Report of the CRN-I Program

The CRN program, initiated in 1999 with an initial investment of US$10 million, established 14 international research networks to investigate global environmental change in the Americas. The program successfully leveraged over US$20 million in supplemental funding by June 2004 and supported 429 students. Key scientific outputs include research on soil degradation in Brazil and Argentina, dendrochronological reconstructions of climate variability, the drivers of deforestation in the Amazon, and the impacts of UV-B radiation and ENSO on ecosystems and human health. The program emphasized capacity building through the training of graduate students and the creation of regional data portals and research stations.

• The CRN program achieved significant financial leverage, with supplemental and parallel funds exceeding US$20 million as of June 2004, sourced primarily from national science and technology organizations in IAI member countries and international entities like the European Union, World Bank, and UNDP.
• Research in northeastern Brazil revealed severe topsoil erosion rates, with losses estimated at 220 kg soil m-2 from shoulder slopes and 268 kg soil m-2 from back slopes, equivalent to 20-cm and 24-cm layers respectively. The study found that organic matter levels are poor indicators of degradation in these regions because rapid carbon turnover obscures the effects of erosion.
• In the La Pampa province, soil carbon turnover half-lives were measured at only 10 to 12 years, significantly lower than the 50 to 100+ years found in North American temperate grasslands, indicating a high susceptibility to land degradation.
• Dendrochronological research established strong temperature linkages between Patagonia and Alaska, and identified inverse relationships with coral records from the Central Pacific. The project also produced the first streamflow reconstructions for Mexico and Chile.
• Analysis of cattle ranching in Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru found that while deforestation is a common outcome across all research sites, the specific drivers vary based on the type of producer, market structures, and internal household characteristics.
• Experiments in the Patagonian steppe showed a positive correlation between species richness and net primary productivity, with the relationship being more pronounced in intact ecosystems due to positive species interactions such as facilitation.
• The study of ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) disaster risk management in Latin America concluded that social vulnerability and the capacity for adaptation are more critical determinants of loss and damage than the physical climatic hazards themselves.
• The Andean Amazon Rivers Analysis and Management (AARAM) project found that while river ecosystems generally maintain high water quality, significant threats exist from raw sewage discharge in towns and poor land management in agricultural areas.
• Research on climate variability in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean identified the 'Mid Summer Drought' (MSD) as a relative minimum in precipitation during July and August, linked to atmospheric circulations over the Caribbean Sea and the Caribbean Low Level Jet.
• The program significantly expanded scientific capacity in the Americas, supporting 429 students (161 undergraduate, 128 Master’s, and 140 doctoral) across various projects.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2005). Report of the CRN-I Program. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/8_CRN_I.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Report of the CRN-I Program. 2005. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/8_CRN_I.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Report of the CRN-I Program |date=15 April 2005 |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/8_CRN_I.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2005report, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Report of the CRN-I Program}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2005}, month = apr, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/8_CRN_I.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }