Our findings indicate the importance of paleoclimatic information to improve quantitative predictions of global soil C stocks.
Climate change in the western United States has increased the frequency of extreme fire weather events and is projected to increase the area burned by wildfire in the coming decades. This changing fire regime, coupled with increased high\uffe2\uff80\uff90severity fire risk from a legacy of fire exclusion, could destabilize forest carbon (C), decrease net ecosystem exchange (NEE), and consequently reduce the ability of forests to regulate climate through C sequestration. While management options for minimizing the risk of high\uffe2\uff80\uff90severity fire exist, little is known about the longer\uffe2\uff80\uff90term carbon consequences of these actions in the context of continued extreme fire weather events. Our goal was to compare the impacts of extreme wildfire events on carbon stocks and fluxes in a watershed in the Sierra National Forest. We ran simulations to model wildfire under contemporary and extreme fire weather conditions, and test how three management scenarios (no\uffe2\uff80\uff90management, thin\uffe2\uff80\uff90only, thin and maintenance burning) influence fire severity, forest C stocks and fluxes, and wildfire C emissions. We found that the effects of treatment on wildfire under contemporary fire weather were minimal, and management conferred neither significant reduction in fire severity nor increases in C stocks. However, under extreme fire weather, the thin and maintenance burning scenario decreased mean fire severity by 25%, showed significantly greater C stability, and unlike the no\uffe2\uff80\uff90management and thin\uffe2\uff80\uff90only management options, the thin and maintenance burning scenario showed no decrease in NEE relative to the contemporary fire weather scenarios. Further, under extreme fire weather conditions, wildfire C emissions were lowest in the thin and maintenance burning scenario, (reduction of 13.7\uffc2\uffa0Mg\uffc2\uffa0C/ha over the simulation period) even when taking into account the C costs associated with prescribed burning. Including prescribed burning in thinning operations may be critical to maintaining C\uffc2\uffa0stocks and reducing C emissions in the future where extreme fire weather events are more frequent.
", "keywords": ["Carbon sequestration", "13. Climate action", "Forest management -- Environmental aspects", "Wildfires -- West (U.S.) -- Effect of climatic changes on", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Environmental Sciences", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/context/esm_fac/article/1188/viewcontent/Krofcheck_et_al_2017_Ecosphere__1_.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1663"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecosphere", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1002/ecs2.1663", "name": "item", "description": "10.1002/ecs2.1663", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1002/ecs2.1663"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1002/ecs2.2645", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:14:03Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-03-19", "title": "Uneven global distribution of food web studies under climate change", "description": "AbstractTrophic interactions within food webs affect species distributions, coexistence, and provision of ecosystem services but can be strongly impacted by climatic changes. Understanding these impacts is therefore essential for managing ecosystems and sustaining human well\uffe2\uff80\uff90being. Here, we conducted a global synthesis of terrestrial, marine, and freshwater studies to identify key gaps in our knowledge of climate change impacts on food webs and determine whether the areas currently studied are those most likely to be impacted by climate change. We found research suffers from a strong geographic bias, with only 3.5% of studies occurring in the tropics. Importantly, the distribution of sites sampled under projected climate changes was biased\uffe2\uff80\uff94areas with decreases or large increases in precipitation and areas with low magnitudes of temperature change were under\uffe2\uff80\uff90represented. Our results suggest that understanding of climate change impacts on food webs could be broadened by considering more than two trophic levels, responses in addition to species abundance and biomass, impacts of a wider suite of climatic variables, and tropical ecosystems. Most importantly, to enable better forecasts of biodiversity responses to climate change, we identify critically under\uffe2\uff80\uff90represented geographic regions and climatic conditions which should be prioritized in future research.We have little information on how and why soil microbial community assembly will respond to predicted increases in aridity by the end of this century. Here, we used correlation networks and structural equation modeling to assess the changes in the abundance of the ecological clusters including potential winner and loser microbial taxa associated with predicted increases in aridity. To do this, we conducted a field survey in an environmental gradient from eastern Australia and obtained information on bacterial and fungal community composition for 120 soil samples and multiple abiotic and biotic factors. Overall, our structural equation model explained 83% of the variance in the two mesic modules. Increases in aridity led to marked shifts in the abundance of the two major microbial modules found in our network, which accounted for >99% of all phylotypes. In particular, the relative abundance of one of these modules, the Mesic Module #1, which was positively related to multiple soil properties and plant productivity, declined strongly with aridity. Conversely, the relative abundance of a second dominant module (Xeric Module #2) was positively correlated with increases in aridity. Our study provides evidence that network analysis is a useful tool to identify microbial taxa that are either winners or losers under increasing aridity and therefore potentially under changing climates. Our work further suggests that climate change, and associated land degradation, could potentially lead to extensive microbial phylotypes exchange and local extinctions, as demonstrated by the reductions of up to 97% in the relative abundance of microbial taxa within Mesic Module #1.It has been hypothesized that greater production of total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC) in foliage grown under elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) will result in higher concentrations of defensive compounds in tree leaf litter, possibly leading to reduced rates of decomposition and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems of the future. To evaluate the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2on litter chemistry and decomposition, we performed a 111 day laboratory incubation with leaf litter of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloidesMichaux) produced at 36\uffe2\uff80\uff83Pa and 56\uffe2\uff80\uff83Pa CO2and two levels of soil nitrogen (N) availability. Decomposition was quantified as microbially respired CO2and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in soil solution, and concentrations of nonstructural carbohydrates, N, carbon (C), and condensed tannins were monitored throughout the incubation. Growth under elevated atmospheric CO2did not significantly affect initial litter concentrations of TNC, N, or condensed tannins. Rates of decomposition, measured as both microbially respired CO2and DOC did not differ between litter produced under ambient and elevated CO2. Total C lost from the samples was 38\uffe2\uff80\uff83mg\uffe2\uff80\uff83g\uffe2\uff88\uff921litter as respired CO2and 138\uffe2\uff80\uff83mg\uffe2\uff80\uff83g\uffe2\uff88\uff921litter as DOC, suggesting short\uffe2\uff80\uff90term pulses of dissolved C in soil solution are important components of the terrestrial C cycle. We conclude that litter chemistry and decomposition in trembling aspen are minimally affected by growth under higher concentrations of CO2.
", "keywords": ["Ecology and Evolutionary Biology", "carbohydrates", "Quaking aspen", "forest-soil", "litter-plant", "nitrogen", "nitrogen-", "Microlysimeter", "soil-chemistry", "cycling-", "populus-tremuloides", "Geology and Earth Sciences", "Soil Carbon", "Microbiology of soils", "Carbon cycle", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "GLOBAL-ECOLOGY", "chemical-composition", "Organic-matter", "soil-solution", "nutrient-availability", "Tannin", "leaf-litter", "Science", "decomposition-", "Nutrient enrichment", "Carbohydrates", "carbohydrates-", "respiration-", "carbon-dioxide-enrichment", "Nitrogen in soil", "michigan-", "carbon sinks", "C", "Nutrient budget of forests", "Litter", "Populus tremuloides", "Global Change", "tannins-", "Decomposition", "forest-litter", "Foliage", "Carbon dioxide effects on forest litter", "Climatic changes", "15. Life on land", "carbon-nitrogen-ratio", "Forest litter decomposition", "N Ratio", "13. Climate action", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "microbial-activities", "nitrogen-content"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2486.2001.00388.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1046/j.1365-2486.2001.00388.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1046/j.1365-2486.2001.00388.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1046/j.1365-2486.2001.00388.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2001-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.05.007", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:16:55Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2016-05-28", "title": "Feedback Responses Of Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions To Climate Change Are Modulated By Soil Characteristics In Dryland Ecosystems", "description": "Understanding feedback responses of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to future climate projections is critical for the effective development of mitigation and adaptation strategies. It is proposed that effects of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) and temperature can have differential effects on GHG fluxes but the magnitude and direction of such impact is not fully known, especially in dryland ecosystems, which are typically water and nutrient limited. We examined individual and interactive impacts of elevated CO2 (400\u00a0ppm vs. 600\u00a0ppm) and elevated temperature (ambient vs.\u00a0+3\u00a0\u00b0C increase) treatments on GHG fluxes, in three Australian dryland soils. Firstly, we quantified the individual and interactive effects of elevated CO2 and temperature on CO2, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes and the corresponding soil net global warming potential (GWP). Secondly, biotic and abiotic drivers of GHG emissions were identified by exploring the relationship between CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes with the abundance of bacteria, methanotrophs and N2O-reducing bacteria as well as soil abiotic characteristics. Our results show that soil CO2 emissions and CH4 uptake respond mainly to elevated temperature in all dryland soils tested, with interactive treatment effects showing a less than additive trend on soil net GWP. Nitrous oxide emissions responded less to climate change treatments, and these were site-specific. Soil site characteristics were the main determinant of all GHG emissions; however, the abundance of total bacteria and N2O-reducing bacteria significantly explained CO2 and N2O fluxes, respectively. This study shows that dryland soils respond to climate change with an offset under interactive climate treatments. Our findings suggest that future studies on GHG feedback responses should explicitly consider both biotic and abiotic soil characteristics in order to provide a better mechanistic understanding for the development of future mitigation strategies.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "13. Climate action", "XXXXXX - Unknown", "greenhouse gases", "11. Sustainability", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "bacteria", "climatic changes", "12. Responsible consumption"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.05.007"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Soil%20Biology%20and%20Biochemistry", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.05.007", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.05.007", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.05.007"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2016-09-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/ncomms13653", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:17:30Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2016-11-29", "title": "Massive remobilization of permafrost carbon during post-glacial warming", "description": "AbstractRecent hypotheses, based on atmospheric records and models, suggest that permafrost carbon (PF-C) accumulated during the last glaciation may have been an important source for the atmospheric CO2 rise during post-glacial warming. However, direct physical indications for such PF-C release have so far been absent. Here we use the Laptev Sea (Arctic Ocean) as an archive to investigate PF-C destabilization during the last glacial\uffe2\uff80\uff93interglacial period. Our results show evidence for massive supply of PF-C from Siberian soils as a result of severe active layer deepening in response to the warming. Thawing of PF-C must also have brought about an enhanced organic matter respiration and, thus, these findings suggest that PF-C may indeed have been an important source of CO2 across the extensive permafrost domain. The results challenge current paradigms on the post-glacial CO2 rise and, at the same time, serve as a harbinger for possible consequences of the present-day warming of PF-C soils.Uncertainty in desert dust composition poses a big challenge to understanding Earth\uffe2\uff80\uff99s climate across different epochs. Of particular concern is hematite, an iron-oxide mineral dominating the solar absorption by dust particles, for which current estimates of absorption capacity vary by over two orders of magnitude. Here, we show that laboratory measurements of dust composition, absorption, and scattering provide valuable constraints on the absorption potential of hematite, substantially narrowing its range of plausible values. The success of this constraint is supported by results from an atmospheric transport model compared with station-based measurements. Additionally, we identify substantial bias in simulating hematite abundance in dust aerosols with current soil mineralogy descriptions, underscoring the necessity for improved data sources. Encouragingly, the next-generation imaging spectroscopy remote sensing data hold promise for capturing the spatial variability of hematite. These insights have implications for enhancing dust modeling, thus contributing to efforts in climate change mitigation and adaptation.Recent observations of changes in some tundra ecosystems appear to be responses to a warming climate. Several experimental studies have shown that tundra plants and ecosystems can respond strongly to environmental change, including warming; however, most studies were limited to a single location and were of short duration and based on a variety of experimental designs. In addition, comparisons among studies are difficult because a variety of techniques have been used to achieve experimental warming and different measurements have been used to assess responses. We used metaanalysis on plant community measurements from standardized warming experiments at 11 locations across the tundra biome involved in the International Tundra Experiment. The passive warming treatment increased plant-level air temperature by 1-3\uffc2\uffb0C, which is in the range of predicted and observed warming for tundra regions. Responses were rapid and detected in whole plant communities after only two growing seasons. Overall, warming increased height and cover of deciduous shrubs and graminoids, decreased cover of mosses and lichens, and decreased species diversity and evenness. These results predict that warming will cause a decline in biodiversity across a wide variety of tundra, at least in the short term. They also provide rigorous experimental evidence that recently observed increases in shrub cover in many tundra regions are in response to climate warming. These changes have important implications for processes and interactions within tundra ecosystems and between tundra and the atmosphere.
", "keywords": ["Greenhouse Effect", "0106 biological sciences", "570", "Conservation of Natural Resources", "Hot Temperature", "Climate", "Environment", "01 natural sciences", "333", "Climatic changes Environmental aspects", "Effects of global warming on", "Climate change", "Biomass", "Ecosystem", "Plant Physiological Phenomena", "Arctic and alpine ecosystems", "Arctic Regions", "Temperature", "500", "Genetic Variation", "Biodiversity", "Models", " Theoretical", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "0503 (four-digit-FOR)", "Tundra ecology", "13. Climate action", "Vegetation change", "Plants", " Effects of global warming on", "Software", "Environmental Monitoring"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://dspace.stir.ac.uk/bitstream/1893/884/1/ITEX_PNAS%20%282006%29%20hi%20res.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0503198103"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Proceedings%20of%20the%20National%20Academy%20of%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1073/pnas.0503198103", "name": "item", "description": "10.1073/pnas.0503198103", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1073/pnas.0503198103"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2006-01-20T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1073/pnas.1006463107", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:17:52Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2010-10-26", "title": "Co2 Enhancement Of Forest Productivity Constrained By Limited Nitrogen Availability", "description": "Stimulation of terrestrial plant production by rising CO 2 concentration is projected to reduce the airborne fraction of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. Coupled climate\uffe2\uff80\uff93carbon cycle models are sensitive to this negative feedback on atmospheric CO 2 , but model projections are uncertain because of the expectation that feedbacks through the nitrogen (N) cycle will reduce this so-called CO 2 fertilization effect. We assessed whether N limitation caused a reduced stimulation of net primary productivity (NPP) by elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentration over 11 y in a free-air CO 2 enrichment (FACE) experiment in a deciduous Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum) forest stand in Tennessee. During the first 6 y of the experiment, NPP was significantly enhanced in forest plots exposed to 550 ppm CO 2 compared with NPP in plots in current ambient CO 2 , and this was a consistent and sustained response. However, the enhancement of NPP under elevated CO 2 declined from 24% in 2001\uffe2\uff80\uff932003 to 9% in 2008. Global analyses that assume a sustained CO 2 fertilization effect are no longer supported by this FACE experiment. N budget analysis supports the premise that N availability was limiting to tree growth and declining over time \uffe2\uff80\uff94an expected consequence of stand development, which was exacerbated by elevated CO 2 . Leaf- and stand-level observations provide mechanistic evidence that declining N availability constrained the tree response to elevated CO 2 ; these observations are consistent with stand-level model projections. This FACE experiment provides strong rationale and process understanding for incorporating N limitation and N feedback effects in ecosystem and global models used in climate change assessments.
