This communication project will support education on the data deficit of desert environments and how people can help. Dry environments make up 40% of the world’s ecosystems, which means they support a considerable amount of carbon consumption. Dry lands make up all of New Mexico’s environment including a vast amount of microenvironments (e.g. mountains, salt flats, rivers, etc) that aren’t fully understood in their carbon uptake due to a lack of data. Carbon consumption data can help us understand ecosystems’ relation to climate change and impact management plans for the future of NM. Dr. Marcy Litvaks lab is one of several in NM aiming to fill the data gap in many different environments of the desert using Eddy Covariance Towers. These towers are a standardized data collection tower with instruments on them that measure carbon intake and output of ecosystems throughout each season. They also measure precipitation, wind, and more. This data can help us understand each climate to create better management plans and prepare for a changing world. However, these towers are limited to research designated land like the Sevilleta which limits data collection. This communication project aims to educate the general public of these towers and how placing them in more environments ultimately supports our understanding of our land. Small postcards will be made by painting the landscapes of 4 of the towers. On the back of these cards will be a description of the problem, how these towers help, and encourage people to use their land for these towers. By utilizing this communications project to alert private landowners and the general public to this problem we can hopefully get more towers on both private and public lands to protect New Mexico’s future.
