Project description
Providing a new perspective on changes in carbon and water cycles
The stomata control the gas exchange between vegetation and the atmosphere. Climate change and elevated CO2 levels affect the stomatal regulation of this exchange, which in turn impacts on water use efficiency (WUE). It is hard to gauge the extent of this impact as models present varying results. Similarly, current land surface models also differ in their results, making it hard to understand the magnitude and patterns of variability in WUE. Addressing this, the EU-funded ECAW-ISO project is developing the use of carbon isotopes (13C) in terrestrial biosphere modelling to better understand and predict terrestrial carbon and water cycles and to evaluate their representation in models.
Objective
Water-use efficiency (WUE, the carbon gained through photosynthesis per unit of water lost through transpiration) is a tracer of the plant physiological controls on the exchange of water and carbon dioxide between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. Rising CO2 concentrations and climate change both affect the stomatal regulation of leaf gas exchange and must influence WUE. However, the magnitude of change in plant WUE estimated by different methods differs strongly amongst studies, indicating unresolved issues. Moreover, current land surface models produce inconsistent and often unrealistic magnitudes and patterns of variability in WUE. This project thus aims at developing the use of carbon isotopes (13C) in terrestrial biosphere modelling to better understand and predict terrestrial carbon and water cycling and to evaluate their representation in models. We will perform a detailed investigation of the influences on discrimination against 13C during photosynthesis and their representation on various scales in the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) model, which forms the land component of the UK Earth System Model, and implement the resulting discrimination model in JULES. We will then evaluate historical simulations of past changes in WUE and quantify the relative contributions of each forcing (climate and CO2) on WUE trends. Finally, we will perform projections of future changes in WUE following the 1.5°C and 2°C targets in global average temperature rise by 2100 proposed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This project will contribute to the establishment of an improved theoretical and empirical basis for next-generation land surface modelling, and will address key uncertainties including the magnitude of changes in carbon and water cycling, which are requested by policy makers.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences meteorology biosphera
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software software applications simulation software
- natural sciences biological sciences botany
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
SW7 2AZ London
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.