scholarly journals Changes in Allometric Attributes and Biomass of Forests and Woodlands across an Altitudinal and Rainfall Gradient: What Are the Implications of Increasing Seasonality due to Anthropogenic Climate Change?

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Average Height ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Above Ground Biomass ◽  
Rainfall Gradient ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Hydraulic Limitation ◽  
Ground Biomass ◽  
Eastern Australia

Canonical correspondence analysis and linear regressions were used to relate height, diameter, and dispersion measurements of 36,380 stems from 197 species recorded in 2,341 plots against both climatic and landscape variables. Above ground biomass increased in wetter and cooler locations that ameliorate the seasonal rainfall deficits. Taller and greater diameter trees with lower wood densities occur at higher altitudes. Differences between locations are based on a change in the composition of species rather than a change in the allometric properties within a species. The results support the hydraulic limitation and species packing hypotheses. These interrelationships may be affected by the interactions of fire frequency and drought which are a common feature of much of the study area. Under current climate change scenarios it is likely that there will be a reduction in above ground biomass, the number of stems per hectare, average height, average diameter, and basal area due to increasing seasonality of rainfall, temperatures, and the intensity and frequency of fires. The largest of trees are likely to be removed early due to their inability to cope with increased drought stress. The results suggest a marked reduction in carbon storage will occur across the study region in eastern Australia.

Controls of plant diversity attributes over above ground biomass in Sal forests of Eastern India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahul Kumar ◽  
Amit Kumar ◽  
Purabi Saikia
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Above Ground Biomass ◽  
Eastern India ◽  
Shorea Robusta ◽  
Ground Biomass ◽  
Indian Forests

Abstract Background Above ground biomass (AGB) is a useful measure for assessing changes in forest structure and functional, and play a significant role in studying carbon stocks, the effect of deforestation and carbon sequestration on the global carbon balance. The present study aimed to study the relationship between AGB and community parameters in Sal forests of Eastern India through stratified random sampling by lying 92 belt transects each of 0.5 ha size. Results It recorded a high AGB (410.70 Mg ha-1), and carbon stock (Cp) (193.06 Mg C ha-1), and forest wise AGB ranged from 0.19 to 24.75 Mg ha-1 (mean 4.45 ± 0.45 SE). The spatial pattern of AGB showed that maximum studied forests (65%) had very low AGB (<5.00 Mg ha-1), and only one forests (1%) located in the northwest corner of Ranchi had very high AGB (>20 Mg ha-1). Species wise AGB ranged from 0.001 to 7074.94 Mg ha-1 (mean 106 ± 71 SE) and Shorea robusta with maximum basal area (120.81 m2 ha−1) contributed maximum AGB (64.87% of the total AGB), however, no similar trends have been observed in any other tree species. A significant positive correlation was observed between AGB and Cp (r=1.00, p<0.01), H’ (r= .58, p<0.01), Dmg (r= .31, p<0.01), Dmn (r= .49, p<0.01), ENS (r= .57, p<0.01), E (r= .26, p<0.05), and basal area (r= 0.71, p<0.05). However, a negative correlation of AGB was evident with CD (r= -.57, p<0.01), and density (r= - 0.17). Conclusions The relationships differed greatly among plant diversity attributes, basal area, density, AGB, and Cp within and among various forests and the strongest relationships within each forests were always those having greater richness (Dmg, Dmn), diversity (H, ENS), basal area or evenness (E). Estimation of forest Cp enables us to assess the amount of carbon loss during deforestation or the amount of carbon stored during forest regeneration. The present study will directly help in studying the response of climate change on ecosystem productivity, energy and nutrient flow, and for assessing the patterns of carbon sequestration in Indian forests under global climate change.

scholarly journals Modeling impacts of climate change and grazing effects on plant biomass and soil organic carbon in the Qinghai–Tibetan grasslands

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (23) ◽  
pp. 5455-5470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjuan Zhang ◽  
Feng Zhang ◽  
Jiaguo Qi ◽  
Fujiang Hou
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Grazing Intensity ◽  
Ecosystem Change ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Above Ground Biomass ◽  
Ground Biomass

