New database allows climate prediction
The results of the ECOCRAFT project form the comprehensive database of records of the responses of trees to environmental change, which was compiled within the framework of the European Commission's environment and climate programme. The project investigated how predicted increases in temperature and carbon dioxide would affect European forests and has produced a data set spanning over seven years, and is therefore a unique resource for modeling the impact of climate change. The data provides a basis for assessing the impacts of rising carbon and nitrogen deposition on carbon-dioxide sequestration, as required by the Kyoto Protocol. Currently, the database holds over 5000 standardized parameter values, such as photosynthesis and respiration. It also includes model equations defining the parameters stored in the database, text definitions and meta-data about the experiments conducted, the treatment applied, and the accuracy of parameter values. This database can be viewed on the Web at: URL: http://www.ed.ac.uk/~bmedlyn/database(opens in new window) The ECOCRAFT project has been funded under the framework of successive European Union research and development programmes in the field of the environment. The EC also recently granted the project supplementary financial support in order to consolidate the ECOCRAFT database and make it more accessible to users in research projects and climate-impact assessments.