scholarly journals Effects of Rainfall Manipulation on Ecosystem Respiration and Soil Respiration in an Alpine Steppe in Northern Tibet Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueqin Li ◽  
Yan Yan ◽  
Lijiao Fu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Northern Tibet ◽  
Alpine Steppe

The response mechanism of ecosystem respiration (Re) and soil respiration (Rs) to different water conditions is of great significance for understanding the carbon cycle under future changes in the precipitation patterns. We used seven precipitation treatments to investigate the effects of precipitation on Re and Rs on a typical alpine steppe in Northern Tibet. Precipitation was captured and relocated to simulate the precipitation rates of −25, −50, −75, 0 (CK), +25, +50, and +75%. The soil moisture was influenced by all the precipitation treatments. There was a positive linear relationship between the soil moisture and Re, Rs in the study area during the experiment (July–October). Soil volumetric water content (VWC), absolute water content (AWC), soil temperature (ST), aboveground biomass (AGB), bulk density, soil total nitrogen (TN), and alkaline hydrolysis nitrogen (AHN) were the predictors of Re and Rs. The multiple linear regression analysis showed that ST and AWC could explain 90.6% of Rs, and ST, AWC, and AHN could explain 89.4% of Re. Ecosystem respiration was more sensitive to the increased precipitation (+29.5%) whereas Rs was more sensitive to the decreased precipitation (−23.8%). An appropriate increase in water (+25 and +50%) could improve the Re and Rs, but a greater increase (+75%) would not have a significant effect; it could have an effect even lower than those of the first two. Our study highlights the importance of increased precipitation and the disadvantage of decreased precipitation on Re and Rs in an arid region. The precipitation changes will lead to significant changes in the soil properties and AGB, and affect Re and Rs, to change the climate of the alpine steppe in Northern Tibet in the future. These findings contribute to our understanding of the regional patterns of environmental C exchange and soil C flux under the climate change scenarios and highlight the importance of water availability to the regulating ecosystem processes in semi-arid steppe ecosystems. In view of these findings, we urge future researchers to focus on manipulating the precipitation over longer time scales, seasonality, and incorporating more environmental factors to improve our ability to predict and model Re and Rs and feedback from climate change.

scholarly journals Effects of soil water content on carbon sink strength in an alpine swamp meadow of the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junqi Wei ◽  
Xiaoyan Li ◽  
Lei Liu ◽  
Torben Røjle Christensen ◽  
Zhiyun Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Saturated Soil ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Sink Strength ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Abstract. Predicted intensified climate warming will likely alter the ecosystem net carbon (C) uptake of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Variations in C sink/source responses to climate warming have been linked to water availability; however, the mechanisms by which net C uptake responds to soil water content in water-saturated swamp meadow ecosystems remain unclear. To explore how soil moisture and other environmental drivers modulate net C uptake in the QTP, field measurements were conducted using the eddy covariance technique in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018. The alpine swamp meadow presented in this study was a consistent and strong C sink of CO2 (−168.0 ± −62.5 gC m−2 y−1, average ± standard deviation) across the entire 4-year study period. A random forest machine-learning analysis suggests that the diurnal, seasonal, and annual variations of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and gross primary productivity (GPP) were controlled by temperature and solar radiation. Ecosystem respiration (Re), however, was found mainly regulated by the variability of soil water content (SWC) at different temporal aggregations followed by temperature, the second contributing driver. We further explored how Re is controlled by nearly saturated soil moisture and temperature comparing two different periods featuring identical temperatures and significantly differences on SWC and vice versa. Our data suggest that, despite the relatively abundant water supply, periods with a substantial decrease of SWC or increase of temperature produced higher Re lowering the C sink strength. Our results reveal that nearly saturated soil conditions during the warm seasons can help to maintain lower ecosystem respiration rates and thus enhance the overall C sequestration capacity in this alpine swamp meadow. We argue that changes in soil hydrological conditions induced by a warming climate near permafrost (or seasonal frozen layers) may affect the C sink magnitude of wet and cold ecosystems through changes in soil hydrology and the subsequent effect on respiration losses.

scholarly journals Spatial and Temporal Differences in Alpine Meadow, Alpine Steppe and All Vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Their Responses to Climate Change

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 669
Author(s):  
Hanchen Duan ◽  
Xian Xue ◽  
Tao Wang ◽  
Wenping Kang ◽  
Jie Liao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Alpine Steppe ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau ◽  
Variation Trends

Alpine meadow and alpine steppe are the two most widely distributed nonzonal vegetation types in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In the context of global climate change, the differences in spatial-temporal variation trends and their responses to climate change are discussed. It is of great significance to reveal the response of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to global climate change and the construction of ecological security barriers. This study takes alpine meadow, alpine steppe and the overall vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as the research objects. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data and meteorological data were used as the data sources between 2000 and 2018. By using the mean value method, threshold method, trend analysis method and correlation analysis method, the spatial and temporal variation trends in the alpine meadow, alpine steppe and the overall vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were compared and analyzed, and their differences in the responses to climate change were discussed. The results showed the following: (1) The growing season length of alpine meadow was 145~289 d, while that of alpine steppe and the overall vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was 161~273 d, and their growing season lengths were significantly shorter than that of alpine meadow. (2) The annual variation trends of the growing season NDVI for the alpine meadow, alpine steppe and the overall vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau increased obviously, but their fluctuation range and change rate were significantly different. (3) The overall vegetation improvement in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was primarily dominated by alpine steppe and alpine meadow, while the degradation was primarily dominated by alpine meadow. (4) The responses between the growing season NDVI and climatic factors in the alpine meadow, alpine steppe and the overall vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau had great spatial heterogeneity in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. These findings provide evidence towards understanding the characteristics of the different vegetation types in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and their spatial differences in response to climate change.

scholarly journals Historical climate controls soil respiration responses to current soil moisture

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (24) ◽  
pp. 6322-6327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine V. Hawkes ◽  
Bonnie G. Waring ◽  
Jennifer D. Rocca ◽  
Stephanie N. Kivlin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Carbon Cycling ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Microbial Respiration ◽  
Rainfall Gradient ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Historical Climate ◽  
Moisture Dependence

Ecosystem carbon losses from soil microbial respiration are a key component of global carbon cycling, resulting in the transfer of 40–70 Pg carbon from soil to the atmosphere each year. Because these microbial processes can feed back to climate change, understanding respiration responses to environmental factors is necessary for improved projections. We focus on respiration responses to soil moisture, which remain unresolved in ecosystem models. A common assumption of large-scale models is that soil microorganisms respond to moisture in the same way, regardless of location or climate. Here, we show that soil respiration is constrained by historical climate. We find that historical rainfall controls both the moisture dependence and sensitivity of respiration. Moisture sensitivity, defined as the slope of respiration vs. moisture, increased fourfold across a 480-mm rainfall gradient, resulting in twofold greater carbon loss on average in historically wetter soils compared with historically drier soils. The respiration–moisture relationship was resistant to environmental change in field common gardens and field rainfall manipulations, supporting a persistent effect of historical climate on microbial respiration. Based on these results, predicting future carbon cycling with climate change will require an understanding of the spatial variation and temporal lags in microbial responses created by historical rainfall.