Abstract. The Qinghai Province supports over 40 % of the human population of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) but occupies about 29 % of its land area, and thus it plays an important role in the plateau. The dominant land cover is grassland, which has been severely degraded over the last decade due to a combination of increased human activities and climate change. Numerous studies indicate that the plateau is sensitive to recent global climate change, but the drivers and consequences of grassland ecosystem change are controversial, especially the effects of climate change and grazing patterns on the grassland biomass and soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in this region. In this study, we used the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model and two climate change scenarios (representative concentration pathways: RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) to understand how the grassland biomass and SOC pools might respond to different grazing intensities under future climate change scenarios. More than 1400 grassland biomass sampling points and 46 SOC points were used to validate the simulated results. The simulated above-ground biomass and SOC concentrations were in good agreement with the measured data (R2 0.71 and 0.73 for above-ground biomass and SOC, respectively). The results showed that climate change may be the major factor that leads to fluctuations in the grassland biomass and SOC, and it explained 26.4 and 47.7 % of biomass and SOC variation, respectively. Meanwhile, the grazing intensity explained 6.4 and 2.3 % variation in biomass and SOC, respectively. The project average biomass and SOC between 2015 and 2044 was significantly smaller than past 30 years (1985–2014), and it was 191.17 g C m−2, 63.44 g C kg−1 and 183.62 g C m−2, 63.37 g C kg−1 for biomass and SOC under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively. The RCP8.5 showed the more negative effect on the biomass and SOC compared with RCP4.5. Grazing intensity had a negative relationship with biomass and positive relationship with SOC. Compared with the baseline, the biomass and SOC changed by 12.56 and −0.19 % for G0, 7.23 and 0.23 for G−50, and −5.17 and 1.19 % for G+50. In the future, more human activity and management practices should be coupled into the model simulation.

scholarly journals Forest Structure, Composition and Above Ground Biomass of Tree Community in Tropical Dry Forests of Eastern Ghats, India

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudam Charan SAHU ◽  
H.S. SURESH ◽  
N.H. RAVINDRANATH
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Eastern Ghats ◽  
Tropical Dry Forests ◽  
Above Ground Biomass ◽  
Importance Value ◽  
Shorea Robusta ◽  
Ground Biomass ◽  
C Stocks

The study of biomass, structure and composition of tropical forests implies also the investigation of forest productivity, protection of biodiversity and removal of CO2 from the atmosphere via C-stocks. The hereby study aimed at understanding the forest structure, composition and above ground biomass (AGB) of tropical dry deciduous forests of Eastern Ghats, India, where as a total of 128 sample plots (20 x 20 meters) were laid. The study showed the presence of 71 tree species belonging to 57 genera and 30 families. Dominant tree species was Shorea robusta with an importance value index (IVI) of 40.72, while Combretaceae had the highest family importance value (FIV) of 39.01. Mean stand density was 479 trees ha-1 and a basal area of 15.20 m2 ha-1. Shannon’s diversity index was 2.01 ± 0.22 and Simpson’s index was 0.85 ± 0.03. About 54% individuals were in the size between 10 and 20 cm DBH, indicating growing forests. Mean above ground biomass value was 98.87 ± 68.8 Mg ha-1. Some of the dominant species that contributed to above ground biomass were Shorea robusta (17.2%), Madhuca indica (7.9%), Mangifera indica (6.9%), Terminalia alata (6.9%) and Diospyros melanoxylon (4.4%), warranting extra efforts for their conservation. The results suggested that C-stocks of tropical dry forests can be enhanced by in-situ conserving the high C-density species and also by selecting these species for afforestation and stand improvement programs. Correlations were computed to understand the relationship between above ground biomass, diversity indices, density and basal area, which may be helpful for implementation of REDD+ (reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and foster conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks) scheme.