", "keywords": ["580", "0106 biological sciences", "Nitrogen", "carbon dioxide", "Carbon Dioxide", "15. Life on land", "Tennessee", "01 natural sciences", "nitrogen", "climatic changes", "Trees", "forests and forestry", "13. Climate action", "Fertilization", "XXXXXX - Unknown", "Ecosystem", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1006463107"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Proceedings%20of%20the%20National%20Academy%20of%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1073/pnas.1006463107", "name": "item", "description": "10.1073/pnas.1006463107", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1073/pnas.1006463107"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2010-10-25T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1093/treephys/22.7.435", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:18:10Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2012-01-20", "title": "Responses Of Deciduous Broadleaf Trees To Defoliation In A Co2 Enriched Atmosphere", "description": "Relatively little is known about the implications of atmospheric CO2 enrichment for tree responses to biotic disturbances such as folivory. We examined the combined effects of elevated CO2 concentration ([CO2]) and defoliation on growth and physiology of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.). Seedlings were planted in the ground in eight open-top chambers. Four chambers were ventilated with CO2-enriched air (ambient + 283 micromol mol-1) and four chambers were supplied with ambient air. After 6 weeks of growth, half of the leaf area was removed on a subset of seedlings of each species in each CO2 treatment. We monitored subsequent biomass gain and allocation, along with leaf gas exchange and chemistry. Defoliation did not significantly affect final seedling biomass in either species or CO2 treatment. Growth recovery following defoliation was associated with increased allocation to leaf mass in maple and a slight enhancement of mean photosynthesis in aspen. Elevated [CO2] did not significantly affect aspen growth, and the observed stimulation of maple growth was significant only in mid-season. Correspondingly, simulated responses of whole-tree photosynthesis to elevated [CO2] were constrained by a decrease in photosynthetic capacity in maple, and were partially offset by reductions in specific leaf area and biomass allocation to foliage in aspen. There was a significant interaction between [CO2] and defoliation on only a few of the measured traits. Thus, the data do not support the hypothesis that atmospheric CO2 enrichment will substantially alter tree responses to folivory. However, our findings do provide further indication that regeneration-stage growth rates of certain temperate tree species may respond only moderately to a near doubling of atmospheric [CO2].", "keywords": ["defoliation-", "0106 biological sciences", "Ecophysiology", "Quaking aspen", "biomass-allocation", "growth-response", "Growth", "Environmental-Sciences)", "01 natural sciences", "plant-composition", "Trees", "biomass-", "Spermatophyta-", "Biomass", "Photosynthesis", "plant-physiology", "defoliation", "Angiospermae-", "leaf-area", "GLOBAL-ECOLOGY", "seedling-growth", "source-sink-relations", "Populus-tremuloides", "gas-exchange", "Populus", "broadleaves-", "deciduous-tree", "forest-trees", "atmosphere-", "trees-", "biomass-production", "Acer saccharum", "Nitrogen", "Carbohydrates", "Acer", "carbon-dioxide-enrichment", "photosynthesis-", "growth-", "species-differences", "seedlings-", "wisconsin-", "Populus tremuloides", "photosynthesis", "Climatic changes", "Carbon Dioxide", "15. Life on land", "Plant Leaves", "leaves-", "Aceraceae-: Dicotyledones-", "Carbon dioxide", "Sugar maple", "Seedlings", "Terrestrial-Ecology (Ecology-", "Acer-saccharum"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Volin, John C., Kruger, Eric L., Lindroth, Richard L.,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/22.7.435"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Tree%20Physiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1093/treephys/22.7.435", "name": "item", "description": "10.1093/treephys/22.7.435", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1093/treephys/22.7.435"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2002-05-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/ele.12634", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:18:25Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2016-06-25", "title": "Impacts Of Warming And Elevated Co2on A Semi-Arid Grassland Are Non-Additive, Shift With Precipitation, And Reverse Over Time", "description": "AbstractIt is unclear how elevated CO2 (eCO2) and the corresponding shifts in temperature and precipitation will interact to impact ecosystems over time. During a 7\uffe2\uff80\uff90year experiment in a semi\uffe2\uff80\uff90arid grassland, the response of plant biomass to eCO2 and warming was largely regulated by interannual precipitation, while the response of plant community composition was more sensitive to experiment duration. The combined effects of eCO2 and warming on aboveground plant biomass were less positive in \uffe2\uff80\uff98wet\uffe2\uff80\uff99 growing seasons, but total plant biomass was consistently stimulated by ~\uffc2\uffa025% due to unique, supra\uffe2\uff80\uff90additive responses of roots. Independent of precipitation, the combined effects of eCO2 and warming on C3 graminoids became increasingly positive and supra\uffe2\uff80\uff90additive over time, reversing an initial shift toward C4 grasses. Soil resources also responded dynamically and non\uffe2\uff80\uff90additively to eCO2 and warming, shaping the plant responses. Our results suggest grasslands are poised for drastic changes in function and highlight the need for long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term, factorial experiments.
", "keywords": ["forb", "0106 biological sciences", "Time Factors", "Climate Change", "Rain", "01 natural sciences", "nitrogen", "Bouteloua gracilis", "climatic changes", "C3 grass", "XXXXXX - Unknown", "plant productivity", "soils", "580", "2. Zero hunger", "Artemisia frigida", "grasslands", "500", "carbon dioxide", "Carbon Dioxide", "15. Life on land", "Grassland", "C4 grass", "root biomass", "climate change", "13. Climate action", "soil moisture"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12634"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecology%20Letters", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/ele.12634", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/ele.12634", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/ele.12634"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2016-06-24T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/gcb.14440", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:18:27Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-09-22", "title": "Cascading effects from plants to soil microorganisms explain how plant species richness and simulated climate change affect soil multifunctionality", "description": "AbstractDespite their importance, how plant communities and soil microorganisms interact to determine the capacity of ecosystems to provide multiple functions simultaneously (multifunctionality) under climate change is poorly known. We conducted a common garden experiment using grassland species to evaluate how plant functional structure and soil microbial (bacteria and protists) diversity and abundance regulate soil multifunctionality responses to joint changes in plant species richness (one, three and six species) and simulated climate change (3\uffc2\uffb0C warming and 35% rainfall reduction). The effects of species richness and climate on soil multifunctionality were indirectly driven via changes in plant functional structure and their relationships with the abundance and diversity of soil bacteria and protists. More specifically, warming selected for the larger and most productive plant species, increasing the average size within communities and leading to reductions in functional plant diversity. These changes increased the total abundance of bacteria that, in turn, increased that of protists, ultimately promoting soil multifunctionality. Our work suggests that cascading effects between plant functional traits and the abundance of multitrophic soil organisms largely regulate the response of soil multifunctionality to simulated climate change, and ultimately provides novel experimental insights into the mechanisms underlying the effects of biodiversity and climate change on ecosystem functioning. Our findings indicate the importance of paleoclimatic information to improve quantitative predictions of global soil C stocks.
To investigate if Eucalyptus species have responded to industrial\uffe2\uff80\uff90age climate change, and how they may respond to a future climate, we measured growth and physiology of fast\uffe2\uff80\uff90 (E. saligna) and slow\uffe2\uff80\uff90growing (E. sideroxylon) seedlings exposed to preindustrial (290), current (400) or projected (650\uffe2\uff80\uff83\uffce\uffbcL\uffe2\uff80\uff83L\uffe2\uff88\uff921) CO2 concentration ([CO2]) and to current or projected (current +4\uffe2\uff80\uff83\uffc2\uffb0C) temperature. To evaluate maximum potential treatment responses, plants were grown with nonlimiting soil moisture. We found that: (1) E. sideroxylon responded more strongly to elevated [CO2] than to elevated temperature, while E. saligna responded similarly to elevated [CO2] and elevated temperature; (2) the transition from preindustrial to current [CO2] did not enhance eucalypt plant growth under ambient temperature, despite enhancing photosynthesis; (3) the transition from current to future [CO2] stimulated both photosynthesis and growth of eucalypts, independent of temperature; and (4) warming enhanced eucalypt growth, independent of future [CO2], despite not affecting photosynthesis. These results suggest large potential carbon sequestration by eucalypts in a future world, and highlight the need to evaluate how future water availability may affect such responses.
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "Eucalyptus", "photosynthesis", "13. Climate action", "growth", "atmospheric carbon dioxide", "high temperatures", "carbon dioxide", "soil moisture", "15. Life on land", "carbon sequestration", "01 natural sciences", "climatic changes"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.02003.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.02003.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.02003.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.02003.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2009-12-02T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02732.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:18:37Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2012-05-11", "title": "Long-Term Nitrogen Additions Increase Likelihood Of Climate Stress And Affect Recovery From Wildfire In A Lowland Heath", "description": "AbstractIncreases in the emissions and associated atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) have the potential to cause significant changes to the structure and function of N\uffe2\uff80\uff90limited ecosystems. Here, we present the results of a long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term (13\uffc2\uffa0year) experiment assessing the impacts of N addition (30\uffc2\uffa0kg\uffc2\uffa0ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921\uffc2\uffa0yr\uffe2\uff88\uff921) on a UK lowland heathland under a wide range of environmental conditions, including the occurrence of prolonged natural drought episodes and a severe summer fire. Our findings indicate that elevated N deposition results in large, persistent effects on Calluna growth, phenology and chemistry, severe suppression of understorey lichen flora and changes in soil biogeochemistry. Growing season rainfall was found to be a strong driver of inter\uffe2\uff80\uff90annual variation in Calluna growth and, although interactions between N and rainfall for shoot growth were not significant until the later phase of the experiment, N addition exacerbated the extent of drought injury to Calluna shoots following naturally occurring droughts in 2003 and 2009. Following a severe wildfire at the experimental site in 2006, heathland regeneration dynamics were significantly affected by N, with a greater abundance of pioneering moss species and suppression of the lichen flora in plots receiving N additions. Significant interactions between climate and N were also apparent post fire, with the characteristic stimulation in Calluna growth in +N plots suppressed during dry years. Carbon (C) and N budgets demonstrate large increases in both above\uffe2\uff80\uff90 and below\uffe2\uff80\uff90ground stocks of these elements in N\uffe2\uff80\uff90treated plots prior to the fire, despite higher levels of soil microbial activity and organic matter turnover. Although much of the organic material was removed during the fire, pre\uffe2\uff80\uff90existing treatment differences were still evident following the burn. Post fire accumulation of below\uffe2\uff80\uff90ground C and N stocks was increased rapidly in N\uffe2\uff80\uff90treated plots, highlighting the role of N deposition in ecosystem C sequestration.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "550", "droughts", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "nitrogen", "bushfires", "6. Clean water", "climatic changes", "eutrophication", "13. Climate action", "wildfires", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "ecosystems"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02732.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02732.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02732.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02732.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2012-06-27T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1439-0418.2012.01747.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:18:39Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2012-07-23", "title": "Plant-Mediated Effects Of Drought On Aphid Population Structure And Parasitoid Attack", "description": "AbstractThe effects of predicted climate change on aphid\uffe2\uff80\uff93natural enemy interactions have principally considered the effects of elevated carbon dioxide concentration and air temperature. However, increased incidence of summer droughts are also predicted in Northern Europe, which could affect aphid\uffe2\uff80\uff93plant interactions and aphid antagonists. We investigated how simulated summer drought affected the bird cherry\uffe2\uff80\uff93oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi L., and its natural enemy the parasitoid wasp Aphidius ervi. Drought and, to a greater extent, aphids reduced barley ( Hordeum vulgare) dry mass by 33% and 39%, respectively. Drought reduced leaf and root nitrogen concentrations by 13% and 28%, respectively, but foliar amino acid concentrations and composition remained similar. Aphid numbers were unaffected by drought, but population demography changed significantly; adults constituted 41% of the population on drought\uffe2\uff80\uff90treated plants, but only 26% on those receiving ambient irrigation. Nymphs constituted 56% and 69% of the population on these plants, respectively, suggesting altered aphid development rates on drought\uffe2\uff80\uff90stressed plants. Parasitism rates were significantly lower on drought\uffe2\uff80\uff90stressed plants (9\uffc2\uffa0attacks\uffc2\uffa0h\uffe2\uff88\uff921 compared with 35 attacks h\uffe2\uff88\uff921 on ambient\uffe2\uff80\uff90irrigated plants), most likely because of lower incidence of nymphs and more adults, the latter being more difficult to parasitize. Any physiological changes in individual aphids did not affect parasitoid preferences, suggesting that attacks were postponed because of drought\uffe2\uff80\uff90induced changes in aphid demography. This study demonstrates the potential for sporadic climate change events, such as summer drought, to be disruptive to herbivore\uffe2\uff80\uff93antagonist interactions.
", "keywords": ["580", "2. Zero hunger", "0106 biological sciences", "droughts", "Aphidius ervi", "820501 - Barley", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "6. Clean water", "climatic changes", "Rhopalosiphum padi", "13. Climate action", "060202 - Community Ecology", "Hordeum vulgare"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0418.2012.01747.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Applied%20Entomology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1439-0418.2012.01747.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1439-0418.2012.01747.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1439-0418.2012.01747.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2012-07-23T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/nph.15120", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:18:46Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-04-02", "title": "Biocrust\u2010forming mosses mitigate the impact of aridity on soil microbial communities in drylands: observational evidence from three continents", "description": "Summary
Recent research indicates that increased aridity linked to climate change will reduce the diversity of soil microbial communities and shift their community composition in drylands, Earth's largest biome. However, we lack both a theoretical framework and solid empirical evidence of how important biotic components from drylands, such as biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses, will regulate the responses of microbial communities to expected increases in aridity with climate change.
Here we report results from a cross\uffe2\uff80\uff90continental (North America, Europe and Australia) survey of 39 locations from arid to humid ecosystems, where we evaluated how biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses regulate the relationship between aridity and the community composition and diversity of soil bacteria and fungi in dryland ecosystems.
Increasing aridity was negatively related to the richness of fungi, and either positively or negatively related to the relative abundance of selected microbial phyla, when biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses were absent. Conversely, we found an overall lack of relationship between aridity and the relative abundance and richness of microbial communities under biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses.
Our results suggest that biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses mitigate the impact of aridity on the community composition of globally distributed microbial taxa, and the diversity of fungi. They emphasize the importance of maintaining biocrusts as a sanctuary for soil microbes in drylands.
Abstract. The large uncertainty in the mineral dust direct radiative effect (DRE) hinders projections of future climate change due to anthropogenic activity. Resolving modeled dust mineral speciation allows for spatially and temporally varying refractive indices consistent with dust aerosol composition. Here, for the first time, we quantify the range in dust DRE at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) due to current uncertainties in the surface soil mineralogical content using a dust mineral-resolving climate model. We propagate observed uncertainties in soil mineral abundances from two soil mineralogy atlases along with the optical properties of each mineral into the DRE and compare the resultant range with other sources of uncertainty across six climate models. The shortwave DRE responds region-specifically to the dust burden depending on the mineral speciation and underlying shortwave surface albedo: positively when the regionally averaged annual surface albedo is larger than 0.28 and negatively otherwise. Among all minerals examined, the shortwave TOA DRE and single scattering albedo at the 0.44\u20130.63\u2009\u00b5m band are most sensitive to the fractional contribution of iron oxides to the total dust composition. The global net (shortwave plus longwave) TOA DRE is estimated to be within \u22120.23 to +0.35\u2009W\u2009m\u22122. Approximately 97\u2009% of this range relates to uncertainty in the soil abundance of iron oxides. Representing iron oxide with solely hematite optical properties leads to an overestimation of shortwave DRE by +0.10\u2009W\u2009m\u22122 at the TOA, as goethite is not as absorbing as hematite in the shortwave spectrum range. Our study highlights the importance of iron oxides to the shortwave DRE: they have a disproportionally large impact on climate considering their small atmospheric mineral mass fractional burden (\u223c2\u2009%). An improved description of iron oxides, such as those planned in the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), is thus essential for more accurate estimates of the dust DRE.
Abstract. This paper documents the global climate model EC-Earth3-AerChem, one of the members of the EC-Earth3 family of models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). EC-Earth3-AerChem has interactive aerosols and atmospheric chemistry and contributes to the Aerosols and Chemistry Model Intercomparison Project (AerChemMIP). In this paper, we give an overview of the model, describe in detail how it differs from the other EC-Earth3 configurations, and outline the new features compared with the previously documented version of the model (EC-Earth 2.4). We explain how the model was tuned and spun up under preindustrial conditions and characterize the model's general performance on the basis of a selection of coupled simulations conducted for CMIP6. The net energy imbalance at the top of the atmosphere in the preindustrial control simulation is on average \uffe2\uff88\uff920.09\uffe2\uff80\uff89W\uffe2\uff80\uff89m\uffe2\uff88\uff922 with a standard deviation due to interannual variability of 0.25\uffe2\uff80\uff89W\uffe2\uff80\uff89m\uffe2\uff88\uff922, showing no significant drift. The global surface air temperature in the simulation is on average 14.08\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffe2\uff88\uff98C with an interannual standard deviation of 0.17\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffe2\uff88\uff98C, exhibiting a small drift of 0.015\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffc2\uffb1\uffe2\uff80\uff890.005\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffe2\uff88\uff98C per century. The model's effective equilibrium climate sensitivity is estimated at 3.9\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffe2\uff88\uff98C, and its transient climate response is estimated at 2.1\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffe2\uff88\uff98C. The CMIP6 historical simulation displays spurious interdecadal variability in Northern Hemisphere temperatures, resulting in a large spread across ensemble members and a tendency to underestimate observed annual surface temperature anomalies from the early 20th century onwards. The observed warming of the Southern Hemisphere is well reproduced by the model. Compared with the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) Reanalysis version 5 (ERA5), the surface air temperature climatology for 1995\uffe2\uff80\uff932014 has an average bias of \uffe2\uff88\uff920.86\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffc2\uffb1\uffe2\uff80\uff890.05\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffe2\uff88\uff98C with a standard deviation across ensemble members of 0.35\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffe2\uff88\uff98C in the Northern Hemisphere and 1.29\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffc2\uffb1\uffe2\uff80\uff890.02\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffe2\uff88\uff98C with a corresponding standard deviation of 0.05\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffe2\uff88\uff98C in the Southern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere warm bias is largely caused by errors in shortwave cloud radiative effects over the Southern Ocean, a deficiency of many climate models. Changes in the emissions of near-term climate forcers (NTCFs) have significant effects on the global climate from the second half of the 20th century onwards. For the SSP3-7.0 Shared Socioeconomic Pathway, the model gives a global warming at the end of the 21st century (2091\uffe2\uff80\uff932100) of 4.9\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffe2\uff88\uff98C above the preindustrial mean. A 0.5\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffe2\uff88\uff98C stronger warming is obtained for the AerChemMIP scenario with reduced emissions of NTCFs. With concurrent reductions of future methane concentrations, the warming is projected to be reduced by 0.5\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffe2\uff88\uff98C.
