global change biology2019: biogeochemistry · 18.02.2019 global change biology 2019 -intro...

Global Change Biology 2019: Biogeochemistry18 February 2019

Susanne Burri

18.02.2019 Global Change Biology 2019 - Intro Biogeochemistry 2

…Global change encompasses climate change, but it also includes other critical drivers of environmental change that may interact with climate change, such as land use change, the alteration of the water cycle, changes in biogeochemical cycles, and biodiversity loss.(US Global Change Research Program)

Global Change

What is biogeochemistry?


Biogeochemistry is the study of changes in the earth system due to the combined activities of chemical, geological, and biological processes and reactions. (Monson & Baldocchi 2014, p. 2)

Biogeochemistry is a unique, interdisciplinary science(Schlesinger et al. 1991, p. 3)

H2O CO2 CH4 N2OAerosol particles Clouds

Infrared absorption

Backscatterof solar radiation

Reflection ofsolar radiation

Cloud condensation

nuclei

GLO

BAL HE

AT BAL

ANCE

LAND

OCEAN


Natural biogeochemical cyclesEvap

otranspiratio

n

Precipita

tion

Water cycle

Respira

tion an

dfire

Photosynthesis

Carbon cycle

(Ocean biogeochemistry not tobe addressed in this course)

Carbon cycle


Schulze et al. (in production) Plant Ecology. Springer, 2nd editionNumbers from Cias et al. (2013), IPCC2013

123 PgC yr‐1 119 PgC yr‐1

80 ‐ 100 Pg C yr‐1

Carbon cycle


Högberg et al. (2001), Nature

x

Tree-girdling experiment in Sweden(Removal of bark at 1.5m)

Carbon cycle


Schulze et al. (in production) Plant Ecology. Springer, 2nd editionNumbers from Cias et al. (2013), IPCC2013

123 PgC yr‐1 119 PgC yr‐1

80 ‐ 100 Pg C yr‐1

Is an ecosystem a C source or a sink?


Eugster and Merbold (2015), Soil

Net ecosystem exchange(NEE, µmol m-2 s-1)

The Eddy Covariance Method

Respira

tion

Photosynthesis



Etzold (2010), PhD thesis

Net ecosystemexchange

(NEE, µmol m-2 s-1)Davos‐Seehornwald Re

spira

tion (TER

)

Photosynthesis(GPP

)



Hörtnagl et al. (unpublished)

Davos‐Seehornwald

20 years of eddycovariance flux data


Infrared absorption



Cloud condensation

nuclei

GLO

BAL HE

AT BAL

ANCE

LAND

OCEAN



otranspiratio

n

Precipita

tion

Water cycle

Respira

tion an

dfire

Photosynthesis

Carbon cycle

Anaerobicrespira

tion

Oxida

tion in so

ils

CH4 fluxes in forests


Davos‐Seehornwald

Burri et al. (unpublished)

Oxida

tion in so

ils

CH4 fluxes in forests – surprises!


Welch et al. (2018), Global Change Biology


Infrared absorption



Cloud condensation

nuclei

GLO

BAL HE

AT BAL

ANCE

LAND

OCEAN



otranspiratio

n

Precipita

tion

Water cycle

Respira

tion an

dfire

Photosynthesis

Carbon cycle

Anaerobicrespira

tion

Oxida

tion in so

ils

Denitrificatio

n

Soils

unde

rnaturalvegetatio

n

Nitrogen cycle


Infrared absorption



Cloud condensation

nuclei

GLO

BAL HE

AT BAL

ANCE

LAND

OCEAN


Human impact on biogeochemical cycles

Nitrogen cycleWater cycle Carbon cycle

Agriculture / Forestry

Agric

ulture

Water

man

agem

ent

Livestock, Rice cultivatio

n

Land

use

chan

ge


Infrared absorption



Cloud condensation

nuclei

GLO

BAL HE

AT BAL

ANCE

LAND

OCEAN





Land

use

chan

ge

Agric

ulture

Water

man

agem

ent

Industry

Land

fills, waste, fossil fu

els,

biom

assb

urning

Fossil fuels, cem

ent

prod

uctio

n

Fossil fuels, biomassb

urning

from

atmosph

ericde

position


n

N2O fluxes in a managed grassland


Chamau

Merbold et al. (2014), Global Change Biology

Ploughing 1st cutMineral fertilizer


Infrared absorption



Cloud condensation

nuclei

GLO

BAL HE

AT BAL

ANCE

LAND

OCEAN





Agric

ulture

Water

man

agem

ent

IndustryFossil fuels, biomassb

urning

from

atmosph

ericde

position

Fossil fuels, cem

ent

prod

uctio

n

Land


els,

biom

assb

urning

Land

use

chan

ge


n

Christen (2014), Urban Climate

Biogeochemical cycles in urban areas



Infrared absorption



Cloud condensation

nuclei

GLO

BAL HE

AT BAL

ANCE

LAND

OCEAN





Agric

ulture

Water

man

agem

ent


urning

from

atmosph

ericde

position

INCREASED GHG EFFECT ‐> CLIMATE CHANGE

Fossil fuels, cem

ent

prod

uctio

n

Land


els,

biom

assb

urning

Land

use

chan

ge


n


Infrared absorption



Cloud condensation

nuclei

GLO

BAL HE

AT BAL

ANCE

LAND

OCEAN


Impact of climate changebiogeochemical cycles



Agric

ulture

Water

man

agem

ent


urning

from

atmosph

ericde

position

Fossil fuels, cem

ent

prod

uctio

n

Land


els,

biom

assb

urning

Land

use

chan

ge


n

Impact of climate change on biogeochemical cycling


Reichstein et al. (2013), Nature

Impact ofextreme eventson C cycling



Ciais et al. 2005, Nature)

Summer 2003



Ciais et al. (2005), Nature

Summer 2003



A lot more……complex…diverse…full of surprises, fun!

global change biology2019: biogeochemistry · 18.02.2019 global change biology 2019 -intro...

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