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Pastore MA, Classen AT, D'Amato AW, English ME, Rand K, Foster JR, Adair EC. Frequent and strong cold-air pooling drives temperate forest composition. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11126. [PMID: 38571787 PMCID: PMC10985370 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Cold-air pooling is an important topoclimatic process that creates temperature inversions with the coldest air at the lowest elevations. Incomplete understanding of sub-canopy spatiotemporal cold-air pooling dynamics and associated ecological impacts hinders predictions and conservation actions related to climate change and cold-dependent species and functions. To determine if and how cold-air pooling influences forest composition, we characterized the frequency, strength, and temporal dynamics of cold-air pooling in the sub-canopy at local to regional scales in New England, USA. We established a network of 48 plots along elevational transects and continuously measured sub-canopy air temperatures for 6-10 months (depending on site). We then estimated overstory and understory community temperature preferences by surveying tree composition in each plot and combining these data with known species temperature preferences. We found that cold-air pooling was frequent (19-43% seasonal occurrences) and that sites with the most frequent inversions displayed inverted forest composition patterns across slopes with more cold-adapted species, namely conifers, at low instead of high elevations. We also observed both local and regional variability in cold-air pooling dynamics, revealing that while cold-air pooling is common, it is also spatially complex. Our study, which uniquely focused on broad spatial and temporal scales, has revealed some rarely reported cold-air pooling dynamics. For instance, we discovered frequent and strong temperature inversions that occurred across seasons and in some locations were most frequent during the daytime, likely affecting forest composition. Together, our results show that cold-air pooling is a fundamental ecological process that requires integration into modeling efforts predicting future forest vegetation patterns under climate change, as well as greater consideration for conservation strategies identifying potential climate refugia for cold-adapted species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa A. Pastore
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural ResourcesUniversity of VermontBurlingtonVermontUSA
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of VermontBurlingtonVermontUSA
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research StationSt. PaulMinnesotaUSA
| | - Aimée T. Classen
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of VermontBurlingtonVermontUSA
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology DepartmentUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
- University of Michigan Biological StationPellstonMichiganUSA
| | - Anthony W. D'Amato
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural ResourcesUniversity of VermontBurlingtonVermontUSA
| | - Marie E. English
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural ResourcesUniversity of VermontBurlingtonVermontUSA
| | - Karin Rand
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural ResourcesUniversity of VermontBurlingtonVermontUSA
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology DepartmentUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - Jane R. Foster
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural ResourcesUniversity of VermontBurlingtonVermontUSA
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research StationKnoxvilleTennesseeUSA
| | - E. Carol Adair
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural ResourcesUniversity of VermontBurlingtonVermontUSA
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of VermontBurlingtonVermontUSA
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2
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Campbell JL, Driscoll CT, Jones JA, Boose ER, Dugan HA, Groffman PM, Jackson CR, Jones JB, Juday GP, Lottig NR, Penaluna BE, Ruess RW, Suding K, Thompson JR, Zimmerman JK. Forest and Freshwater Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change and Variability at US LTER Sites. Bioscience 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biab124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Forest and freshwater ecosystems are tightly linked and together provide important ecosystem services, but climate change is affecting their species composition, structure, and function. Research at nine US Long Term Ecological Research sites reveals complex interactions and cascading effects of climate change, some of which feed back into the climate system. Air temperature has increased at all sites, and those in the Northeast have become wetter, whereas sites in the Northwest and Alaska have become slightly drier. These changes have altered streamflow and affected ecosystem processes, including primary production, carbon storage, water and nutrient cycling, and community dynamics. At some sites, the direct effects of climate change are the dominant driver altering ecosystems, whereas at other sites indirect effects or disturbances and stressors unrelated to climate change are more important. Long-term studies are critical for understanding the impacts of climate change on forest and freshwater ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Julia A Jones
- Oregon State University , Corvallis, Oregon, United States
| | - Emery R Boose
- Harvard University , Petersham, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Hilary A Dugan
- University of Wisconsin , Madison, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Peter M Groffman
- City University of New York, and with the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies , Millbrook, New York, United States
| | | | - Jeremy B Jones
- University of Alaska Fairbanks , Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
| | - Glenn P Juday
- University of Alaska Fairbanks , Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
| | - Noah R Lottig
- University of Wisconsin's Trout Lake Station , Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, United States
| | | | - Roger W Ruess
- University of Alaska Fairbanks , Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
| | | | | | - Jess K Zimmerman
- University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras , San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States
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3
