Climate change predicted to cause severe increase of organic carbon in lakes

Riverine transport of organic carbon (OC) to the ocean is a significant component in the global carbon (C) cycle and the concentration of total organic carbon (TOC) in rivers and lakes is vital for ecosystem properties and water quality for human use. By use of a large dataset comprising chemical variables and detailed catchment information in ～1000 Norwegian pristine lakes covering a wide climatic range, we were able to predict TOC concentrations with high accuracy. We further predict, using a ‘space‐for‐time’ approach and a downscaled, moderate, climate change scenario, that northern, boreal regions likely will experience strong increases in OC export from catchments to surface waters. Median concentrations of OC in these lakes will increase by 65%, from the current median of 2.0–3.3 mg C L^?1. This is a long‐term effect, primarily mediated by increased terrestrial vegetation cover in response to climate change. This increase OC will have severe impacts on food‐webs, productivity and human use. Given the robustness of the estimates and the general applicability of the parameters, we suggest that these findings would be relevant to boreal areas in general.     

我国不同季节陆地植被NPP对气候变化的响应

阐明不同季节陆地植被净第一性生产力(NPP)对全球变化的响应将有助于理解陆地生态系统和气候系统之间的相互作用以及NPP变化机制.本文使用1982～1999年间的AVHRR/NDVI、气温、降水以及太阳辐射等资料,结合植被分布图和土壤质地图,利用生态过程模型,研究不同季节我国陆地植被NPP的年际变化及其地理分异.结果表明,在1982～1999年的18年间,4个季节的NPP都呈显著增加趋势.其中,春季是NPP增加速率最快的季节,夏季是NPP增加量最大的季节.不同植被类型对全球变化的响应有很大差异.常绿阔叶林、常绿针叶林和落叶针叶林NPP的增加主要由生长季节的提前所致,而落叶阔叶林、针阔混交林、矮林灌丛、温带草原及草甸、稀树草原、高寒植被、荒漠以及人工植被NPP的增加主要来自生长季生长加速的贡献.从区域分布看,在四季中春季NPP增加量最大的地区主要集中在东部季风区域;夏季NPP增加量最大的地区包括西北干旱区域和青藏高原的大部分地区、小兴安岭-长白山区、三江平原、松辽平原、四川盆地、雷州半岛、长江中下游部分地区以及江南山地东部;而秋季植被NPP增加量最大的地区主要有云南高原-西藏东部和呼伦湖的周围等地区.不同植被和地理区域NPP的这些响应方式与区域气候特征及其变化趋势有关.     

我国不同季节陆地植被NPP对气候变化的响应

阐明不同季节陆地植被净第一性生产力（NPP）对全球变化的响应将有助于理解陆地生态系统和气候系统之间的相互作用以及NPP变化机制。本文使用1982－1999年间的AVHRR／NDVI、气温、降水以及太阳辐射等资料,结合植被分布图和土壤质地图,利用生态过程模型,研究不同季节我国陆地植被NPP的年际变化及其地理分异。结果表明,在1982－1999年的18年间,4个季节的NPP都呈显著增加趋势。其中,春季是NPP增加速率最快的季节,夏季是NPP增加量最大的季节,不同植被类型对全球变化的响应有很大差异。常绿阔叶林,常绿针叶林和落叶针叶林NPP的增加主要由生长季节的提前所致。而落叶阔叶林、针阔混交林、矮林灌丛,温带草原及草甸,稀树草原、高寒植被,荒漠以及人工植被NPP的增加主要来自生长季生长加速的贡献。从区域分布看,在四季中春季NPP增加量最大的地区主要集中在东部季风区域;夏季NPP增量最大的地区包括西北干旱区域和青藏高原的大部分地区,小兴安岭－长白山区,三江平原,松辽平原,四川盆地,雷州半岛,长江中下游部分地区以及江南山地东部;而秋季植被NPP增加量最大的地区主要有云南高原－西藏东部和呼伦湖的周围等地区。不同植被和地理区域NPP的这些响应方式与区域气候特征及其变化趋势有关。     