scholarly journals Impact of climate change on hydro-meteorological drought over the Be River Basin, Viet Nam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dao Nguyen Khoi ◽  
Truong Thao Sam ◽  
Pham Thi Loi ◽  
Bui Viet Hung ◽  
Van Thinh Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Meteorological Drought ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Meteorological Droughts

Abstract In this paper, the responses of hydro-meteorological drought to changing climate in the Be River Basin located in Southern Vietnam are investigated. Climate change scenarios for the study area were statistically downscaled using the Long Ashton Research Station Weather Generator tool, which incorporates climate projections from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) based on an ensemble of five general circulation models (Can-ESM2, CNRM-CM5, HadGEM2-AO, IPSL-CM5A-LR, and MPI-ESM-MR) under two Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). The Soil and Water Assessment Tool model was employed to simulate streamflow for the baseline time period and three consecutive future 20 year periods of 2030s (2021–2040), 2050s (2041–2060), and 2070s (2061–2080). Based on the simulation results, the Standardized Precipitation Index and Standardized Discharge Index were estimated to evaluate the features of hydro-meteorological droughts. The hydrological drought has 1-month lag time from the meteorological drought and the hydro-meteorological droughts have negative correlations with the El Niño Southern Oscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Under the climate changing impacts, the trends of drought severity will decrease in the future; while the trends of drought frequency will increase in the near future period (2030s), but decrease in the following future periods (2050 and 2070s). The findings of this study can provide useful information to the policy and decisionmakers for a better future planning and management of water resources in the study region.

scholarly journals Agroforestry Suitability Mapping for the Northwest Provinces of Vietnam

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 142
Author(s):  
Quyet Manh Vu ◽  
Tri Dan Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Potential Development ◽  
Land Cover Maps ◽  
The Impact

This study aims to assess the potential development of selected agroforestry options for three provinces in the Northwest of Vietnam. Available spatial data including Land use/land cover maps and forest inventory maps were used as the base maps in combination with supplementary data and field survey to determine the potential agroforestry areas. Soil types, soil depth, soil texture, elevation, slope, temperature and rainfall were used to evaluate the biophysical suitability of ten typical agroforestry options in the study region. For assessing the impact of climate change to agroforestry suitability in the future, temperature and precipitation data extracted from two climate changes scenarios (Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 and 8.5 in 2046–2065) were used. The results showed that the suitable areas for agroforestry development in Dien Bien, Sơn La and Yen Bai provinces were 267.74.01 ha, 405,597.96 ha; and 297,995.55 ha, respectively. Changes in temperature and precipitation by 2 climate change scenarios affected significantly to the suitability of Docynia indica + livestock grass, Teak + plum + coffee + grass and Plum + maize + livestock grass options. The map of agroforestry suitability can be served as a useful source in developing and expanding the area of agroforestry in the target provinces, and can be applied for other provinces in the same region in Vietnam.

scholarly journals Assessment of Trace Gas Emissions From Wild Fires in Different Vegetation Types in Northern Ghana: Implications for Global Warming

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Nyadzi ◽  
Mathew I. S. Ezenwa ◽  
Benjamin K. Nyarko ◽  
A. A. Okhimamhe ◽  
Thomas T. Bagamsah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Northern Ghana ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Above Ground Biomass ◽  
Biomass Density ◽  
Savanna Woodland ◽  
Ground Biomass ◽  
Wild Fires

Biomass burning in Northern Ghana is a major cause for concern because of its potential contribution to global warming, hence climate change. This study assessed the emission of trace gases from human activities in the Guinea savanna of Northern Ghana using the guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Carbon content of biomass was determined from four different vegetation covers in the study area; namely, widely open savanna woodland, grass/herb with scattered trees, open savanna woodland and closed savanna woodland. Under each vegetation cover, five plots (1 m x 1 m) were demarcated for the estimation of above-ground biomass density. Using the combustion furnace method, emitted carbon, methane and carbon monoxide were estimated. Results showed that the emitted methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO) differed significantly (p&lt;0.05) under all the vegetation types. The gases were in perfect correlation (r=1.00) with the quantity of above-ground biomass density and carbon released, with more CO being emitted. Emission of CH4 and CO per hectare of burnt area in the open savanna woodland category was the highest with 0.001719 ton and 0.045119 ton respectively. Over time, emission of these gases may increase their atmospheric concentration, causing major health problems. The contribution to global warming, thus climate change, may also become quite significant. This underscores the fact that existing flaws in the wild fire management policy of Ghana must be effectively dealt with and appropriately implemented with regular reviews to reduce the annual wild fires that are very rampant in Northern Ghana, especially during the dry season.