Assess 21st century Flash Drought in the United States using high resolution regional climate models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandi Gamelin ◽  
Jiali Wang ◽  
V. Rao Kotamarthi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
Groundwater Levels

<p>Flash droughts are the rapid intensification of drought conditions generally associated with increased temperatures and decreased precipitation on short time scales.  Consequently, flash droughts are responsible for reduced soil moisture which contributes to diminished agricultural yields and lower groundwater levels. Drought management, especially flash drought in the United States is vital to address the human and economic impact of crop loss, diminished water resources and increased wildfire risk. In previous research, climate change scenarios show increased growing season (i.e. frost-free days) and drying in soil moisture over most of the United States by 2100. Understanding projected flash drought is important to assess regional variability, frequency and intensity of flash droughts under future climate change scenarios. Data for this work was produced with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Initial and boundary conditions for the model were supplied by CCSM4, GFDL-ESM2G, and HadGEM2-ES and based on the 8.5 Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP8.5). The WRF model was downscaled to a 12 km spatial resolution for three climate time frames: 1995-2004 (Historical), 2045-2054 (Mid), and 2085-2094 (Late).  A key characteristic of flash drought is the rapid onset and intensification of dry conditions. For this, we identify onset with vapor pressure deficit during each time frame. Known flash drought cases during the Historical run are identified and compared to flash droughts in the Mid and Late 21<sup>st</sup> century.</p>

scholarly journals Significance of soil respiration from biological activity in the degradation processes of different types of organic matter

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-179
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Temperature Sensitivity ◽  
Soil Co2 Efflux ◽  
Co2 Efflux ◽  
Soil Co2 ◽  
Total Soil

Soil respiration is a major component of global carbon cycle. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the environmental controls on soil respiration for evaluating potential response of ecosystems to climate change. In a temperate deciduous forest (located in Northern-Hungary) we added or removed aboveground and belowground litter to determine total soil respiration. We investigated the relationship between total soil CO2 efflux, soil moisture, and soil temperature. Soil CO2 efflux was measured at each plot using soda-lime method. Temperature sensitivity of soil respiration (Q10) was monitored via measuring soil temperature on an hourly basis, while soil moisture was determined monthly. Soil respiration increased in control plots from the second year after implementing the treatment, but results showed fluctuations from one year to another. The effect of doubled litter was less significant than the effect of removal. Removed litter and root inputs caused substantial decrease in soil respiration. We found that temperature was more influential in the control of soil respiration than soil moisture. In plots with no litter Q10 varied in the largest interval. For treatment with doubled litter layer, temperature sensitivity of CO2 efflux did not change considerably. The effect of increasing soil temperature is more conspicuous to soil respiration in litter removal treatments since lack of litter causes greater irradiation. When exclusively leaf litter was considered, the effect of temperature on soil respiration was lower in treatments with added litter than with removed litter. Our results reveal that soil life is impacted by the absence of organic matter, rather than by an excess of organic matter. Results of CO2 emission from soils with different organic matter content can contribute to sustainable land use, considering the changed climatic factors caused by global climate change.

Mismatch between the optimal ages for ecosystem productivity and net CO2 sequestration in Norway spruce forests

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junbin Zhao ◽  
Holger Lange ◽  
Helge Meissner
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Norway Spruce ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Gross Primary Production ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Sink Strength ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Ecosystem Productivity ◽  
Spruce Forests

<p>Forests have climate change mitigation potential since they sequester carbon. However, their carbon sink strength might depend on management. As a result of the balance between CO<sub>2</sub> uptake and emission, forest net ecosystem exchange (NEE) reaches optimal values (maximum sink strength) at young stand ages, followed by a gradual NEE decline over many years. Traditionally, this peak of NEE is believed to be concurrent with the peak of primary production (e.g., gross primary production, GPP); however, in theory, this concurrence may potentially vary depending on tree species, site conditions and the patterns of ecosystem respiration (R<sub>eco</sub>). In this study, we used eddy-covariance (EC)-based CO<sub>2</sub> flux measurements from 8 forest sites that are dominated by Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) and built machine learning models to find the optimal age of ecosystem productivity and that of CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration. We found that the net CO<sub>2</sub> uptake of Norway spruce forests peaked at ages of 30-40 yrs. Surprisingly, this NEE peak did not overlap with the peak of GPP, which appeared later at ages of 60-90 yrs. The mismatch between NEE and GPP was a result of the R<sub>eco</sub> increase that lagged behind the GPP increase associated with the tree growth at early age. Moreover, we also found that newly planted Norway spruce stands had a high probability (up to 90%) of being a C source in the first year, while, at an age as young as 5 yrs, they were likely to be a sink already. Further, using common climate change scenarios, our model results suggest that net CO<sub>2</sub> uptake of Norway spruce forests will increase under the future climate with young stands in the high latitude areas being more beneficial. Overall, the results suggest that forest management practices should consider NEE and forest productivity separately and harvests should be performed only after the optimal ages of both the CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration and productivity to gain full ecological and economic benefits.</p>

