GFI/BCCR Seminar: Proposal discussion: Integrating observations of biological function into Earth System Models to predict climate feedbacks

Daniel B. Hewins (University of Alberta, Canada):

Proposal discussion: Integrating observations of biological function into Earth System Models to predict climate feedbacks

Abstract
Global climate change, in response to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is expected to increase global temperatures by 2-4°C in the coming century. Temperature increases are associated with the balance of atmospheric GHG concentrations and the uptake by terrestrial ecosystems. In addition to warming, the global change has strong potential to impact terrestrial biogeochemistry by principally reshaping ecosystems and the mechanisms by which they cycle carbon (C).

Presently, there is a large uncertainty as to how terrestrial ecosystem structure and functions will respond to increased GHG concentrations (i.e. CO2). However, research suggests potential the strong potential for shifts in the plant communities, which are responsible for recapturing CO2 by photosynthesis, and changes in the rates of microbial functioning, which may lead to further release of CO2. In order to better predict the impact of future climate on the climate system, the proposed work aims to link a global network of sites, which are actively collecting an array of biophysical information with cutting-edge models to investigate the interactions between warming and changes in plant communities.

The proposed work aims to investigate the interactions between warming and biological communities and test innovative hypotheses using cutting-edge land based Earth System Models (ESMs), which for the first time integrate biological aspects of ecosystems into land ESMs.