The impacts of climate change on calcareous grasslands. I. Rationale and climate engineering
- NERC Unit of Comparative Plant Ecology, Sheffield (United Kingdom); and others
Identical manipulative field experiments have been established at two sites in the U.K. to assess the impacts of artificially manipulated climate on the dynamics of calcareous grassland ecosystems. These two sites have contrasting local climate, flora and fauna (the northern site, near Buxton, Derbyshire, is colder and wetter than the southern site, at Wytham, Oxfordshire). In response to inter alia forecasts of climate change (from general circulation models), field manipulations of winter temperature and summer rainfall have been imposed to test how two climate scenarios will affect the structure and function of plant and animal communities. Using robust, non-intrusive techniques developed at UCPE, factorial combinations of elevated winter temperature with either reduced or enhanced summer rainfall were applied to 3m x 3m plots, with five replicates per treatment. Heating cables were attached at the soil/turf interface and the temperature in experimental plots was maintained at 3{degrees}C above ambient by a thermocouple and data acquisition system. Summer rainfall was supplemented with deionized water between June and September. During these months, a 20% enhancement of the long term mean rainfall was achieved. Automatic rainshelters allowed a complete drought to be imposed during July and August. The climate engineering described has proven to be very efficient and is now entering the second year of what will be a long-term study.
- OSTI ID:
- 95824
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9507129-; ISSN 0012-9623; TRN: 95:004728-0089
- Journal Information:
- Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, Vol. 76, Issue 2; Conference: 80. anniversary of the transdisciplinary nature of ecology, Snowbird, UT (United States), 30 Jul - 3 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: Jun 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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