Approximately 30 international experts will be brought together in a workshop to discuss the current state of long-term ecological research, primarily in North America and Western Europe. They will also consider the future directions for and possible future cooperation among long-term research sites on both continents. The development of an international network of sites dedicated to conducting long-term ecological research is a necessary component of the world scientific community's efforts to study global change. Careful long-term measurements of key ecological parameters at sites distributed over the face of the earth will permit us to document, in an unambiguous way, changes in ecosystem structure and function, and the aerial extent of the changes. With additional information from atmospheric and ocean scientists we will be able to develop hypotheses about the causes of change at large scales. To the degree that we are able to link cause and effect we will then be able to develop predictive models of ecosystem responses to global change. These models can be used to develop strategies for the management of the earth's ecological resources. The results of the workshop will be shared with the world's scientific community through the publication of the proceedings as a book. The organizing committee for the workshop, lead by Dr. Risser, is made up of experienced scientists from through out the world. The preliminary list of workshop participants is outstanding. The opening address is to be given by Dr. Gene Likens, a co- founder of the long-term (25 year) ecological study at Hubbard Brook. No better scientist could have been chosen to set a more appropriate tone for the workshop.
