensed when direct observations are substituted with technological ones. We discuss how human observations complement technological ones and the benefits of scientists spending more time in the storm. Human observation can reveal ephemeral storm-related phenomena such as biogeochemical hot moments, organismal responses, and sedimentary processes that can then be explored in greater resolution using sensors and virtual experiments. Storm-related phenomena trigger lasting, oversized impacts on hydrologic and biogeochemical processes, organismal traits or functions, and ecosystem services at all scales. We provide examples of phenomena in forests, across disciplines and scales, that have been overlooked in past research to inspire mindful, holistic observation of ecosystems during storms. We conclude that technological observations alone are insufficient to trace the process complexity and unpredictability of fleeting biogeochemical or ecological events without the shower thoughts produced by scientists' human sensory and cognitive systems during storms.
DOI
10.1093/biosci/biad044
Version
Publisher's PDF
Recommended Citation
Van Stan, John T. II; Allen, Scott T.; Aubrey, Douglas P.; Berry, Z. Carter; Biddick, Matthew; Coenders-Gerrits, Miriam A.M.J.; Giordani, Paolo; Gotsch, Sybil G.; Gutmann, Ethan D.; Kuzyakov, Yakov; Magyar, Donát; Mella, Valentina S.A.; Mueller, Kevin E.; Ponette-González, Alexandra G.; Porada, Philipp; Rosenfeld, Carla E.; and Simmons, Jack, "Shower Thoughts: Why Scientists Should Spend More Time in the Rain" (2023). Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications. 278.
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/scibges_facpub/278
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Volume
73
Issue
6
Comments
JTVS and SGG acknowledge support from the US National Science Foundation (EAR-HS grant no. 1954538). ZCB's contributions were supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (through grant no. 2020–67014–30916). DPA's contributions were supported by the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (through grant no. 2019–67019–29906) and the McIntire Stennis project (grant no. 1023985), and was based on work supported by the Department of Energy to the University of Georgia Research Foundation (grant no. DE-EM0004391) and to the US Forest Service Savannah River (grant no. DE-EM0003622).