Spatially variable hydrologic impact and biomass production tradeoffs associated with Eucalyptus cultivation for biofuel production in Entre Rios, Argentina

Abstract. Climate change and energy security promotes using renewable sources of energy such as biofuels. High woody biomass production achieved from short rotation intensive plantations is an appealing strategy that is growing in many parts of the world. However, broad expansion of bioenergy feedstock production may have significant environmental consequences. This study investigates the watershed-scale hydrological impacts of eucalyptus plantations for energy production in a humid subtropical watershed in Entre Rios province, Argentina. A Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was calibrated and validated for streamflow, leaf area index (LAI), and biomass production cycles. The model was used to simulate various eucalyptus plantation scenarios that followed physically-based rules for land use conversion (in various sizes and locations in the watershed) to study hydrological effects, biomass production and the green water footprint of energy production. SWAT simulations indicated that the most limiting factor for plant growth was shallow soils causing seasonal water stress. This resulted in a wide range of biomass productivity throughout the watershed. An optimization algorithm was developed to find the best location for eucalyptus development regarding highest productivity with least water impact. Eucalyptus plantations had higher evapotranspiration rates among terrestrial land cover classes; therefore, intensive land use conversion to eucalyptus caused a decline in streamflow, with February, January and March being the most affected months. October was the least-affected month hydrologically, since high rainfall rates overcame the canopy interception and higher ET rates of eucalyptus in this month. Results indicate that, on average, producing 1 kg of biomass in this region uses 0.8 m3 of water, and the green water footprint of producing 1 m3 fuel is approximately 2150 m3 water, or 57 m3 water per GJ of energy, which is lower than reported values for wood-based ethanol, sugar cane ethanol and soybean biodiesel.

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Spatial and Temporal Variability in Hydrological Responses of the Upper Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia

Water ◽

10.3390/w11010021 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 21 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tatenda Lemann ◽

Vincent Roth ◽

Gete Zeleke ◽

Alemtsehay Subhatu ◽

Tibebu Kassawmar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Green Water ◽

Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽

Climate Change Scenarios ◽

Nile Basin ◽

Blue Nile ◽

Hydrological Responses ◽

Blue Nile Basin ◽

Shallow Soils ◽

Upper Blue Nile Basin

To assess the spatial and temporal availability of blue and green water for up- and downstream stakeholders, the hydrological responses of the upper Blue Nile basin in the Ethiopian Highlands was modelled and analysed with newly generated input data, such as soil and land use maps. To consider variations in the seasonal climate, topography, soil, land use, and land management, the upper Blue Nile basin was modelled in seven major sub-basins. The modelling showed significant spatial and temporal differences in the hydrological responses of different sub-basins and years. The long-term mean annual drainage ratios of the watersheds range from <0.1 to >0.65, and the annual drainage ratio of one sub-basin can vary from 0.22 to 0.49. Steep slopes, shallow soils, and cultivated areas increase the drainage ratios due to high surface runoff, low soil moisture content, and a smaller share of evapotranspiration. Various climate change scenarios predict more precipitation, and land use change scenarios foresee a higher share of cultivated areas due to population growth. In view of these trends, results from our study suggest that drainage ratios will increase and more available blue water can be expected for downstream stakeholders.

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comments on “Spatially variable hydrologic impact and biomass production tradeoffs associated with Eucalyptus cultivation for biofuel production in Entre Rios, Argentina”

10.5194/hess-2019-274-rc1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Anonymous

Keyword(s):

Biomass Production ◽

Biofuel Production ◽

Hydrologic Impact ◽

Entre Rios

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Long-term variability of root production in bioenergy crops from ingrowth core measurements

Journal of Plant Ecology ◽

10.1093/jpe/rtab018 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Cheyenne Lei ◽

Michael Abraha ◽

Jiquan Chen ◽

Yahn-Jauh Su

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Biomass Production ◽

Root Biomass ◽

Biomass Productivity ◽

Biomass Accumulation ◽

Biofuel Production ◽

Growing Season Length ◽

Ingrowth Core ◽

Biofuel Crops

Abstract Aims Long-term determination of root biomass production upon land use conversion to biofuel crops is rare. To assess land-use legacy influences on belowground biomass accumulation, we converted 22-year-old Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands and 50+-year-old agricultural (AGR) lands to corn (C), switchgrass (Sw) and restored prairie (Pr) biofuel crops. We maintained one CRP grassland as a reference (Ref). We hypothesized that land use history and crop type have significant effects on root density, with perennial crops on CRP grasslands having a higher root biomass productivity, while corn grown on former agricultural lands produce the lowest root biomass. Methods The ingrowth core method was used to determine in situ ingrowth root biomass, alongside measurements of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP). Ancillary measurements, including air temperature, growing season length, and precipitation were used to examine their influences on root biomass production. Important Findings Root biomass productivity was the highest in unconverted CRP grassland (1716 g m -2 yr -1), and lowest in corn fields (526 g m -2 yr -1). All perennial sites converted from CRP and AGR lands had lower root biomass and ANPP in the first year of planting but peaked in 2011 for switchgrass and a year later for restored prairies. Ecosystem stability was higher in restored prairies (AGR-Pr: 4.3 ± 0.11; CRP-Pr: 4.1 ± 0.10), with all monocultures exhibiting a lower stability. Root biomass production was positively related to ANPP (R 2 = 0.40). Overall, attention should be given to root biomass accumulation in large-scale biofuel production as it is a major source of carbon sequestration.

