EXCHANGE, the Exploration of Coastal Hydrobiogeochemistry Across a Network of Gradients and Experiments program, is a consortium of scientists that aims to improve understanding of how the two-way exchange of water between estuaries or large lake lacustuaries and the terrestrial landscape influence the state and function of ecosystems across the coastal interface. This consortium emphasizes community-driven open science and is a founding partner project of the ICON Science Cooperative. 

EXCHANGE is a sub-activity of the DOE-BER funded Coastal Observations, Mechanisms, and Predictions Across Systems and Scales - Field Measurements and Experiments (COMPASS-FME) project.

EXCHANGE Activity Research Overview 

There is a hierarchical structure to spatial variation in ecosystem structure and function at the coastal TAI that is set first by the depth and duration of soil saturation (a function of elevation and coastal water exposure), second by the abundance of redox-sensitive elements, and third by their interactions with plant traits which vary along transverse, river-estuary, alongshore, and geomorphic gradients. 

EXCHANGE Campaign 1 (EC1) | Fall 2021

EXCHANGE Campaign 1 (EC1) addresses the activity’s overarching hypothesis by examining what the spatial variation is in biogeochemical parameters across the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions. 

The graphic below summarizes key metrics of this sampling effort and presents upcoming milestones in the project timeline.