Dataset Information

Design of the tundra rainfall experiment (TRainEx) to simulate future summer precipitation scenarios.

ABSTRACT: The majority of climate models predict severe increases in future temperature and precipitation in the Arctic. Increases in temperature and precipitation can lead to an intensification of the hydrologic cycle that strongly impacts Arctic environmental conditions. In order to investigate effects of future precipitation scenarios on ecosystems, precipitation manipulation experiments are being performed to simulate drought and extreme precipitation conditions. However, most of the existing research so far has been unevenly distributed, primarily focusing on temperate grasslands and woodlands. Despite large changes in the predicted precipitation and potentially high sensitivity of the Arctic tundra ecosystem to these changes, it is among the most understudied ecosystems for precipitation manipulation experiments. Gherardi and Sala (2013) presented a design for precipitation manipulation experiments that, relative to other methods at the time, was cheap, simplistic, and easily reproducible. In this study, we:•Present modifications to the original Gherardi and Sala (2013) design that are adapted to cold, harsh conditions, such as those present in the Siberian Arctic tundra.•Provide a detailed documentation of the improved design.•Validate our modified experimental design based on the first two years of our experiment.

SUBMITTER: Grysko R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8374398 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Design of the tundra rainfall experiment (TRainEx) to simulate future summer precipitation scenarios.

Grysko Raleigh R Plekhanova Elena E Oehri Jacqueline J Karsanaev Sergey V SV Maximov Trofim C TC Schaepman-Strub Gabriela G

MethodsX 20210404

The majority of climate models predict severe increases in future temperature and precipitation in the Arctic. Increases in temperature and precipitation can lead to an intensification of the hydrologic cycle that strongly impacts Arctic environmental conditions. In order to investigate effects of future precipitation scenarios on ecosystems, precipitation manipulation experiments are being performed to simulate drought and extreme precipitation conditions. However, most of the existing research ...[more]

PMID: 34430238

Similar Datasets

Project description:Climate models predict shifts in the amount, frequency and seasonality of rainfall. Given close links between grassland productivity and rainfall, such changes are likely to have profound effects on the functioning of grassland ecosystems and modify species interactions. Here, we introduce a unique, new experimental platform - DRI-Grass (Drought and Root Herbivore Interactions in a Grassland) - that exposes a south-eastern Australian grassland to five rainfall regimes [Ambient (AMB), increased amount (IA, +50%), reduced amount (RA, -50%), reduced frequency (RF, single rainfall event every 21 days, with total amount unchanged) and summer drought (SD, 12-14 weeks without water, December-March)], and contrasting levels of root herbivory. Incorporation of a belowground herbivore (root-feeding scarabs) addition treatment allows novel investigation of ecological responses to the twin stresses of altered rainfall and root herbivory. We quantified effects of permanently installed rain shelters on microclimate by comparison with outside plots, identifying small shelter effects on air temperature (-0.19°C day, +0.26°C night), soil water content (SWC; -8%) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR; -16%). Shelters were associated with modest increases in net primary productivity (NPP), particularly during the cool season. Rainfall treatments generated substantial differences in SWC, with the exception of IA; the latter is likely due to a combination of higher transpiration rates associated with greater plant biomass in IA and the low water-holding capacity of the well-drained, sandy soil. Growing season NPP was strongly reduced by SD, but did not respond to the other rainfall treatments. Addition of root herbivores did not affect plant biomass and there were no interactions between herbivory and rainfall treatments in the 1st year of study. Root herbivory did, however, induce foliar silicon-based defenses in Cynodon dactylon and Eragrostis curvula. Rapid recovery of NPP following resumption of watering in SD plots indicates high functional resilience at the site, and may reflect adaptation of the vegetation to historically high variability in rainfall, both within- and between years. DRI-Grass provides a unique platform for understanding how ecological interactions will be affected by changing rainfall regimes and, specifically, how belowground herbivory modifies grassland resistance and resilience to climate extremes.

Project description:BackgroundThe southeastern United States consistently has high salmonellosis incidence, but disease drivers remain unknown. Salmonella is regularly detected in this region's natural environment, leading to numerous exposure opportunities. Rainfall patterns may impact the survival/transport of environmental Salmonella in ways that can affect disease transmission.ObjectivesThis study investigated associations between short-term precipitation (extreme rainfall events) and longer-term precipitation (rainfall conditions antecedent to these extreme events) on salmonellosis counts in the state of Georgia in the United States.MethodsFor the period 1997-2016, negative binomial models estimated associations between weekly county-level extreme rainfall events (≥90th percentile of daily rainfall) and antecedent conditions (8-week precipitation sums, categorized into tertiles) and weekly county-level salmonellosis counts.ResultsIn Georgia's Coastal Plain counties, extreme and antecedent rainfall were associated with significant differences in salmonellosis counts. In these counties, extreme rainfall was associated with a 5% increase in salmonellosis risk (95% CI: 1%, 10%) compared with weeks with no extreme rainfall. Antecedent dry periods were associated with a 9% risk decrease (95% CI: 5%, 12%), whereas wet periods were associated with a 5% increase (95% CI: 1%, 9%), compared with periods of moderate rainfall. In models considering the interaction between extreme and antecedent rainfall conditions, wet periods were associated with a 13% risk increase (95% CI: 6%, 19%), whereas wet periods followed by extreme events were associated with an 11% increase (95% CI: 5%, 18%). Associations were substantially magnified when analyses were restricted to cases attributed to serovars commonly isolated from wildlife/environment (e.g., Javiana). For example, wet periods followed by extreme rainfall were associated with a 34% risk increase (95% CI: 20%, 49%) in environmental serovar infection.ConclusionsGiven the associations of short-term extreme rainfall events and longer-term rainfall conditions on salmonellosis incidence, our findings suggest that avoiding contact with environmental reservoirs of Salmonella following heavy rainfall events, especially during the rainy season, may reduce the risk of salmonellosis. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4621.

Dataset Information

Design of the tundra rainfall experiment (TRainEx) to simulate future summer precipitation scenarios.

Publications

Design of the tundra rainfall experiment (TRainEx) to simulate future summer precipitation scenarios.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets