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Ecosystem Modelling of Biospheric Responses to Anomalous Climate Events with Sun-Induced Fluorescence

Project description

New model predicts plant productivity during extreme events

Climate change is intensifying heatwaves and droughts, posing significant threat to European ecosystems. These extreme events reduce plant productivity and disrupt the carbon cycle, making it harder to predict their long-term impacts. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the EMBRACE-SIF project will help improve modelling of plant photosynthesis during such events. EMBRACE-SIF will upgrade current models such as ORCHIDEE that struggle to capture how plants respond to heat and drought, especially when it comes to energy dissipation processes. To this end, it will extend a currently used photosynthesis framework and refine key parameters of ORCHIDEE using unique datasets. By enhancing predictions of plant productivity during past and future heatwaves, EMBRACE-SIF will support Europe’s target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Objective

Heatwaves and droughts, intensified by climate change, pose a significant threat to European ecosystems, reducing gross primary productivity (GPP) and disrupting the global carbon cycle. The EMBRACE-SIF project seeks to improve the predictive accuracy of sun-induced fluorescence (SIF)-enabled terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) under stress conditions. Currently, models like ORCHIDEE struggle to capture the photosynthetic response during extreme events due to limitations in modeling photosynthesis and characterizing non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). To overcome these challenges, the project will implement the Johnson and Berry (J&B) photosynthesis model, which provides a mechanistic framework for electron transport rates (ETR), and extend it to better represent NPQ under heat and drought stress. Using the unique Austro-SIF dataset and assimilating canopy-scale SIF and GPP data, EMBRACE-SIF will optimize key parameters in ORCHIDEE, enhancing its ability to simulate GPP during past European heatwaves (e.g. 2003, 2010, 2018, 2022) and at a global scale. The project's results will improve GPP predictions, contributing to climate resilience and supporting the European Green Deal's target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Additionally, it will strengthen the fellow's expertise in remote sensing and biosphere modeling, positioning them for leadership in these critical fields.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01

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Coordinator

COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
Net EU contribution
€ 226 420,56
Address
RUE LEBLANC 25
75015 Paris
France
Region
Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris
Activity type
Research Organisations
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Total cost
No data

Partners (3)