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CORVALLIS - Beverly Law, an associate professor of forest science at Oregon State University, has received the Norbert-Gerbier Mumm International Award from the World Meteorological Organization for a professional publication related to her research on the global carbon cycle.

Law was the senior author, along with a group of professional colleagues, on a paper titled "Environmental Controls over Carbon Dioxide and Water Vapor Exchange of Terrestrial Vegetation." The paper was recognized as the most outstanding original publication of the year on the influence of meteorology on the physical, natural or human sciences.

Law will travel to Geneva, Switzerland to accept the award next year, which includes a medal and cash honorarium.

At OSU, Law is an expert on eco-physiology and ecosystem processes, including carbon and water cycling, influences of climate and disturbances on carbon dioxide and water vapor exchange, and other topics.

She is also chair of the AmeriFlux network of more than 120 research sites in the Americas -ranging from arctic tundra to grasslands and tropical forests - that explore the sensitivity of natural and managed ecosystems to climate and other global changes, and how the sensitive systems will be affected by climate variability and changes in the future.

Research in these fields helps to understand the influence of climate and other variables on ecosystem processes, develop remote sensing technologies and modeling capabilities at regional to global scales, map ecosystem productivity, and ultimately provide some of the scientific foundation for policy and mitigation actions related to global climate change.