Growth and yield response of winter wheat to soil warming and rainfall patterns

2010 ◽  
Vol 148 (5) ◽  
pp. 553-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. PATIL ◽  
M. LAEGDSMAND ◽  
J. E. OLESEN ◽  
J. R. PORTER
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Rainfall Amount ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Above Ground Biomass ◽  
Soil Warming ◽  
Ground Biomass ◽  
Rainfall Frequency ◽  
Crop Development

SUMMARYIt is predicted that climate change will increase not only seasonal air and soil temperatures in northern Europe but also the variability of rainfall patterns. This may influence temporal soil moisture regimes and the growth and yield of winter wheat. A lysimeter experiment was carried out in 2008/09 with three factors: rainfall amount, rainfall frequency and soil warming (two levels in each factor), on sandy loam soil in Denmark. The soil warming treatment included non-heated as the control and an increase in soil temperature by 5°C at 100 mm depth as heated. The rainfall treatment included the site mean for 1961–90 as the control and the projected monthly mean change for 2071–2100 under the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) A2 scenario for the climate change treatment. Projected monthly mean changes in rainfall compared to the reference period 1961–90 show, on average, 31% increase during winter (November–March) and 24% decrease during summer (July–September) with no changes during spring (April–June). The rainfall frequency treatment included mean monthly rainy days for 1961–90 as the control and a reduced frequency treatment with only half the number of rainy days of the control treatment, without altering the monthly mean rainfall amount. Mobile rain-out shelters, automated irrigation system and insulated heating cables were used to impose the treatments.Soil warming hastened crop development during early stages (until stem elongation) and shortened the total crop growing season by 12 days without reducing the period taken for later development stages. Soil warming increased green leaf area index (GLAI) and above-ground biomass during early growth, which was accompanied by an increased amount of nitrogen (N) in plants. However, the plant N concentration and its dilution pattern during later developmental stages followed the same pattern in both heated and control plots. Increased soil moisture deficit was observed only during the period when crop growth was significantly enhanced by soil warming. However, soil warming reduced N concentration in above-ground biomass during the entire growing period, except at harvest, by advancing crop development. Soil warming had no effect on the number of tillers, but reduced ear number and increased 1000 grain weight. This did not affect grain yield and total above-ground biomass compared with control. This suggests that genotypes with a longer vegetative period would probably be better adapted to future warmer conditions. The rainfall pattern treatments imposed in the present study did not influence either soil moisture regimes or performance of winter wheat, though the crop receiving future rainfall amount tended to retain more green leaf area. There was no significant interaction between the soil warming and rainfall treatments on crop growth.

Allometric relationships and community biomass estimates for some dominant eucalypts in Central Queensland woodlands

2000 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 707 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Burrows ◽  
M. B. Hoffmann ◽  
J. F. Compton ◽  
P. V. Back ◽  
L. J. Tait
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Allometric Equations ◽  
Allometric Relationships ◽  
Above Ground Biomass ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Inventory ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Ground Biomass ◽  
Eucalyptus Crebra ◽  
The Mean