", "keywords": ["Atmospheric chemistry", ":Desenvolupament hum\u00e0 i sostenible::Degradaci\u00f3 ambiental [\u00c0rees tem\u00e0tiques de la UPC]", "EARTH SYSTEM MODELS", "MINERAL-COMPOSITION", "MODIFIED BAND APPROACH", "7. Clean energy", ":Enginyeria qu\u00edmica::Qu\u00edmica del medi ambient::Qu\u00edmica atmosf\u00e8rica [\u00c0rees tem\u00e0tiques de la UPC]", "SULFURIC-ACID", "\u00c0rees tem\u00e0tiques de la UPC::Enginyeria qu\u00edmica::Qu\u00edmica del medi ambient::Qu\u00edmica atmosf\u00e8rica", "EC-EARTH", "ORGANIC AEROSOL", "\u00c0rees tem\u00e0tiques de la UPC::Desenvolupament hum\u00e0 i sostenible::Degradaci\u00f3 ambiental", "Aerosols", "QE1-996.5", "Escalfament global", "Global warming", "Geology", "Climatic changes", "16. Peace & justice", "Climate Science", "COMPUTATIONAL PERFORMANCE", "DUST AEROSOLS", "Qu\u00edmica atmosf\u00e8rica", "13. Climate action", "GREENHOUSE-GAS CONCENTRATIONS", "BIOMASS BURNING EMISSIONS", "Geosciences", "Klimatvetenskap", "Canvis clim\u00e0tics"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://iris.polito.it/bitstream/11583/2959536/1/vannoije2021_gmd.pdf"}, {"href": "https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/14/5637/2021/gmd-14-5637-2021.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2020-413"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Geoscientific%20Model%20Development", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5194/gmd-2020-413", "name": "item", "description": "10.5194/gmd-2020-413", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5194/gmd-2020-413"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-12-21T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5194/gmd-14-5637-2021", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-24T16:21:17Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-09-13", "title": "EC-Earth3-AerChem: a global climate model with interactive aerosols and atmospheric chemistry participating in CMIP6", "description": "Abstract. This paper documents the global climate model EC-Earth3-AerChem, one of the members of the EC-Earth3 family of models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). EC-Earth3-AerChem has interactive aerosols and atmospheric chemistry and contributes to the Aerosols and Chemistry Model Intercomparison Project (AerChemMIP). In this paper, we give an overview of the model, describe in detail how it differs from the other EC-Earth3 configurations, and outline the new features compared with the previously documented version of the model (EC-Earth 2.4). We explain how the model was tuned and spun up under preindustrial conditions and characterize the model's general performance on the basis of a selection of coupled simulations conducted for CMIP6. The net energy imbalance at the top of the atmosphere in the preindustrial control simulation is on average \u22120.09\u2009W\u2009m\u22122 with a standard deviation due to interannual variability of 0.25\u2009W\u2009m\u22122, showing no significant drift. The global surface air temperature in the simulation is on average 14.08\u2009\u2218C with an interannual standard deviation of 0.17\u2009\u2218C, exhibiting a small drift of 0.015\u2009\u00b1\u20090.005\u2009\u2218C per century. The model's effective equilibrium climate sensitivity is estimated at 3.9\u2009\u2218C, and its transient climate response is estimated at 2.1\u2009\u2218C. The CMIP6 historical simulation displays spurious interdecadal variability in Northern Hemisphere temperatures, resulting in a large spread across ensemble members and a tendency to underestimate observed annual surface temperature anomalies from the early 20th century onwards. The observed warming of the Southern Hemisphere is well reproduced by the model. Compared with the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) Reanalysis version 5 (ERA5), the surface air temperature climatology for 1995\u20132014 has an average bias of \u22120.86\u2009\u00b1\u20090.05\u2009\u2218C with a standard deviation across ensemble members of 0.35\u2009\u2218C in the Northern Hemisphere and 1.29\u2009\u00b1\u20090.02\u2009\u2218C with a corresponding standard deviation of 0.05\u2009\u2218C in the Southern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere warm bias is largely caused by errors in shortwave cloud radiative effects over the Southern Ocean, a deficiency of many climate models. Changes in the emissions of near-term climate forcers (NTCFs) have significant effects on the global climate from the second half of the 20th century onwards. For the SSP3-7.0 Shared Socioeconomic Pathway, the model gives a global warming at the end of the 21st century (2091\u20132100) of 4.9\u2009\u2218C above the preindustrial mean. A 0.5\u2009\u2218C stronger warming is obtained for the AerChemMIP scenario with reduced emissions of NTCFs. With concurrent reductions of future methane concentrations, the warming is projected to be reduced by 0.5\u2009\u2218C.
Abstract. This paper documents the global climate model EC-Earth3-AerChem, one of the members of the EC-Earth3 family of models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). EC-Earth3-AerChem has interactive aerosols and atmospheric chemistry and contributes to the Aerosols and Chemistry Model Intercomparison Project (AerChemMIP). In this paper, we give an overview of the model, describe in detail how it differs from the other EC-Earth3 configurations, and outline the new features compared with the previously documented version of the model (EC-Earth 2.4). We explain how the model was tuned and spun up under preindustrial conditions and characterize the model's general performance on the basis of a selection of coupled simulations conducted for CMIP6. The net energy imbalance at the top of the atmosphere in the preindustrial control simulation is on average \u22120.09\u2009W\u2009m\u22122 with a standard deviation due to interannual variability of 0.25\u2009W\u2009m\u22122, showing no significant drift. The global surface air temperature in the simulation is on average 14.08\u2009\u2218C with an interannual standard deviation of 0.17\u2009\u2218C, exhibiting a small drift of 0.015\u2009\u00b1\u20090.005\u2009\u2218C per century. The model's effective equilibrium climate sensitivity is estimated at 3.9\u2009\u2218C, and its transient climate response is estimated at 2.1\u2009\u2218C. The CMIP6 historical simulation displays spurious interdecadal variability in Northern Hemisphere temperatures, resulting in a large spread across ensemble members and a tendency to underestimate observed annual surface temperature anomalies from the early 20th century onwards. The observed warming of the Southern Hemisphere is well reproduced by the model. Compared with the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) Reanalysis version 5 (ERA5), the surface air temperature climatology for 1995\u20132014 has an average bias of \u22120.86\u2009\u00b1\u20090.05\u2009\u2218C with a standard deviation across ensemble members of 0.35\u2009\u2218C in the Northern Hemisphere and 1.29\u2009\u00b1\u20090.02\u2009\u2218C with a corresponding standard deviation of 0.05\u2009\u2218C in the Southern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere warm bias is largely caused by errors in shortwave cloud radiative effects over the Southern Ocean, a deficiency of many climate models. Changes in the emissions of near-term climate forcers (NTCFs) have significant effects on the global climate from the second half of the 20th century onwards. For the SSP3-7.0 Shared Socioeconomic Pathway, the model gives a global warming at the end of the 21st century (2091\u20132100) of 4.9\u2009\u2218C above the preindustrial mean. A 0.5\u2009\u2218C stronger warming is obtained for the AerChemMIP scenario with reduced emissions of NTCFs. With concurrent reductions of future methane concentrations, the warming is projected to be reduced by 0.5\u2009\u2218C.
