Global Change Biology 2019: Biogeochemistry18 February 2019
Susanne Burri
18.02.2019 Global Change Biology 2019 - Intro Biogeochemistry 2
…Global change encompasses climate change, but it also includes other critical drivers of environmental change that may interact with climate change, such as land use change, the alteration of the water cycle, changes in biogeochemical cycles, and biodiversity loss.(US Global Change Research Program)
Global Change
What is biogeochemistry?
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Biogeochemistry is the study of changes in the earth system due to the combined activities of chemical, geological, and biological processes and reactions. (Monson & Baldocchi 2014, p. 2)
Biogeochemistry is a unique, interdisciplinary science(Schlesinger et al. 1991, p. 3)
What is biogeochemistry?
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H2O CO2 CH4 N2OAerosol particles Clouds
Infrared absorption
Backscatterof solar radiation
Reflection ofsolar radiation
Cloud condensation
nuclei
GLO
BAL HE
AT BAL
ANCE
LAND
OCEAN
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Natural biogeochemical cyclesEvap
otranspiratio
n
Precipita
tion
Water cycle
Respira
tion an
dfire
Photosynthesis
Carbon cycle
(Ocean biogeochemistry not tobe addressed in this course)
Carbon cycle
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Schulze et al. (in production) Plant Ecology. Springer, 2nd editionNumbers from Cias et al. (2013), IPCC2013
123 PgC yr‐1 119 PgC yr‐1
80 ‐ 100 Pg C yr‐1
Carbon cycle
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Högberg et al. (2001), Nature
x
Tree-girdling experiment in Sweden(Removal of bark at 1.5m)
Carbon cycle
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Schulze et al. (in production) Plant Ecology. Springer, 2nd editionNumbers from Cias et al. (2013), IPCC2013
123 PgC yr‐1 119 PgC yr‐1
80 ‐ 100 Pg C yr‐1
Is an ecosystem a C source or a sink?
18.02.2019 Global Change Biology 2019 - Intro Biogeochemistry 9
Eugster and Merbold (2015), Soil
Net ecosystem exchange(NEE, µmol m-2 s-1)
The Eddy Covariance Method
Respira
tion
Photosynthesis
Is an ecosystem a C source or a sink?
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Etzold (2010), PhD thesis
Net ecosystemexchange
(NEE, µmol m-2 s-1)Davos‐Seehornwald Re
spira
tion (TER
)
Photosynthesis(GPP
)
Is an ecosystem a C source or a sink?
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Hörtnagl et al. (unpublished)
Davos‐Seehornwald
20 years of eddycovariance flux data
H2O CO2 CH4 N2OAerosol particles Clouds
Infrared absorption
Backscatterof solar radiation
Reflection ofsolar radiation
Cloud condensation
nuclei
GLO
BAL HE
AT BAL
ANCE
LAND
OCEAN
18.02.2019 Global Change Biology 2019 - Intro Biogeochemistry 12
Natural biogeochemical cyclesEvap
otranspiratio
n
Precipita
tion
Water cycle
Respira
tion an
dfire
Photosynthesis
Carbon cycle
Anaerobicrespira
tion
Oxida
tion in so
ils
CH4 fluxes in forests
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Davos‐Seehornwald
Burri et al. (unpublished)
Oxida
tion in so
ils
CH4 fluxes in forests – surprises!