scholarly journals Soil moisture regimes in Mexico in a global 1.5°C warming scenario

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesus David Gomez Diaz ◽  
Alejandro I. Monterroso ◽  
Patricia Ruiz ◽  
Lizeth M. Lechuga ◽  
Ana Cecilia Conde Álvarez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Moisture Regime ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Warming Scenario ◽  
Moisture Regimes ◽  
Gfdl Model

Purpose This study aims to present the climate change effect on soil moisture regimes in Mexico in a global 1.5°C warming scenario. Design/methodology/approach The soil moisture regimes were determined using the Newhall simulation model with the database of mean monthly precipitation and temperature at a scale of 1: 250,000 for the current scenario and with the climate change scenarios associated with a mean global temperature increase of 1.5°C, considering two Representative Concentration Pathways, 4.5 and 8.5 W/m2 and three general models of atmospheric circulation, namely, GFDL, HADGEM and MPI. The different vegetation types of the country were related to the soil moisture regimes for current conditions and for climate change. Findings According to the HADGEM and MPI models, almost the entire country is predicted to undergo a considerable increase in soil moisture deficit, and part of the areas of each moisture regime will shift to the next drier regime. The GFDL model also predicts this trend but at smaller proportions. Originality/value The changes in soil moisture at the regional scale that reveal the impacts of climate change and indicate where these changes will occur are important elements of the knowledge concerning the vulnerability of soils to climate change. New cartography is available in Mexico.

scholarly journals Permafrost Soil Moisture Monitoring Using Multi-Temporal TerraSAR-X Data in Beiluhe of Northern Tibet, China

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Wang ◽  
Zhengjia Zhang ◽  
Simonetta Paloscia ◽  
Hong Zhang ◽  
Fan Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Permafrost Soil ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Backscattering Coefficient ◽  
Sar Images ◽  
Northern Tibet ◽  
Variation Patterns

Global change has significant impact on permafrost region in the Tibet Plateau. Soil moisture (SM) of permafrost is one of the most important factors influencing the energy flux, ecosystem, and hydrologic process. The objectives of this paper are to retrieve the permafrost SM using time-series SAR images, without the need of auxiliary survey data, and reveal its variation patterns. After analyzing the characteristics of time-series radar backscattering coefficients of different landcover types, a two-component SM retrieval model is proposed. For the alpine meadow area, a linear retrieving model is proposed using the TerraSAR-X time-series images based on the assumption that the lowest backscattering coefficient is measured when the soil moisture is at its wilting point and the highest backscattering coefficient represents the water-saturated soil state. For the alpine desert area, the surface roughness contribution is eliminated using the dual SAR images acquired in the winter season with different incidence angles when retrieving soil moisture from the radar signal. Before the model implementation, landcover types are classified based on their backscattering features. 22 TerraSAR-X images are used to derive the soil moisture in Beiluhe, Northern Tibet with different incidence angles. The results obtained from the proposed method have been validated using in-situ soil moisture measurements, thus obtaining RMSE and Bias of 0.062 cm3/cm3 and 4.7%, respectively. The retrieved time-series SM maps of the study area point out the spatial and temporal SM variation patterns of various landcover types.

scholarly journals Terrestrial ecosystems response to future changes in climate and atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentration

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 3581-3614 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. K. Arora ◽  
G. J. Boer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Terrestrial Carbon ◽  
Simulated Precipitation ◽  
Atmospheric Carbon ◽  
Amazonian Region