Uncertainty in desert dust composition poses a big challenge to understanding Earth\uffe2\uff80\uff99s climate across different epochs. Of particular concern is hematite, an iron-oxide mineral dominating the solar absorption by dust particles, for which current estimates of absorption capacity vary by over two orders of magnitude. Here, we show that laboratory measurements of dust composition, absorption, and scattering provide valuable constraints on the absorption potential of hematite, substantially narrowing its range of plausible values. The success of this constraint is supported by results from an atmospheric transport model compared with station-based measurements. Additionally, we identify substantial bias in simulating hematite abundance in dust aerosols with current soil mineralogy descriptions, underscoring the necessity for improved data sources. Encouragingly, the next-generation imaging spectroscopy remote sensing data hold promise for capturing the spatial variability of hematite. These insights have implications for enhancing dust modeling, thus contributing to efforts in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Manipulative experiments and observations along environmental gradients, the two most common approaches to evaluate the impacts of climate change on nutrient cycling, are generally assumed to produce similar results, but this assumption has rarely been tested. We did so by conducting a meta-analysis and found that soil nutrients responded differentially to drivers of climate change depending on the approach considered. Soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations generally decreased with water addition in manipulative experiments but increased with annual precipitation along environmental gradients. Different patterns were also observed between warming experiments and temperature gradients. Our findings provide evidence of inconsistent results and suggest that manipulative experiments may be better predictors of the causal impacts of short-term (months to years) climate change on soil nutrients but environmental gradients may provide better information for long-term correlations (centuries to millennia) between these nutrients and climatic features. Ecosystem models should consequently incorporate both experimental and observational data to properly assess the impacts of climate change on nutrient cycling.
Trophic interactions within food webs affect species distributions, coexistence, and provision of ecosystem services but can be strongly impacted by climatic changes. Understanding these impacts is therefore essential for managing ecosystems and sustaining human well\uffe2\uff80\uff90being. Here, we conducted a global synthesis of terrestrial, marine, and freshwater studies to identify key gaps in our knowledge of climate change impacts on food webs and determine whether the areas currently studied are those most likely to be impacted by climate change. We found research suffers from a strong geographic bias, with only 3.5% of studies occurring in the tropics. Importantly, the distribution of sites sampled under projected climate changes was biased\uffe2\uff80\uff94areas with decreases or large increases in precipitation and areas with low magnitudes of temperature change were under\uffe2\uff80\uff90represented. Our results suggest that understanding of climate change impacts on food webs could be broadened by considering more than two trophic levels, responses in addition to species abundance and biomass, impacts of a wider suite of climatic variables, and tropical ecosystems. Most importantly, to enable better forecasts of biodiversity responses to climate change, we identify critically under\uffe2\uff80\uff90represented geographic regions and climatic conditions which should be prioritized in future research. Our findings indicate the importance of paleoclimatic information to improve quantitative predictions of global soil C stocks.
We have little information on how and why soil microbial community assembly will respond to predicted increases in aridity by the end of this century. Here, we used correlation networks and structural equation modeling to assess the changes in the abundance of the ecological clusters including potential winner and loser microbial taxa associated with predicted increases in aridity. To do this, we conducted a field survey in an environmental gradient from eastern Australia and obtained information on bacterial and fungal community composition for 120 soil samples and multiple abiotic and biotic factors. Overall, our structural equation model explained 83% of the variance in the two mesic modules. Increases in aridity led to marked shifts in the abundance of the two major microbial modules found in our network, which accounted for >99% of all phylotypes. In particular, the relative abundance of one of these modules, the Mesic Module #1, which was positively related to multiple soil properties and plant productivity, declined strongly with aridity. Conversely, the relative abundance of a second dominant module (Xeric Module #2) was positively correlated with increases in aridity. Our study provides evidence that network analysis is a useful tool to identify microbial taxa that are either winners or losers under increasing aridity and therefore potentially under changing climates. Our work further suggests that climate change, and associated land degradation, could potentially lead to extensive microbial phylotypes exchange and local extinctions, as demonstrated by the reductions of up to 97% in the relative abundance of microbial taxa within Mesic Module #1.Recent hypotheses, based on atmospheric records and models, suggest that permafrost carbon (PF-C) accumulated during the last glaciation may have been an important source for the atmospheric CO2 rise during post-glacial warming. However, direct physical indications for such PF-C release have so far been absent. Here we use the Laptev Sea (Arctic Ocean) as an archive to investigate PF-C destabilization during the last glacial\uffe2\uff80\uff93interglacial period. Our results show evidence for massive supply of PF-C from Siberian soils as a result of severe active layer deepening in response to the warming. Thawing of PF-C must also have brought about an enhanced organic matter respiration and, thus, these findings suggest that PF-C may indeed have been an important source of CO2 across the extensive permafrost domain. The results challenge current paradigms on the post-glacial CO2 rise and, at the same time, serve as a harbinger for possible consequences of the present-day warming of PF-C soils.Despite their importance, how plant communities and soil microorganisms interact to determine the capacity of ecosystems to provide multiple functions simultaneously (multifunctionality) under climate change is poorly known. We conducted a common garden experiment using grassland species to evaluate how plant functional structure and soil microbial (bacteria and protists) diversity and abundance regulate soil multifunctionality responses to joint changes in plant species richness (one, three and six species) and simulated climate change (3\uffc2\uffb0C warming and 35% rainfall reduction). The effects of species richness and climate on soil multifunctionality were indirectly driven via changes in plant functional structure and their relationships with the abundance and diversity of soil bacteria and protists. More specifically, warming selected for the larger and most productive plant species, increasing the average size within communities and leading to reductions in functional plant diversity. These changes increased the total abundance of bacteria that, in turn, increased that of protists, ultimately promoting soil multifunctionality. Our work suggests that cascading effects between plant functional traits and the abundance of multitrophic soil organisms largely regulate the response of soil multifunctionality to simulated climate change, and ultimately provides novel experimental insights into the mechanisms underlying the effects of biodiversity and climate change on ecosystem functioning. Abstract. The large uncertainty in the mineral dust direct radiative effect (DRE) hinders projections of future climate change due to anthropogenic activity. Resolving modeled dust mineral speciation allows for spatially and temporally varying refractive indices consistent with dust aerosol composition. Here, for the first time, we quantify the range in dust DRE at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) due to current uncertainties in the surface soil mineralogical content using a dust mineral-resolving climate model. We propagate observed uncertainties in soil mineral abundances from two soil mineralogy atlases along with the optical properties of each mineral into the DRE and compare the resultant range with other sources of uncertainty across six climate models. The shortwave DRE responds region-specifically to the dust burden depending on the mineral speciation and underlying shortwave surface albedo: positively when the regionally averaged annual surface albedo is larger than 0.28 and negatively otherwise. Among all minerals examined, the shortwave TOA DRE and single scattering albedo at the 0.44\u20130.63\u2009\u00b5m band are most sensitive to the fractional contribution of iron oxides to the total dust composition. The global net (shortwave plus longwave) TOA DRE is estimated to be within \u22120.23 to +0.35\u2009W\u2009m\u22122. Approximately 97\u2009% of this range relates to uncertainty in the soil abundance of iron oxides. Representing iron oxide with solely hematite optical properties leads to an overestimation of shortwave DRE by +0.10\u2009W\u2009m\u22122 at the TOA, as goethite is not as absorbing as hematite in the shortwave spectrum range. Our study highlights the importance of iron oxides to the shortwave DRE: they have a disproportionally large impact on climate considering their small atmospheric mineral mass fractional burden (\u223c2\u2009%). An improved description of iron oxides, such as those planned in the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), is thus essential for more accurate estimates of the dust DRE. Manipulative experiments and observations along environmental gradients, the two most common approaches to evaluate the impacts of climate change on nutrient cycling, are generally assumed to produce similar results, but this assumption has rarely been tested. We did so by conducting a meta-analysis and found that soil nutrients responded differentially to drivers of climate change depending on the approach considered. Soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations generally decreased with water addition in manipulative experiments but increased with annual precipitation along environmental gradients. Different patterns were also observed between warming experiments and temperature gradients. Our findings provide evidence of inconsistent results and suggest that manipulative experiments may be better predictors of the causal impacts of short-term (months to years) climate change on soil nutrients but environmental gradients may provide better information for long-term correlations (centuries to millennia) between these nutrients and climatic features. Ecosystem models should consequently incorporate both experimental and observational data to properly assess the impacts of climate change on nutrient cycling.
