Influences of changing land use and CO2 concentration on ecosystem and landscape level carbon and water balances in mountainous terrain of the Stubai Valley, Austria

Tenhunen, John; Geyer, Ralf; Adiku, S.G.K.; Reichstein, Markus; Tappeiner, Ulrike; Bahn, Michael; Cernusca, Alexander; Dinh, Nguyen Quoc; Kolcun, Olimpia; Lohila, Annalea; Otieno, Dennis; Schmidt, Mark; Schmitt, Martin K.; Wang, Quan; Wartinger, Margarete; Wohlfahrt, Georg

doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2008.12.010

Cited by 28 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 31 publications

(47 reference statements)

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“…The study region is a 257‐km 2 area of the Stubai Valley, located southwest of the city of Innsbruck in the Austrian Alps. This region has been chosen because it is representative of a high‐alpine environment and because of the good availability of data (Tenhunen et al , 2009).…”

Section: Study Region Remote Sensing and Ground Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Topographical and ecohydrological controls on land surface temperature in an alpine catchment

et al. 2010

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In mountain areas, land surface temperature (LST) is a key parameter in the surface energy budget and is controlled by a complex interplay of topography, incoming radiation and atmospheric processes, as well as soil moisture distribution, different land covers and vegetation types. In this contribution, the LST spatial distribution of the Stubai Valley in the Austrian Alps is simulated by the ecohydrological model GEOtop. This simulation is compared with ground observations and a Landsat image in order to assess the capacity of the model to represent land surface interactions in complex terrain, as well as to evaluate the relative importance of different environmental factors. The model describes the energy and mass exchanges between soil, vegetation and atmosphere. It takes account of land cover, soil moisture and the implications of topography on air temperature and solar radiation. The GEOtop model is able to reproduce the spatial patterns of the LST distribution estimated from remote sensing, with a correlation coefficient of 0Ð88 and minimal calibration of the model parameters. Results show that, for the humid climate considered in this study, the major factors controlling LST spatial distribution are incoming solar radiation and land cover variability. Along mountain ridges and south-exposed steep slopes, soil moisture distribution has only a minor effect on LST. North-and south-facing slopes reveal a distinct thermal behaviour. In fact, LST appears to follow the air temperature vertical gradient along north-facing slopes, while along south-facing slopes, the LST vertical gradient is strongly modified by land cover type. Both Landsat observations and model simulations confirm field evidence of strong warming of alpine low vegetation during sunny days and indicate that these effects have an impact at a regional scale. Our results indicate that in order to simulate LST in mountain environments using a spatially distributed hydrological model, a key factor is the capacity to explicitly simulate the effects of complex topography on the surface energy exchange processes.

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Section: Study Region Remote Sensing and Ground Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Topographical and ecohydrological controls on land surface temperature in an alpine catchment

et al. 2010

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“…Yet changes in forest cover impact man in multiple ways in addition to carbon balance and forest production, modifying the overall ecosystem services that are produced by the regional social-ecological systems (SESs) within which we live. Therefore, sustainable acquisition of ecosystem services in complex SESs, their economic gains, and their management under the influence of global change are concerns that must be analyzed (Tenhunen et al 2009;Tenhunen 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of annual spatial variations in forest production and crop yields at landscape scale in temperate climate regions

Ruidisch

Nguyen

et al. 2014

Ecological Research

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Simulating regional variations in gross primary production (GPP) and yields of major land cover types is complex due to differences in plant physiological properties, landscape topography, and climate gradients. In our study, we analyzed the inter-annual and inter-regional variation, as well as the effect of summer drought, on gross primary production and crop yields of 9 major land uses within the state-funded Bioenergy Region Bayreuth in Germany. We developed a simulation framework using a process based model which accounts for variations in both CO 2 gas exchange, and in the case of crops, growth processes. The results indicated a severe impact of summer drought on GPP, particularly of forests and grasslands. Yields of winter crops, early planted summer grain crops as well as the perennial 2nd generation biofuel crop Silphium perfoliatum, on the other hand, were buffered despite drought by comparatively mild winter and spring temperatures. We estimated regional yield increases from SW to NE, suggesting a comparative advantage for these crops in the cooler and upland part of the region. In contrast, grasslands and annual summer crops such as maize and potato did not exhibit any apparent regional pattern in the simulations. The 2nd generation bioenergy crop exhibited significantly higher GPP and yields compared to the conventional bioenergy crop maize, suggesting that cultivation of S. perfoliatum should be increased for economic and environmental reasons, but additional study of the growth of S. perfoliatum is still required.

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“…Preliminary economic analyses show that for Cup Plant, the average yield per hectare of 18.5 tons is even higher than that obtained with corn of 14 t/ha (Table II); and the profit per hectare is 85 percent higher while gaining multiple environmental benefits. Intensified examination of the most promising of these species will be carried out to obtain information on seasonal biomass development, on CO 2 uptake rates, on water use efficiency, stand microclimate and to allow for the derivation of key parameters required in a simulated response in a crop simulation model called PIXGRO (Tenhunen et al, 2009). A number of economic models have tried to incorporate bioenergy crops.…”

Section: Ijccsm 53mentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of integrated ecological‐economic analyses for bioenergy plants under climate change at local scale

Nguyen

Tenhunen

2013

Int J of Cl Chan Strat and Man

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Purpose -The authors aim to provide here an opinion on the state-of-the-art of integrated ecological-economic assessments of bioenergy under climate change, as well as the challenges along with their implications faced in planning adaptation at local scale. Design/methodology/approach -Investments to reduce emissions must be made in the coming decades to avoid the risks posed by climate change. If these investments are made wisely, then costs will be manageable, stability in markets as well as energy security will be achieved, and even rural development and economic growth may be stimulated. The authors call attention to the need for modeling of climate change impacts by combining the outputs from appropriately designed crop simulation models with economic analyses. Combining natural science and economics in a compatible fashion at local scale will play an essential role in advancing communication and information exchange. Findings -There are key differences in drivers or determinants of mitigation and adaptation potential and decisions at different scales, which means that different actors, different timescales and different spatial scales of decision making must be specifically considered. Understanding of the potential impacts of climate change requires disaggregation of the agricultural sector with appropriate detail. A critical trade-off exists between area-wide spatial coverage and an explicit consideration of local peculiarities. Originality/value -The authors suggest that a much stronger effort must be made to meld natural science crop modeling approaches with economic analyses, to include spatially explicit consideration of conventional crop production along with 1st and 2nd generation bioenergy crops, and the evaluation not only of "best guess" scenarios of change, but also potential system impacts of extreme scenarios.

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Influences of changing land use and CO2 concentration on ecosystem and landscape level carbon and water balances in mountainous terrain of the Stubai Valley, Austria

Cited by 28 publications

References 31 publications

Topographical and ecohydrological controls on land surface temperature in an alpine catchment

Topographical and ecohydrological controls on land surface temperature in an alpine catchment

Estimation of annual spatial variations in forest production and crop yields at landscape scale in temperate climate regions

Review of integrated ecological‐economic analyses for bioenergy plants under climate change at local scale

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