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Pastore MA, Classen AT, D'Amato AW, Foster JR, Adair EC. Cold-air pools as microrefugia for ecosystem functions in the face of climate change. Ecology 2022; 103:e3717. [PMID: 35388477 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Cold-air pooling is a global phenomenon that frequently sustains low temperatures in sheltered, low-lying depressions and valleys and drives other key environmental conditions, such as soil temperature, soil moisture, vapor pressure deficit, frost frequency, and winter dynamics. Local climate patterns in areas prone to cold-air pooling are partly decoupled from regional climates and thus may be buffered from macroscale climate change. There is compelling evidence from studies across the globe that cold-air pooling impacts plant communities and species distributions, making these decoupled microclimate areas potentially important microrefugia for species under climate warming. Despite interest in the potential for cold-air pools to enable species persistence under warming, studies investigating the effects of cold-air pooling on ecosystem processes are scarce. Because local temperatures and vegetation composition are critical drivers of ecosystem processes like carbon cycling and storage, cold-air pooling may also act to preserve ecosystem functions. We review research exploring the ecological impacts of cold-air pooling with a focus on vegetation, and then present a new conceptual framework in which cold-air pooling creates feedbacks between species and ecosystem properties that generate unique hotspots for carbon accrual in some systems relative to areas more vulnerable to regional climate change impacts. Finally, we describe key steps to motivate future research investigating the potential for cold-air pools to serve as microrefugia for ecosystem functions under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa A Pastore
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.,Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Aimée T Classen
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.,Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,University of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston, MI, USA
| | - Anthony W D'Amato
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Jane R Foster
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - E Carol Adair
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.,Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
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4
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Rastetter EB, Ohman MD, Elliott KJ, Rehage JS, Rivera‐Monroy VH, Boucek RE, Castañeda‐Moya E, Danielson TM, Gough L, Groffman PM, Jackson CR, Miniat CF, Shaver GR. Time lags: insights from the U.S. Long Term Ecological Research Network. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Edward B. Rastetter
- The Ecosystems Center Marine Biological Laboratory Woods Hole Massachusetts02543USA
| | - Mark D. Ohman
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California, San Diego La Jolla California92093USA
| | - Katherine J. Elliott
- Center for Forest Watershed Research Coweeta Hydrologic LaboratoryUSDA Forest ServiceSouthern Research Station Otto North Carolina28763USA
| | - J. S. Rehage
- Institute of Environment Florida International University Miami Florida33199USA
| | - Victor H. Rivera‐Monroy
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences College of the Coast and Environment Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana70803USA
| | - R. E. Boucek
- Institute of Environment Florida International University Miami Florida33199USA
| | - Edward Castañeda‐Moya
- Southeast Environmental Research Center Florida International University Miami Florida33199USA
| | - Tess M. Danielson
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences College of the Coast and Environment Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana70803USA
| | - Laura Gough
- Department of Biological Sciences Towson University Towson Maryland21252USA
| | - Peter M. Groffman
- City University of New York Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center New York New York10031USA
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies 2801 Sharon Turnpike Millbrook New York12545USA
| | - C. Rhett Jackson
- Warnell School of Forestry and Environmental Science University of Georgia Athens Georgia30602‐2152USA
| | - Chelcy Ford Miniat
- Center for Forest Watershed Research Coweeta Hydrologic LaboratoryUSDA Forest ServiceSouthern Research Station Otto North Carolina28763USA
| | - Gaius R. Shaver
- The Ecosystems Center Marine Biological Laboratory Woods Hole Massachusetts02543USA
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5
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Yano Y, Qubain C, Holyman Z, Jencso K, Hu J. Snowpack influences spatial and temporal soil nitrogen dynamics in a western U.S. montane forested watershed. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yuriko Yano
- Department of Ecology Montana State University 310 Lewis Hall Bozeman Montana 59717 USA
| | - Claire Qubain
- Department of Ecology Montana State University 310 Lewis Hall Bozeman Montana 59717 USA
| | - Zach Holyman
- Department of Forest Management University of Montana 32 Campus Drive Missoula Montana 59812 USA
| | - Kelsey Jencso
- Department of Forest Management University of Montana 32 Campus Drive Missoula Montana 59812 USA
| | - Jia Hu
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Arizona 1064 East Lowell Street Tucson Arizona 85712 USA
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6
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Bátori Z, Vojtkó A, Maák IE, Lőrinczi G, Farkas T, Kántor N, Tanács E, Kiss PJ, Juhász O, Módra G, Tölgyesi C, Erdős L, Aguilon DJ, Keppel G. Karst dolines provide diverse microhabitats for different functional groups in multiple phyla. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7176. [PMID: 31073136 PMCID: PMC6509348 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43603-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Fine-scale topographic complexity creates important microclimates that can facilitate species to grow outside their main distributional range and increase biodiversity locally. Enclosed depressions in karst landscapes (‘dolines’) are topographically complex environments which produce microclimates that are drier and warmer (equator-facing slopes) and cooler and moister (pole-facing slopes and depression bottoms) than the surrounding climate. We show that the distribution patterns of functional groups for organisms in two different phyla, Arthropoda (ants) and Tracheophyta (vascular plants), mirror this variation of microclimate. We found that north-facing slopes and bottoms of solution dolines in northern Hungary provided key habitats for ant and plant species associated with cooler and/or moister conditions. Contrarily, south-facing slopes of dolines provided key habitats for species associated with warmer and/or drier conditions. Species occurring on the surrounding plateau were associated with intermediate conditions. We conclude that karst dolines provide a diversity of microclimatic habitats that may facilitate the persistence of taxa with diverse environmental preferences, indicating these dolines to be potential safe havens for multiple phyla under local and global climate oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoltán Bátori
- Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.
