scholarly journals Climatic influence on the anthrax niche in warming northern latitudes

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Walsh ◽  
Allard W. de Smalen ◽  
Siobhan M. Mor
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Pastoralist Communities ◽  
Northern Latitudes ◽  
Landscape Suitability

AbstractClimate change is impacting ecosystem structure and function, with potentially drastic downstream effects on human and animal health. Emerging zoonotic diseases are expected to be particularly vulnerable to climate and biodiversity disturbance. Anthrax is an archetypal zoonosis that manifests its most significant burden on vulnerable pastoralist communities. The current study sought to investigate the influence of temperature increases on the landscape suitability of anthrax in the temperate, boreal, and arctic North, where observed climate impact has been rapid. This study also explored the influence of climate relative to more traditional factors, such as livestock distribution, ungulate biodiversity, and soil-water balance, in demarcating high risk landscapes. Machine learning was used to model landscape suitability as the ecological niche of anthrax in northern latitudes. The model identified climate, livestock density and wild ungulate species richness as the most influential landscape features in predicting suitability. These findings highlight the significance of warming temperatures for anthrax ecology in northern latitudes, and suggest potential mitigating effects of interventions targeting megafauna biodiversity conservation in grassland ecosystems, and animal health promotion among small to midsize livestock herds.Significance StatementWe present evidence that a warming climate may be associated with the current distribution of anthrax risk in the temperate, boreal, and arctic North. Moreover, projected warming over the coming decades was associated with substantive expansion of this risk. In addition, livestock distribution, ungulate biodiversity, and soil-water balance were also influential to anthrax risk. While these results are sobering for the future health of livestock and pastoralist communities in the northern latitudes, the coincident modulating effect of ungulate biodiversity may suggest targeted ecosystem conservation as a possible buffer against a growing anthrax niche.

Soil water balance dynamics under plastic mulching in dryland rainfed agroecosystem across the Loess Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 312 ◽  
pp. 107354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ai-Tian Ren ◽  
Rui Zhou ◽  
Fei Mo ◽  
Shu-Tong Liu ◽  
Ji-Yuan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Plastic Mulching ◽  
Balance Dynamics

scholarly journals Energy balance closure on a winter wheat stand: comparing the eddy covariance technique with the soil water balance method

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Imukova ◽  
J. Ingwersen ◽  
M. Hevart ◽  
T. Streck
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Water Balance Method ◽  
Closure Method

Abstract. The energy balance of eddy covariance (EC) flux data is typically not closed. The nature of the gap is usually not known, which hampers using EC data to parameterize and test models. In the present study we cross-checked the evapotranspiration data obtained with the EC method (ETEC) against ET rates measured with the soil water balance method (ETWB) at winter wheat stands in southwest Germany. During the growing seasons 2012 and 2013, we continuously measured, in a half-hourly resolution, latent heat (LE) and sensible (H) heat fluxes using the EC technique. Measured fluxes were adjusted with either the Bowen-ratio (BR), H or LE post-closure method. ETWB was estimated based on rainfall, seepage and soil water storage measurements. The soil water storage term was determined at sixteen locations within the footprint of an EC station, by measuring the soil water content down to a soil depth of 1.5 m. In the second year, the volumetric soil water content was additionally continuously measured in 15 min resolution in 10 cm intervals down to 90 cm depth with sixteen capacitance soil moisture sensors. During the 2012 growing season, the H post-closed LE flux data (ETEC =  3.4 ± 0.6 mm day−1) corresponded closest with the result of the WB method (3.3 ± 0.3 mm day−1). ETEC adjusted by the BR (4.1 ± 0.6 mm day−1) or LE (4.9 ± 0.9 mm day−1) post-closure method were higher than the ETWB by 24 and 48 %, respectively. In 2013, ETWB was in best agreement with ETEC adjusted with the H post-closure method during the periods with low amount of rain and seepage. During these periods the BR and LE post-closure methods overestimated ET by about 46 and 70 %, respectively. During a period with high and frequent rainfalls, ETWB was in-between ETEC adjusted by H and BR post-closure methods. We conclude that, at most observation periods on our site, LE is not a major component of the energy balance gap. Our results indicate that the energy balance gap is made up by other energy fluxes and unconsidered or biased energy storage terms.

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