秦岭山地植被净初级生产力及对气候变化的响应

基于1999~2009年的NDVI数据和气象数据,利用CASA模型对秦岭山地植被净初级生产力（Net primary productivity,NPP）进行模拟估算,并分析了秦岭NPP的时空变化特征及其对气候变化的响应。结果表明：1999~2009年11年间秦岭山地的平均年NPP为542.24 gC·m^-2·a^-1;研究期内秦岭NPP呈显著增长趋势（P<0.01）,2008年最高（718.77 gC·m^-2·a^-1）,2001年最低（471.78 gC·m^-2·a^-1）;四季对全年NPP的贡献率大小依次为夏季（49.90%）>春季（26.16%）>秋季（18.87%）>冬季（5.07%）;月NPP与温度和降水都显著相关,但与温度的相关性更高,月水平上温度对NPP的影响比降水大;生长季期间NPP与温度和降水的相关性在空间分布上都以正相关为主。     

Agriculturally induced vegetation change, 1950–1975

Changes in worldwide grain production area are analyzed to assess the impact of major agricultural activity onglobal biomass. During the 26-year study period, nearly 1% of the earth's ice-free land surface was converted to grain production. This increase in agricultural area reduced the planetary biomass; however, it had minimal effect on net primary productivity. Geographically, the overall change caused by increased grain production has been to redistribute the planetary biomass poleward.     

Interannual Variability in Terrestrial Net Primary Production: Exploration of Trends and Controls on Regional to Global Scales

Climate and biophysical regulation of terrestrial plant production and interannual responses to anomalous events were investigated using the NASA Ames model version of CASA (Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach) in a transient simulation mode. This ecosystem model has been calibrated for simulations driven by satellite vegetation index data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) over the mid-1980s. Relatively large net source fluxes of carbon were estimated from terrestrial vegetation about 6 months to 1 year following El Niño events of 1983 and 1987, whereas the years 1984 and 1988 showed a drop in net primary production (NPP) of 1–2 Pg (10¹⁵ g) C from their respective previous years. Zonal discrimination of model results implies that the northern hemisphere low latitudes could account for almost the entire 2 Pg C decrease in global terrestrial NPP predicted from 1983 to 1984. Model estimates further suggest that from 1985 to 1988, the northern middle-latitude zone (between 30° and 60°N) was the principal region driving progressive increases in NPP, mainly by an expanded growing season moving toward the zonal latitude extremes. Comparative regional analysis of model controls on NPP reveals that although Normalized Difference Vegetation Index “greenness” can alone account for 30%–90% of the variation in NPP interannual anomalies, temperature or radiation loading can have a fairly significant 1-year lag effect on annual NPP at middle- to high-latitude zones, whereas rainfall amount and temperature drying effects may carry over with at least a 2-year lag time to influence NPP in semiarid tropical zones.     

Terrestrial carbon‐cycle feedback to climate warming: experimental evidence on plant regulation and impacts of biofuel feedstock harvest

Feedback between global carbon (C) cycles and climate change is one of the major uncertainties in projecting future global warming. Coupled carbon–climate models all demonstrated a positive feedback between terrestrial C cycle and climate warming. The positive feedback results from decreased net primary production (NPP) in most models and increased respiratory C release by all the models under climate warming. Those modeling results present interesting hypotheses of future states of ecosystems and climate, which are yet to be tested against experimental results. In this study, we examined ecosystem C balance and its major components in a warming and clipping experiment in a North America tallgrass prairie. Infrared heaters have been used to elevate soil temperature by approximately 2 °C continuously since November 1999. Clipping once a year was to mimic hay or biofuel feedstock harvest. On average of data over 6 years from 2000 to 2005, estimated NPP under warming increased by 14% without clipping (P<0.05) and 26% with clipping (P<0.05) in comparison with that under control. Warming did not result in instantaneous increases in soil respiration in 1999 and 2000 but significantly increased it by approximately 8% without clipping (P<0.05) from 2001 to 2005. Soil respiration under warming increased by 15% with clipping (P<0.05) from 2000 to 2005. Warming‐stimulated plant biomass production, due to enhanced C₄ dominance, extended growing seasons, and increased nitrogen uptake and use efficiency, offset increased soil respiration, leading to no change in soil C storage at our site. However, biofuel feedstock harvest by biomass removal resulted in significant soil C loss in the clipping and control plots but was carbon negative in the clipping and warming plots largely because of positive interactions of warming and clipping in stimulating root growth. Our results demonstrate that plant production processes play a critical role in regulation of ecosystem carbon‐cycle feedback to climate change in both the current ambient and future warmed world.     