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Welch et al. (2018), Global Change Biology
H2O CO2 CH4 N2OAerosol particles Clouds
Infrared absorption
Backscatterof solar radiation
Reflection ofsolar radiation
Cloud condensation
nuclei
GLO
BAL HE
AT BAL
ANCE
LAND
OCEAN
18.02.2019 Global Change Biology 2019 - Intro Biogeochemistry 15
Natural biogeochemical cyclesEvap
otranspiratio
n
Precipita
tion
Water cycle
Respira
tion an
dfire
Photosynthesis
Carbon cycle
Anaerobicrespira
tion
Oxida
tion in so
ils
Denitrificatio
n
Soils
unde
rnaturalvegetatio
n
Nitrogen cycle
H2O CO2 CH4 N2OAerosol particles Clouds
Infrared absorption
Backscatterof solar radiation
Reflection ofsolar radiation
Cloud condensation
nuclei
GLO
BAL HE
AT BAL
ANCE
LAND
OCEAN
18.02.2019 Global Change Biology 2019 - Intro Biogeochemistry 16
Human impact on biogeochemical cycles
Nitrogen cycleWater cycle Carbon cycle
Agriculture / Forestry
Agric
ulture
Water
man
agem
ent
Livestock, Rice cultivatio
n
Land
use
chan
ge
H2O CO2 CH4 N2OAerosol particles Clouds
Infrared absorption
Backscatterof solar radiation
Reflection ofsolar radiation
Cloud condensation
nuclei
GLO
BAL HE
AT BAL
ANCE
LAND
OCEAN
18.02.2019 Global Change Biology 2019 - Intro Biogeochemistry 17
Human impact on biogeochemical cycles
Nitrogen cycleWater cycle Carbon cycle
Agriculture / Forestry
Land
use
chan
ge
Agric
ulture
Water
man
agem
ent
Industry
Land
fills, waste, fossil fu
els,
biom
assb
urning
Fossil fuels, cem
ent
prod
uctio
n
Fossil fuels, biomassb
urning
from
atmosph
ericde
position
Livestock, Rice cultivatio
n
N2O fluxes in a managed grassland
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Chamau
Merbold et al. (2014), Global Change Biology
Ploughing 1st cutMineral fertilizer
H2O CO2 CH4 N2OAerosol particles Clouds
Infrared absorption
Backscatterof solar radiation
Reflection ofsolar radiation
Cloud condensation
nuclei
GLO
BAL HE
AT BAL
ANCE
LAND
OCEAN
18.02.2019 Global Change Biology 2019 - Intro Biogeochemistry 19
Human impact on biogeochemical cycles
Nitrogen cycleWater cycle Carbon cycle
Agriculture / Forestry
Agric
ulture
Water
man
agem
ent
IndustryFossil fuels, biomassb
urning
from
atmosph
ericde
position
Fossil fuels, cem
ent
prod
uctio
n
Land
fills, waste, fossil fu
els,
biom
assb
urning
Land
use
chan
ge
Livestock, Rice cultivatio
n
Christen (2014), Urban Climate
Biogeochemical cycles in urban areas
18.02.2019 Global Change Biology 2019 - Intro Biogeochemistry 20
H2O CO2 CH4 N2OAerosol particles Clouds
Infrared absorption
Backscatterof solar radiation
Reflection ofsolar radiation
Cloud condensation
nuclei
GLO
BAL HE
AT BAL
ANCE
LAND
OCEAN
18.02.2019 Global Change Biology 2019 - Intro Biogeochemistry 21
Human impact on biogeochemical cycles
Nitrogen cycleWater cycle Carbon cycle
Agriculture / Forestry
Agric
ulture
Water
man
agem
ent
IndustryFossil fuels, biomassb
urning
from
atmosph
ericde
position
INCREASED GHG EFFECT ‐> CLIMATE CHANGE
Fossil fuels, cem
ent
prod
uctio
n
Land
fills, waste, fossil fu
els,
biom
assb
urning
Land
use
chan
ge
Livestock, Rice cultivatio
n
H2O CO2 CH4 N2OAerosol particles Clouds
Infrared absorption
Backscatterof solar radiation
Reflection ofsolar radiation
Cloud condensation
nuclei
GLO
BAL HE
AT BAL
ANCE
LAND
OCEAN
18.02.2019 Global Change Biology 2019 - Intro Biogeochemistry 22
Impact of climate changebiogeochemical cycles
Nitrogen cycleWater cycle Carbon cycle
Agriculture / Forestry
Agric
ulture
Water
man
agem
ent
IndustryFossil fuels, biomassb
urning
from
atmosph
ericde
position
Fossil fuels, cem
ent
prod
uctio
n
Land
fills, waste, fossil fu
els,
biom
assb
urning
Land
use
chan
ge
Livestock, Rice cultivatio
n
Impact of climate change on biogeochemical cycling
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Reichstein et al. (2013), Nature
Impact ofextreme eventson C cycling
Impact of climate change on biogeochemical cycling
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Ciais et al. 2005, Nature)
Summer 2003
Impact of climate change on biogeochemical cycling
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Ciais et al. (2005), Nature
Summer 2003
What is biogeochemistry?
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A lot more……complex…diverse…full of surprises, fun!