Recent research indicates that increased aridity linked to climate change will reduce the diversity of soil microbial communities and shift their community composition in drylands, Earth's largest biome. However, we lack both a theoretical framework and solid empirical evidence of how important biotic components from drylands, such as biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses, will regulate the responses of microbial communities to expected increases in aridity with climate change.
Here we report results from a cross\uffe2\uff80\uff90continental (North America, Europe and Australia) survey of 39 locations from arid to humid ecosystems, where we evaluated how biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses regulate the relationship between aridity and the community composition and diversity of soil bacteria and fungi in dryland ecosystems.
Increasing aridity was negatively related to the richness of fungi, and either positively or negatively related to the relative abundance of selected microbial phyla, when biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses were absent. Conversely, we found an overall lack of relationship between aridity and the relative abundance and richness of microbial communities under biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses.
Our results suggest that biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses mitigate the impact of aridity on the community composition of globally distributed microbial taxa, and the diversity of fungi. They emphasize the importance of maintaining biocrusts as a sanctuary for soil microbes in drylands.
Despite their importance, how plant communities and soil microorganisms interact to determine the capacity of ecosystems to provide multiple functions simultaneously (multifunctionality) under climate change is poorly known. We conducted a common garden experiment using grassland species to evaluate how plant functional structure and soil microbial (bacteria and protists) diversity and abundance regulate soil multifunctionality responses to joint changes in plant species richness (one, three and six species) and simulated climate change (3\uffc2\uffb0C warming and 35% rainfall reduction). The effects of species richness and climate on soil multifunctionality were indirectly driven via changes in plant functional structure and their relationships with the abundance and diversity of soil bacteria and protists. More specifically, warming selected for the larger and most productive plant species, increasing the average size within communities and leading to reductions in functional plant diversity. These changes increased the total abundance of bacteria that, in turn, increased that of protists, ultimately promoting soil multifunctionality. Our work suggests that cascading effects between plant functional traits and the abundance of multitrophic soil organisms largely regulate the response of soil multifunctionality to simulated climate change, and ultimately provides novel experimental insights into the mechanisms underlying the effects of biodiversity and climate change on ecosystem functioning.Recent research indicates that increased aridity linked to climate change will reduce the diversity of soil microbial communities and shift their community composition in drylands, Earth's largest biome. However, we lack both a theoretical framework and solid empirical evidence of how important biotic components from drylands, such as biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses, will regulate the responses of microbial communities to expected increases in aridity with climate change.
Here we report results from a cross\uffe2\uff80\uff90continental (North America, Europe and Australia) survey of 39 locations from arid to humid ecosystems, where we evaluated how biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses regulate the relationship between aridity and the community composition and diversity of soil bacteria and fungi in dryland ecosystems.
Increasing aridity was negatively related to the richness of fungi, and either positively or negatively related to the relative abundance of selected microbial phyla, when biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses were absent. Conversely, we found an overall lack of relationship between aridity and the relative abundance and richness of microbial communities under biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses.
Our results suggest that biocrust\uffe2\uff80\uff90forming mosses mitigate the impact of aridity on the community composition of globally distributed microbial taxa, and the diversity of fungi. They emphasize the importance of maintaining biocrusts as a sanctuary for soil microbes in drylands.
Abstract. The large uncertainty in the mineral dust direct radiative effect (DRE) hinders projections of future climate change due to anthropogenic activity. Resolving modeled dust mineral speciation allows for spatially and temporally varying refractive indices consistent with dust aerosol composition. Here, for the first time, we quantify the range in dust DRE at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) due to current uncertainties in the surface soil mineralogical content using a dust mineral-resolving climate model. We propagate observed uncertainties in soil mineral abundances from two soil mineralogy atlases along with the optical properties of each mineral into the DRE and compare the resultant range with other sources of uncertainty across six climate models. The shortwave DRE responds region-specifically to the dust burden depending on the mineral speciation and underlying shortwave surface albedo: positively when the regionally averaged annual surface albedo is larger than 0.28 and negatively otherwise. Among all minerals examined, the shortwave TOA DRE and single scattering albedo at the 0.44\u20130.63\u2009\u00b5m band are most sensitive to the fractional contribution of iron oxides to the total dust composition. The global net (shortwave plus longwave) TOA DRE is estimated to be within \u22120.23 to +0.35\u2009W\u2009m\u22122. Approximately 97\u2009% of this range relates to uncertainty in the soil abundance of iron oxides. Representing iron oxide with solely hematite optical properties leads to an overestimation of shortwave DRE by +0.10\u2009W\u2009m\u22122 at the TOA, as goethite is not as absorbing as hematite in the shortwave spectrum range. Our study highlights the importance of iron oxides to the shortwave DRE: they have a disproportionally large impact on climate considering their small atmospheric mineral mass fractional burden (\u223c2\u2009%). An improved description of iron oxides, such as those planned in the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), is thus essential for more accurate estimates of the dust DRE.
Manipulative experiments and observations along environmental gradients, the two most common approaches to evaluate the impacts of climate change on nutrient cycling, are generally assumed to produce similar results, but this assumption has rarely been tested. We did so by conducting a meta-analysis and found that soil nutrients responded differentially to drivers of climate change depending on the approach considered. Soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations generally decreased with water addition in manipulative experiments but increased with annual precipitation along environmental gradients. Different patterns were also observed between warming experiments and temperature gradients. Our findings provide evidence of inconsistent results and suggest that manipulative experiments may be better predictors of the causal impacts of short-term (months to years) climate change on soil nutrients but environmental gradients may provide better information for long-term correlations (centuries to millennia) between these nutrients and climatic features. Ecosystem models should consequently incorporate both experimental and observational data to properly assess the impacts of climate change on nutrient cycling.