中国西南部地区植被对极端气候事件的响应

在全球气候变化背景下, 极端气候事件频发。中国西南部地区植被对于气候变化及极端气候事件的响应较为敏感。为探究西南部地区植被对极端气候事件的响应程度, 该文采用Pettitt检验、趋势分析法对数据进行分析, 并对数据进行去趋势处理, 分析去趋势前后极端气候指数与归一化植被指数(NDVI)的相关关系。结果表明: (1) 1982-2015年西南部地区植被NDVI呈现显著上升的趋势, NDVI在1994年发生突变, 突变前上升不显著, 突变后呈现显著上升的趋势; (2)去趋势前, 1982-2015年间, 极端降水指数与NDVI显著相关的仅有1日最大降水量, 其与NDVI显著正相关; 除气温日较差外, 其他极端温度指数均与NDVI显著相关。1994-2015年间, 1日最大降水量与NDVI显著正相关, 降水日数与NDVI显著负相关; 在极端温度指数中, 日最低气温最大值、暖昼日数、夏季日数、生长季长度和气温日较差与NDVI显著正相关, 冷昼日数、冰冻日数、冷夜日数和霜冻日数与NDVI显著负相关。1982-2015年间NDVI对年平均气温的响应最强, 而在1994-2015年间NDVI对夏季日数和气温日较差的响应强于对年平均气温的响应。(3)去趋势后, 极端降水指数与NDVI的相关性在两个时段都不显著; 而日最高气温最大值、暖昼日数、夏季日数和气温日较差在这两个时段与NDVI显著正相关, 但其与NDVI的相关系数都在1994-2015年间更高。气温日较差在两个时段与NDVI的相关系数都最高。只在1982-2015年冷昼日数与NDVI显著负相关。     

Modeled interactive effects of precipitation, temperature, and [CO2] on ecosystem carbon and water dynamics in different climatic zones

Interactive effects of multiple global change factors on ecosystem processes are complex. It is relatively expensive to explore those interactions in manipulative experiments. We conducted a modeling analysis to identify potentially important interactions and to stimulate hypothesis formulation for experimental research. Four models were used to quantify interactive effects of climate warming (T), altered precipitation amounts [doubled (DP) and halved (HP)] and seasonality (SP, moving precipitation in July and August to January and February to create summer drought), and elevated [CO₂] (C) on net primary production (NPP), heterotrophic respiration (R_h), net ecosystem production (NEP), transpiration, and runoff. We examined those responses in seven ecosystems, including forests, grasslands, and heathlands in different climate zones. The modeling analysis showed that none of the three‐way interactions among T, C, and altered precipitation was substantial for either carbon or water processes, nor consistent among the seven ecosystems. However, two‐way interactive effects on NPP, R_h, and NEP were generally positive (i.e. amplification of one factor's effect by the other factor) between T and C or between T and DP. A negative interaction (i.e. depression of one factor's effect by the other factor) occurred for simulated NPP between T and HP. The interactive effects on runoff were positive between T and HP. Four pairs of two‐way interactive effects on plant transpiration were positive and two pairs negative. In addition, wet sites generally had smaller relative changes in NPP, R_h, runoff, and transpiration but larger absolute changes in NEP than dry sites in response to the treatments. The modeling results suggest new hypotheses to be tested in multifactor global change experiments. Likewise, more experimental evidence is needed for the further improvement of ecosystem models in order to adequately simulate complex interactive processes.     