| | - András Vojtkó
- Department of Botany, Eszterházy Károly University of Applied Sciences, Eszterházy tér 1, H-3300, Eger, Hungary
| | - István Elek Maák
- Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.,Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza street 64, 00-679, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Gábor Lőrinczi
- Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Tünde Farkas
- Aggtelek National Park Directorate, Tengerszem oldal 1, H-3758, Jósvafő, Hungary
| | - Noémi Kántor
- Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Eszter Tanács
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Alkotmány út 2-4, H-2163, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Péter János Kiss
- Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.,Doctoral School of Environmental Sciences, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, H-6720, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Orsolya Juhász
- Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.,Doctoral School in Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Gábor Módra
- Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.,Doctoral School of Environmental Sciences, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, H-6720, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Csaba Tölgyesi
- MTA-DE Functional and Restoration Ecology Research Group, Egyetem tér 1, H-4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - László Erdős
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Alkotmány út 2-4, H-2163, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Dianne Joy Aguilon
- Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.,Doctoral School of Environmental Sciences, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, H-6720, Szeged, Hungary.,Department of Forest Biological Sciences, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, 4031, Laguna, Philippines
| | - Gunnar Keppel
- Natural and Built Environments Research Centre, School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia.,Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia.,Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography Group, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
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7
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Advances in Microclimate Ecology Arising from Remote Sensing. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:327-341. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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8
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Temporal Patterns and Vertical Temperature Gradients in Micro-Scale Drainage Flow Observed Using Thermal Imaging. ATMOSPHERE 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos9120498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Micro-scale cold-air flow along a gentle slope was analyzed using thermal infrared imaging (TIR), focusing exclusively on the lowermost 2 m above ground. Cold-air pulses were analyzed with regard to their vertical temperature stratification as well as flow characteristics, such as flow speed. Analyses on the transition zone between the near-surface very stable inversion layer and the less stable, warmer air above highlight turbulent situations and detrainment effects at the cold-air inversion top. Using thermal imaging in a high spatiotemporal resolution with up to 90 vertical data points and TIR pixels for 1.5 m cold-air depth, a high-precision cold-air flow analysis was realized.
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9
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Ward SE, Schulze M, Roy B. A long‐term perspective on microclimate and spring plant phenology in the Western Cascades. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E. Ward
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution 335 Pacific Hall, 5289 University of Oregon Eugene Oregon 97403 USA
| | - Mark Schulze
- H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest P.O. Box 300, 91991 Blue River Reservoir Road Blue River Oregon 97413 USA
| | - Bitty Roy
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution 335 Pacific Hall, 5289 University of Oregon Eugene Oregon 97403 USA
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10
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ChristopherOishi A, Miniat CF, Novick KA, Brantley ST, Vose JM, Walker JT. Warmer temperatures reduce net carbon uptake, but do not affect water use, in a mature southern Appalachian forest. AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY 2018; 252:269-282. [PMID: 32280152 PMCID: PMC7147817 DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2018.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Increasing air temperature is expected to extend growing season length in temperate, broadleaf forests, leading to potential increases in evapotranspiration and net carbon uptake. However, other key processes affecting water and carbon cycles are also highly temperature-dependent. Warmer temperatures may result in higher ecosystem carbon loss through respiration and higher potential evapotranspiration through increased atmospheric demand for water. Thus, the net effects of a warming planet are uncertain and highly dependent on local climate and vegetation. We analyzed five years of data from the Coweeta eddy covariance tower in the southern Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina, USA, a highly productive region that has historically been underrepresented in flux observation networks. We examined how leaf phenology and climate affect water and carbon cycling in a mature forest in one of the wettest biomes in North America. Warm temperatures in early 2012 caused leaf-out to occur two weeks earlier than in cooler years and led to higher seasonal carbon uptake. However, these warmer temperatures also drove higher winter ecosystem respiration, offsetting much of the springtime carbon gain. Interannual variability in net carbon uptake was high (147 to 364 g C m-2 y-1), but unrelated to growing season length. Instead, years with warmer growing seasons had 10% higher respiration and sequestered ~40% less carbon than cooler years. In contrast, annual evapotranspiration was relatively consistent among years (coefficient of variation = 4%) despite large differences in precipitation (17%, range = 800 mm). Transpiration by the evergreen understory likely helped to compensate for phenologically-driven differences in canopy transpiration. The increasing frequency of high summer temperatures is expected to have a greater effect on respiration than growing season length, reducing forest carbon storage.
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Affiliation(s)
- A ChristopherOishi
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, 3160 Coweeta Lab Road, Otto, NC 28763, USA
| | - Chelcy F Miniat
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, 3160 Coweeta Lab Road, Otto, NC 28763, USA
| | - Kimberly A Novick
- School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University - Bloomington, 702 N. Walnut Grove Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Steven T Brantley
- Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center, 3988 Jones Center Drive, Newton, GA 39870, USA
| | - James M Vose
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Center for Integrated Forest Science, 5223 Jordan Hall, Box 8008, College of Natural Resources, Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - John T Walker
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 109 T.W. Alexander Dr., Durham, NC 27711, USA
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