Expertise and experience
The Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystems Analysis (INES) is
investigating biosphere-atmosphere interactions, vegetation dynamics and
geomorphology on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. 50 researchers,
amongst them nearly 20 PhD students are engaged in field and laboratory
studies, remote sensing analysis as well as process-based modelling of
ecosystem processes in the climate system. INES has been hosting a Marie
Curie Excellence Team on Exchange Processes in the Land surface -
Atmosphere System (MCT-ELSA) since June 2004.
The Department has long-standing expertise in studies related to the African
continent. Recent and unexpected vegetation changes in the sensitive Sahel
region, manifested as an increase in satellite vegetation index data, were
recently discovered, and discussed in the context of its causing factors
and implications on the carbon balance. INES is major contributor to the
development of the global dynamic vegetation and carbon cycle model LPJ-GUESS.
Model simulations with LPJ/GUESS highlight the impact of precipitation
variations on the observed trends in the Sahel region and points to a trend
towards a weaker carbon source over this region.
Role in this project
WP1: Providing eddy flux CO2 and H2O and meteorological data to the data
base.
WP2: Using eddy-covariance methodology at a savanna site for process based
assessment of water, CO2 and energy exchanges; monitoring canopy dynamic
(FAPAR), seasonal changes in grass biomass and LAI, litterfall.
WP3: Carbon flux and dynamic vegetation modelling at select tower sites,
comparison of model output (e.g., NEE, GPP, LAI) with observations; Carbon
flux and dynamic vegetation modelling on regional to continental scale.
Regional remote sensing of NPP and vegetation phenology.
WP4: WP coordinator. Modelling interactions of climate-fire-vegetation
dynamics at regional and continental scale. Estimates of total carbon loss
related to fire. Include estimates of human influence on ignitin patterns.
WP5: Training courses and field training in ecophysiology, carbon-water
interaction, modelling; contribution to E-learning documents.
Principal Investigator and collaborators
Almut Arneth, Dr., is the leader of MCT-ELSA which concentrates
on (i) soil, leaf and ecosystem trace gas fluxes in relation to the carbon
budget and water balance as well as biogenic aerosol formation and (ii)
process based global and regional estimates of trace gas emissions in
relation to vegetation dynamics, carbon cycle and climate. She has been
studying ecosystem-atmosphere exchange since 1994 coordinating and is
the author of 30 peer-reviewed papers. She has been PI of national research
projects and participated in several EU and national research projects
and is member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the IGBP Programme
on Land-Atmosphere Exchange.
Jonas Ardö, Dr., is currently leading two projects (supported
by the Swedish Research Council) with focus on Africa, one regarding
monitoring and modelling erosion in N. Africa and one focusing on the
carbon cycle in Sahel, including measurement (climate and CO2 fluxes),
modelling and remote sensing. He has a background in remote sensing/GIS
and the integration of these methodologies with ecosystem models. Ardö
has been studying the carbon cycle in Sahel/Sudan since 2000 and has
published 20 peer-reviewed papers.
Example publications
Ardö, J. and Olsson, L., 2003, Assessment of Soil
Organic Carbon in Semi-arid Sudan using GIS and the CENTURY model, Journal
of Arid Environments, 54, 633-651.
Arneth, A., et al., Response of central Siberian
Scots pine in to soil water deficit and long-term trends in atmospheric
CO2 concentration. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 2002. 16(1): p. 5/1 - 5/13.
Eklundh, L. and Olsson, L., 2003, Vegetation index
trends for the African Sahel 1982-1999, Geophysical Research Letters, 30,
1430-1433.
Hickler, T., Eklundh, L., Seaquist, J., Smith, B.,
Ardö, J., Olsson, L., Sykes, M. and Sjöström, M., 2005, Precipitation
controls Sahel greening trend, Geophysical Research Letters, in press.
Mantlana B, A Arneth, E Veendendaal, P Wohland,
P Wolski, O Kolle, J Lloyd. Seasonal and inter-annual photosynthetic
response of representative C4 species to soil water content and leaf
nitrogen availability. submitted to New Phytologist.
Olsson, L. and Ardö, J., 2002. Soil carbon
sequestration in degraded semi arid agro-ecosystems - perils and potentials.
Ambio, 31, 471-477.
Olsson, L., Eklundh, L. and Ardö, J., 2005, A
recent greening of the Sahel-trends, patterns and potential auses, journal
of Arid Environments, 63, 556-566.
Poussart, J. N, Ardö, J. and Olsson, L., 2004.
Verification of soil carbon sequestration - sample requirements.
Environmental Management 33, S416-S425.
Sankaran, M. et. al (including Ardö, J.) , 2005.
Determinants of Woody Cover in African Savannas: A Continental Scale
Analysis, Nature, accepted for publication.
Sitch S, B Smith, IC Prentice, A Arneth, A Bondeau,
W Cramer, JO Kaplan, S Levis, W Lucht, MT Sykes, K Thonicke, S Venevsky.
2003. Evaluation of ecosystem dynamics, plant geography and terrestrial
carbon cycling in the LPJ Dynamic Global Vegetation Model. Global Change
Biology, 9, 161-185.