Abstract. The response of the terrestrial carbon cycle to future changes in climate and atmospheric CO2 is assessed by analyzing simulations, for the 2006–2100 period, made with the second generation Canadian Earth system model (CanESM2) for the RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 climate change scenarios. Our interest is in the extent to which global terrestrial carbon pools and sinks, in particular those of the Amazonian region, are vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. CanESM2 results indicate that land remains an overall sink of atmospheric carbon for the 2006–2100 period. The net carbon uptake by land in response to changes in climate and atmospheric CO2 is close to 20, 80 and 140 Pg C for the RCP 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios, respectively. The latitudinal structure of future atmosphere–land CO2 flux remains similar to that observed for the historical period with northern mid- to high-latitude regions gaining carbon from the atmosphere while the tropics remain either carbon neutral or a modest source of atmospheric carbon depending on scenario. These changes occur in conjunction with simulated precipitation and soil moisture increases over northern mid- and high-latitude land regions and precipitation and soil moisture decreases over the South American continent in all scenarios. Compared to other regions of the globe, which are either carbon sinks or near neutral, the Amazonian region is simulated to be a net source of carbon during the 21st century. Moreover, and unexpectedly, the rate of carbon loss to the atmosphere from the Amazonian region is largely independent of the differences between the three scenarios considered.

scholarly journals Projeções Climáticas das Alterações da Quantidade de Água no Solo Disponível para o Cultivo de Soja (Climate Projections of Quality Changes in Water Available on the Ground for Cultivation of Soybeans)

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 807
Author(s):  
Luciana Da Silva Mieres ◽  
Claudinéia Brazil Saldanha ◽  
Arthur Da Fontoura Tschiedel ◽  
Rogério De Lima Saldanha ◽  
Maria Angélica Gonçalves Cardoso
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Agricultural Productivity ◽  
Rio Grande ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Quality Changes ◽  
Rio Grande Do Sul ◽  
International Panel ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

As alterações climáticas estão associadas a graves impactos na agricultura uma vez que o crescimento e o desenvolvimento das culturas dependem diretamente do clima e das interações solo-atmosfera. A umidade do solo é uma informação fundamental no planejamento agrícola, subsidiando a definição das datas de plantio, necessidades de irrigação e produtividades agrícolas. O presente estudo objetivou avaliar os impactos das mudanças climáticas na umidade do solo para uma região de cultura de soja do estado do Rio Grande do Sul através dos cenários estabelecidos pelo IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change). Os resultados indicaram uma tendência ao aumento da precipitação, favorecendo o aumento da taxa de umidade do solo na região do médio alto Uruguai. Em síntese, o fator de umidade do solo apresentou condições favoráveis ao desenvolvimento vegetal e pelos resultados apresentados, verifica-se que o modelo de previsão de umidade do solo, analisado em conjunto com os cenários do IPCC, são importantes ferramentas para os estudos dos impactos das mudanças climáticas na produtividade agrícola. Palavras chaves: mudanças climáticas, soja, umidade do solo.   Climate Projections of Quality Changes in Water Available on the Ground for Cultivation of Soybeans   ABSTRACT Climate change is associated with serious impacts on agriculture since the crop growth and development depend directly on the climate and soil-atmosphere interactions. Soil moisture is fundamental information in agricultural planning, helping to define the dates of planting, irrigation needs, and agricultural productivity. In this study was evaluated the impacts of climate change in moisture soil to a region of the soybean crop in the state of Rio Grande do Sul using the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) scenarios set. The results indicated a tendency to increased rainfall, favoring an increase in the rate of soil moisture in the region of the middle upper Uruguay. The factor of soil moisture showed favorable conditions for plant development and the results presented showed that prediction model of soil moisture analyzed in conjunction with the IPCC scenarios are important tools for studies of the impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity. Keywords: Climate change, soybean, soil moisture.

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