气候变化情景下中国自然植被净初级生产力分布

基于国际上较通用的Lund-Potsdam-Jena(LPJ)模型,根据中国自然环境特点对其运行机制进行调整,并重新进行了参数化,以B2情景气候数据作为主要的输入数据,以1961-1990年为基准时段,模拟了中国1991-2080自然植被净初级生产力(NPP)对气候变化的响应.结果表明:1961-1990年,中国自然植被的NPP总量为3.06 Pg C·a-1;1961-2080年,NPP总量呈波动下降趋势,且下降速度逐渐加快.在降水相对变化不大的条件下,平均温度的增加对我国植被生产力可能会产生一定的负面影响.NPP的空间分布从东南沿海向西北内陆呈逐渐递减趋势,在气候变化过程中,该格局基本没有太大变化.在东部NPP值相对较高地区,NPP值以减少为主,东北地区、华北东部和黄土高原地区的减少趋势尤为明显;在西部NPP值相对较低地区,NPP以增加趋势为主,青藏高原地区和塔里木盆地的表现尤为突出.随着气候变化的深入,东西部地区这种变化趋势的对比将越发明显.     

Does climate directly influence NPP globally?

The need for rigorous analyses of climate impacts has never been more crucial. Current textbooks state that climate directly influences ecosystem annual net primary productivity (NPP), emphasizing the urgent need to monitor the impacts of climate change. A recent paper challenged this consensus, arguing, based on an analysis of NPP for 1247 woody plant communities across global climate gradients, that temperature and precipitation have negligible direct effects on NPP and only perhaps have indirect effects by constraining total stand biomass (M_tot) and stand age (a). The authors of that study concluded that the length of the growing season (l_gs) might have a minor influence on NPP, an effect they considered not to be directly related to climate. In this article, we describe flaws that affected that study's conclusions and present novel analyses to disentangle the effects of stand variables and climate in determining NPP. We re‐analyzed the same database to partition the direct and indirect effects of climate on NPP, using three approaches: maximum‐likelihood model selection, independent‐effects analysis, and structural equation modeling. These new analyses showed that about half of the global variation in NPP could be explained by M_tot combined with climate variables and supported strong and direct influences of climate independently of M_tot, both for NPP and for net biomass change averaged across the known lifetime of the stands (ABC = average biomass change). We show that l_gs is an important climate variable, intrinsically correlated with, and contributing to mean annual temperature and precipitation (T_ann and P_ann), all important climatic drivers of NPP. Our analyses provide guidance for statistical and mechanistic analyses of climate drivers of ecosystem processes for predictive modeling and provide novel evidence supporting the strong, direct role of climate in determining vegetation productivity at the global scale.     

Increasing terrestrial vegetation activity in China, 1982-1999

Variations in vegetation activity during the past 18 years in China were investigated using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from the 3rd generation time series dataset of NOAA-AVHRR from 1982 to 1999. In order to eliminate the effects of non-vegetation factors, we characterized areas with NDVI < 0.1 as "sparsely vegetated areas" and areas with NDVI ≥ 0.1 as "vegetated areas". The results showed that increasing NDVI trends were evident, to varying extents, in almost all regions in China in the 18 years, indicating that vegetation activity has been rising in recent years in these regions. Compared to the early 1980s, the vegetated area increased by 3.5% by the late 1990s, while the sparsely vegetated area declined by 18.1% in the same period. The national total mean annual NDVI increased by 7.4% during the study period. Extended growing seasons and increased plant growth rates accounted for the bulk of these increases, while increases in temperature and summer rainfall, and strengthening agricultural activity were also likely important factors. NDVI changes in China exhibited relatively large spatial heterogeneity; the eastern coastal regions experienced declining or indiscernibly rising trends, while agricultural regions and western China experienced marked increases. Such a pattern was due primarily to urbanization, agricultural activity, regional climate characteristics, and different vegetation responses to regional climate changes.