Objective
Long-term effects of C02-increase and climate change on European forests (LTEEF) are expected to lead to significant changes in vegetation-atmosphere interactions such as exchange of energy, carbon dioxide and Water vapour, and may have far-reaching consequences for forest growth, especially concerning drought, competition between species, the length of growing periods, and the overall ecosystem carbon balance. This also will have consequences for catchment or landscape hydrology, and for feedback of vegetation-atmosphere interactions of carbon and Water. The LTEEF project (funded under EC-Environment II as EV5V-cT94- 0468) focusses on carbon and water fluxes. To understand ecosystem response to changing climate, feedback mechanisms both at the level of the individual processes, and at the tree and stand level are studied by means of functional analysis and modelling. Within the LTEEF project, forest models are being refined and further developed, and tested against field data. The LTEEF project unites most of the modelling groups in Europe with experimentalists specialising in gas exchange and Water fluxes, so that modelling can be integrated With the latest and best experimental work. The LTEEF objectives require linkages of models over several hierarchical scales within the forest ecosystem. There are two interfaces of overruling importance in this: (1) interception of radiation and assimilation of carbon dioxide as driven by photosynthesis and light interception, and (2) loss of water concurrent with assimilation of carbon dioxide in the photosynthetic process. The proposed project addresses these tW0 issues both from the theoretical point of view (light interception in relation to canopy structure), and from a very practical, monitoring point of view (sapflow and transpiration in relation to canopy structure and site condition). For this recentlv developed models and measurement systems Will be used. These have been extensively tested under field conditions, and in theoretical analvsis and enable comparative analysis for a range of sites throughout Europe. With the ongoing LTEEF activities, it thus feasible to extend the analysis of climate impacts of forests, and to strengthen the link between ecosystem models of vegetation-atmosphere interactions, and remotely sensed dynamic canopy characteristics and Global Climate Models.
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
6700 AA WAGENINGEN
Netherlands