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Spatially variable hydrologic impact and biomass production tradeoffs associated with Eucalyptus (E. grandis ) cultivation for biofuel production in Entre Rios, Argentina

GCB Bioenergy ◽

10.1111/gcbb.12815 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Azad Heidari ◽

David Watkins ◽

Alex Mayer ◽

Tamara Propato ◽

Santiago Verón ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biomass Production ◽

Biofuel Production ◽

Hydrologic Impact ◽

Entre Rios

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Supplementary material to "Spatially variable hydrologic impact and biomass production tradeoffs associated with Eucalyptus cultivation for biofuel production in Entre Rios, Argentina"

10.5194/hess-2019-274-supplement ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Azad Heidari ◽

David Watkins Jr. ◽

Alex Mayer ◽

Tamara Propato ◽

Santiago Verón ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biomass Production ◽

Biofuel Production ◽

Supplementary Material ◽

Hydrologic Impact ◽

Entre Rios

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Land-Use Change Impacts from Sustainable Hydropower Production in EU28 Region: An Empirical Analysis

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13094599 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 4599

Author(s):

Mohd Alsaleh ◽

Muhammad Mansur Abdulwakil ◽

Abdul Samad Abdul-Rahim

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Land Use ◽

European Union ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Energy Production ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Ordinary Least Squares ◽

The European Union ◽

Hydropower Production

Under the current European Union (EU) constitution approved in May 2018, EU countries ought to guarantee that estimated greenhouse-gas releases from land use, land-use change, or forestry are entirely compensated by an equivalent accounted removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air during the period between 2021 and 2030. This study investigates the effect of sustainable hydropower production on land-use change in the European Union (EU28) region countries during 1990–2018, using the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS). The results revealed that land-use change incline with an increase in hydropower energy production. In addition, economic growth, carbon dioxide emissions, and population density are found to be increasing land-use changes, while institutional quality is found to be decreasing land-use change significantly. The finding implies that land-use change in EU28 region countries can be significantly increased by mounting the amount of hydropower energy production to achieve Energy Union aims by 2030. This will finally be spread to combat climate change and environmental pollution. The findings are considered robust as they were checked with DOLS and pooled OLS. The research suggests that the EU28 countries pay attention to the share of hydropower in their renewable energy combination to minimize carbon releases. Politicians and investors in the EU28 region ought to invest further in the efficiency and sustainability of hydropower generation to increase its production and accessibility without further degradation of forest and agricultural conditions. The authorities of the EU28 region should emphasize on efficiency and sustainability of hydropower energy with land-use management to achieve the international commitments for climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development, reduce dependence on fossil fuel, and energy insecurity.

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A research framework for projecting ecosystem change in highly diverse tropical mountain ecosystems

Oecologia ◽

10.1007/s00442-021-04852-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jörg Bendix ◽

Nicolay Aguire ◽

Erwin Beck ◽

Achim Bräuning ◽

Roland Brandl ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Functional Traits ◽

Biomass Production ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Ecosystem Change ◽

Mountain Ecosystems ◽

Abiotic Conditions ◽

Research Framework ◽

Tropical Mountain

AbstractTropical mountain ecosystems are threatened by climate and land-use changes. Their diversity and complexity make projections how they respond to environmental changes challenging. A suitable way are trait-based approaches, by distinguishing between response traits that determine the resistance of species to environmental changes and effect traits that are relevant for species' interactions, biotic processes, and ecosystem functions. The combination of those approaches with land surface models (LSM) linking the functional community composition to ecosystem functions provides new ways to project the response of ecosystems to environmental changes. With the interdisciplinary project RESPECT, we propose a research framework that uses a trait-based response-effect-framework (REF) to quantify relationships between abiotic conditions, the diversity of functional traits in communities, and associated biotic processes, informing a biodiversity-LSM. We apply the framework to a megadiverse tropical mountain forest. We use a plot design along an elevation and a land-use gradient to collect data on abiotic drivers, functional traits, and biotic processes. We integrate these data to build the biodiversity-LSM and illustrate how to test the model. REF results show that aboveground biomass production is not directly related to changing climatic conditions, but indirectly through associated changes in functional traits. Herbivory is directly related to changing abiotic conditions. The biodiversity-LSM informed by local functional trait and soil data improved the simulation of biomass production substantially. We conclude that local data, also derived from previous projects (platform Ecuador), are key elements of the research framework. We specify essential datasets to apply this framework to other mountain ecosystems.

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