Allometric equations are presented relating stem circumference to branch, leaf, trunk, bark, total above-ground and lignotuber biomass for Eucalyptus crebra F.Muell. (woodland trees), E. melanophloia Sol. Ex Gaerth. (both woodland and regrowth community trees) and E. populnea F.Muell. (woodland trees). There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) between the slopes of individual lognormal regression lines plotting stem circumference against total above-ground biomass for E. crebra, E. melanophloia and E. populnea. Root-to-shoot ratios and leaf area indices were also determined for the stands contributing to each regression. The regressions were then applied to measured eucalypt stems in the associated plant community to give estimates of each stand’s component (eucalypt tree fraction only) biomass per hectare. These eucalypt regressions were next applied to measured stems of each species on a total of 33 woodland sites in which these eucalypts individually contributed > 75% of total site basal area. Above-ground biomass/basal area relationships averaged 6.74 0.29 t m–2 basal area for 11 E. crebra sites, 5.11 0.28 t m–2 for 12 E. melanophloia sites and 5.81 0.11 t m–2 for 10 E. populnea sites. The mean relationship for all sites was 5.86 0.18 t m–2 basal area. The allometric relationships presented at both individual tree and stand levels, along with calculated biomass : basal area relationships, enable ready estimates to be made of above-ground biomass (carbon stocks) in woodlands dominated by these eucalypts in Queensland, assuming individual stem circumferences or community basal areas are known. However, to document changes in carbon stocks (e.g. for Greenhouse Gas Inventory or Carbon Offset trading purposes), more attention needs to be placed on monitoring fluxes in the independent variables (predictors) of these allometric equations.

scholarly journals Detection of large above-ground biomass variability in lowland forest ecosystems by airborne LiDAR

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 3917-3930 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Jubanski ◽  
U. Ballhorn ◽  
K. Kronseder ◽  
F. Siegert ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Above Ground Biomass ◽  
Inventory Data ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Lowland Forest ◽  
Change Models ◽  
Ground Biomass

Abstract. Quantification of tropical forest above-ground biomass (AGB) over large areas as input for Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) projects and climate change models is challenging. This is the first study which attempts to estimate AGB and its variability across large areas of tropical lowland forests in Central Kalimantan (Indonesia) through correlating airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to forest inventory data. Two LiDAR height metrics were analysed, and regression models could be improved through the use of LiDAR point densities as input (R2 = 0.88; n = 52). Surveying with a LiDAR point density per square metre of about 4 resulted in the best cost / benefit ratio. We estimated AGB for 600 km of LiDAR tracks and showed that there exists a considerable variability of up to 140% within the same forest type due to varying environmental conditions. Impact from logging operations and the associated AGB losses dating back more than 10 yr could be assessed by LiDAR but not by multispectral satellite imagery. Comparison with a Landsat classification for a 1 million ha study area where AGB values were based on site-specific field inventory data, regional literature estimates, and default values by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) showed an overestimation of 43%, 102%, and 137%, respectively. The results show that AGB overestimation may lead to wrong greenhouse gas (GHG) emission estimates due to deforestation in climate models. For REDD+ projects this leads to inaccurate carbon stock estimates and consequently to significantly wrong REDD+ based compensation payments.

Biomass and above-ground productivity of salt-marsh plants in south-eastern Australia

1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 1521 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJ Clarke ◽  
CA Jacoby
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Above Ground Biomass ◽  
Ground Biomass ◽  
Sporobolus Virginicus ◽  
Eastern Australia

The above-ground biomass of three dominant salt-marsh vascular plants (Juncus kraussii, Sarcocornia quinquejlora and Sporobolus virginicus) was measured to assess both spatial and temporal variation and to provide baseline data. Additionally, the culm dynamics of the rush J. kraussii were measured so that aboveground productivity could be estimated. No distinct seasonal patterns were detected in above-ground biomass in J. kraussii. Averaged over all sites and times, the above-ground biomass of J. kraussii was 1116 g dry weight m-2. Culms are replaced annually, hence standing crop approximated annual above-ground productivity. Much of the dead aboveground biomass appears to accumulate in the upper marsh, as evidenced by the elevated nutrient and organic carbon content of the soil there relative to the sediment in the mangrove zone. Above-ground biomass of the decumbent perennial grass Sporobolus virginicus and the procumbent perennial chenopod Sarcocornia quinqueflora showed no consistent spatial or temporal trends. The above-ground standing crops of these species were about one-third that of J. kraussii.

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