Climate Services For Extremes
The BMBF-funded project "Climate Services for eXtremes (CS4eXtremes)" is part of the overarching funding priority "Climate Change and Extreme Events (ClimXtreme)", and as such is part of the Research and Sustainable Development Framework Program (FONA). It is jointly funded by the GERICS and the RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau and with the close involvement of practice partners.
CS4eXtremes aims to expand the understanding of the intensity and the spatial and temporal distribution of meteorological and climatic extremes that are relevant to agriculture and forestry. These include periods of drought, heat waves, strong wind events and heavy rainfall. On the one hand, the possible effects of changes in the occurrence of such extreme weather events as a result of climate change will be investigated and, on the other hand, adaptation strategies to the resulting challenges in both sectors will be developed.
The novel approach of this project considers the entire process chain: (i) the sector-specific identification of the characteristics of weather extremes in close cooperation with representatives of forestry and agriculture, (ii) the analysis of past and future weather and climate extremes, (iii) the investigation of the effects of these extremes by means of forestry and agricultural case studies, and (iv) the development of possible needs-based adaptation strategies to future climate conditions and extreme events based on this information.
Within the framework of CS4eXtremes, practice-relevant characteristics of climate extremes are determined together with stakeholders. The identification of weather extremes with a particular influence on agriculture and forestry is based on the evaluation of observation data and high-resolution regional climate projections for the 21st century.
Because there are extensive interactions between soil and atmosphere, some of which reinforce each other through feedback effects, soil science studies also play an important role (nitrous oxide emissions (N2O) from mineral soils used for agriculture) in order to create a better data basis for model simulations of the climate system.
Since forest damage due to windthrow (strong wind events) and drought stress (heat waves and droughts) are the main causes of reduced ecosystem services, such as the recreational function of forests for humans, regional climate model simulations coupled with ecosystem models form a main component of the project. This approach is complemented by empirical methods in which, for example, the views of the population are examined. Due to the recent drought stress-related forest damage in Germany, forest aesthetics in connection with climate change risks is being investigated as a current issue.
Overall, a self-reflective approach was chosen for the project, whereby the course of the transdisciplinary work is scientifically monitored and evaluated, as the exchange with stakeholders is of central importance. The project is rounded off by a discussion of the possible relevance of the results for both sectors under consideration and their transferability to other sectors.
1) Can sowing and fertilization times reduce nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from arable land?
A modelling study as part of a bachelor thesis
Agriculture is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions: nitrous oxide (N₂O) in particular is produced by the intensive cultivation of arable land and the use of nitrogenous mineral fertilizers, especially under anaerobic soil conditions. The combination of fertilizer application and moist soil conditions, e.g. after rain events, creates optimal conditions for nitrous oxide formation.
In view of rising nitrous oxide concentrations in the atmosphere and their contribution to the greenhouse effect, it is an important goal to reduce these emissions as much as possible. In addition to the time of fertilization, the time ofsowing also plays a decisive role. Especially in early growth phases, plants need more nitrogen, which is why sowing and fertilization times are often close together.
Changes to these times could lead to a reduction in nitrous oxide emissions, but are difficult to implement in practice. This is where process-oriented biogeochemical soil models such as CANDY (Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Agroecosystems) are valuable tools. They enable the simulation of different scenarios and provide insights into potential effects - even under future climate conditions.
In this bachelor thesis, the CANDY process model is used to simulate different combinations of sowing and fertilization times for one or more crops using future climate projections. The aim is to identify possibilities to reduce nitrous oxide emissions by optimizing the nitrogen uptake of the plants.
Prerequisites:
Interest in modeling and a basic understanding of carbon and nitrogen cycles in terrestrial ecosystems.
Experience in data analysis with statistical models (ideally in R) is an advantage.
An own computer/laptop is helpful, but not mandatory.