13 research outputs found
The handbook for standardized field and laboratory measurements in terrestrial climate change experiments and observational studies (ClimEx)
1. Climate change is a worldâwide threat to biodiversity and ecosystem structure, functioning and services. To understand the underlying drivers and mechanisms, and to predict the consequences for nature and people, we urgently need better understanding of the direction and magnitude of climate change impacts across the soilâplantâatmosphere continuum. An increasing number of climate change studies are creating new opportunities for meaningful and highâquality generalizations and improved process understanding. However, significant challenges exist related to data availability and/or compatibility across studies, compromising opportunities for data reâuse, synthesis and upscaling. Many of these challenges relate to a lack of an established âbest practiceâ for measuring key impacts and responses. This restrains our current understanding of complex processes and mechanisms in terrestrial ecosystems related to climate change.
2. To overcome these challenges, we collected bestâpractice methods emerging from major ecological research networks and experiments, as synthesized by 115 experts from across a wide range of scientific disciplines. Our handbook contains guidance on the selection of response variables for different purposes, protocols for standardized measurements of 66 such response variables and advice on data management. Specifically, we recommend a minimum subset of variables that should be collected in all climate change studies to allow data reâuse and synthesis, and give guidance on additional variables critical for different types of synthesis and upscaling. The goal of this community effort is to facilitate awareness of the importance and broader application of standardized methods to promote data reâuse, availability, compatibility and transparency. We envision improved research practices that will increase returns on investments in individual research projects, facilitate secondâorder research outputs and create opportunities for collaboration across scientific communities. Ultimately, this should significantly improve the quality and impact of the science, which is required to fulfil society's needs in a changing world
Winters are changing: snow effects on Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems
Snow is an important driver of ecosystem processes in cold biomes. Snow accumulation determines ground temperature, light conditions and moisture availability during winter. It also affects the growing seasonâs start and end, and plant access to moisture and nutrients. Here, we review the current knowledge of the snow coverâs role for vegetation, plant-animal interactions, permafrost conditions, microbial processes and biogeochemical cycling. We also compare studies of natural snow gradients with snow manipulation studies, altering snow depth and duration, to assess time scale difference of these approaches. The number of studies on snow in tundra ecosystems has increased considerably in recent years, yet we still lack a comprehensive overview of how altered snow conditions will affect these ecosystems. In specific, we found a mismatch in the timing of snowmelt when comparing studies of natural snow gradients with snow manipulations. We found that snowmelt timing achieved by manipulative studies (average 7.9 days advance, 5.5 days delay) were substantially lower than those observed over spatial gradients (mean range of 56 days) or due to interannual variation (mean range of 32 days). Differences between snow study approaches need to be accounted for when projecting snow dynamics and their impact on ecosystems in future climates
Winters are changing: snow effects on Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems
Snow is an important driver of ecosystem processes in cold biomes. Snow accumulation determines ground temperature, light conditions and moisture availability during winter. It also affects the growing seasonâs start and end, and plant access to moisture and nutrients. Here, we review the current knowledge of the snow coverâs role for vegetation, plant-animal interactions, permafrost conditions, microbial processes and biogeochemical cycling. We also compare studies of natural snow gradients with snow manipulation studies, altering snow depth and duration, to assess time scale difference of these approaches. The number of studies on snow in tundra ecosystems has increased considerably in recent years, yet we still lack a comprehensive overview of how altered snow conditions will affect these ecosystems. In specific, we found a mismatch in the timing of snowmelt when comparing studies of natural snow gradients with snow manipulations. We found that snowmelt timing achieved by manipulative studies (average 7.9 days advance, 5.5 days delay) were substantially lower than those observed over spatial gradients (mean range of 56 days) or due to interannual variation (mean range of 32 days). Differences between snow study approaches need to be accounted for when projecting snow dynamics and their impact on ecosystems in future climates