Dataset Information

Characteristics of free air carbon dioxide enrichment of a northern temperate mature forest.

ABSTRACT: In 2017, the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR) began to conduct Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) within a mature broadleaf deciduous forest situated in the United Kingdom. BIFoR FACE employs large-scale infrastructure, in the form of lattice towers, forming 'arrays' which encircle a forest plot of ~30 m diameter. BIFoR FACE consists of three treatment arrays to elevate local CO2 concentrations (e[CO2 ]) by +150 µmol/mol. In practice, acceptable operational enrichment (ambient [CO2 ] + e[CO2 ]) is ±20% of the set point 1-min average target. There are a further three arrays that replicate the infrastructure and deliver ambient air as paired controls for the treatment arrays. For the first growing season with e[CO2 ] (April to November 2017), [CO2 ] measurements in treatment and control arrays show that the target concentration was successfully delivered, that is: +147 ± 21 µmol/mol (mean ± SD) or 98 ± 14% of set point enrichment target. e[CO2 ] treatment was accomplished for 97.7% of the scheduled operation time, with the remaining time lost due to engineering faults (0.6% of the time), CO2 supply issues (0.6%) or adverse weather conditions (1.1%). CO2 demand in the facility was driven predominantly by wind speed and the formation of the deciduous canopy. Deviations greater than 10% from the ambient baseline CO2 occurred <1% of the time in control arrays. Incidences of cross-contamination >80 µmol/mol (i.e. >53% of the treatment increment) into control arrays accounted for <0.1% of the enrichment period. The median [CO2 ] values in reconstructed three-dimensional [CO2 ] fields show enrichment somewhat lower than the target but still well above ambient. The data presented here provide confidence in the facility setup and can be used to guide future next-generation forest FACE facilities built into tall and complex forest stands.

SUBMITTER: Hart KM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7027798 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Characteristics of free air carbon dioxide enrichment of a northern temperate mature forest.

Hart Kris M KM Curioni Giulio G Blaen Phillip P Harper Nicholas J NJ Miles Peter P Lewin Keith F KF Nagy John J Bannister Edward J EJ Cai Xiaoming M XM Thomas Rick M RM Krause Stefan S Tausz Michael M MacKenzie A Robert AR

Global change biology 20190911 2

In 2017, the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR) began to conduct Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) within a mature broadleaf deciduous forest situated in the United Kingdom. BIFoR FACE employs large-scale infrastructure, in the form of lattice towers, forming 'arrays' which encircle a forest plot of ~30 m diameter. BIFoR FACE consists of three treatment arrays to elevate local CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations (e[CO<sub>2</sub> ]) by +150 µmol/mol. In practice, acceptable operat ...[more]

PMID: 31376229

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Project description:Cold-air pooling is an important topoclimatic process that creates temperature inversions with the coldest air at the lowest elevations. Incomplete understanding of sub-canopy spatiotemporal cold-air pooling dynamics and associated ecological impacts hinders predictions and conservation actions related to climate change and cold-dependent species and functions. To determine if and how cold-air pooling influences forest composition, we characterized the frequency, strength, and temporal dynamics of cold-air pooling in the sub-canopy at local to regional scales in New England, USA. We established a network of 48 plots along elevational transects and continuously measured sub-canopy air temperatures for 6-10 months (depending on site). We then estimated overstory and understory community temperature preferences by surveying tree composition in each plot and combining these data with known species temperature preferences. We found that cold-air pooling was frequent (19-43% seasonal occurrences) and that sites with the most frequent inversions displayed inverted forest composition patterns across slopes with more cold-adapted species, namely conifers, at low instead of high elevations. We also observed both local and regional variability in cold-air pooling dynamics, revealing that while cold-air pooling is common, it is also spatially complex. Our study, which uniquely focused on broad spatial and temporal scales, has revealed some rarely reported cold-air pooling dynamics. For instance, we discovered frequent and strong temperature inversions that occurred across seasons and in some locations were most frequent during the daytime, likely affecting forest composition. Together, our results show that cold-air pooling is a fundamental ecological process that requires integration into modeling efforts predicting future forest vegetation patterns under climate change, as well as greater consideration for conservation strategies identifying potential climate refugia for cold-adapted species.

Dataset Information

Characteristics of free air carbon dioxide enrichment of a northern temperate mature forest.

Publications

Characteristics of free air carbon dioxide enrichment of a northern temperate mature forest.

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