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Microclimate research gained renewed interest over the last decade and its importance for many ecological processes is increasingly being recognized. Consequently, the call for high-resolution microclimatic temperature grids across broad spatial extents is becoming more pressing to improve ecological models. Here, we provide a new set of open-access bioclimatic variables for microclimate temperatures of European forests at 25 × 25 m2 resolution. ISSN:1354-1013 ISSN:1365-2486

We present a novel high-resolution inverse modelling system (“FLEXVAR”) based on FLEXPART-COSMO back trajectories driven by COSMO meteorological fields at 7 km×7 km resolution over the European COSMO-7 domain and the four-dimensional variational (4DVAR) data assimilation technique. FLEXVAR is coupled offline with the global inverse modelling system TM5-4DVAR to provide background mole fractions (“baselines”) consistent with the global observations assimilated in TM5-4DVAR. We have applied the FLEXVAR system for the inverse modelling of European CH4 emissions in 2018 using 24 stations with in situ measurements, complemented with data from five stations with discrete air sampling (and additional stations outside the European COSMO-7 domain used for the global TM5-4DVAR inversions). The sensitivity of the FLEXVAR inversions to different approaches to calculate the baselines, different parameterizations of the model representation error, different settings of the prior error covariance parameters, different prior inventories, and different observation data sets are investigated in detail. Furthermore, the FLEXVAR inversions are compared to inversions with the FLEXPART extended Kalman filter (“FLExKF”) system and with TM5-4DVAR inversions at 1∘×1∘ resolution over Europe. The three inverse modelling systems show overall good consistency of the major spatial patterns of the derived inversion increments and in general only relatively small differences in the derived annual total emissions of larger country regions. At the same time, the FLEXVAR inversions at 7 km×7 km resolution allow the observations to be better reproduced than the TM5-4DVAR simulations at 1∘×1∘. The three inverse models derive higher annual total CH4 emissions in 2018 for Germany, France, and BENELUX compared to the sum of anthropogenic emissions reported to UNFCCC and natural emissions estimated from the Global Carbon Project CH4 inventory, but the uncertainty ranges of top-down and bottom-up total emission estimates overlap for all three country regions. In contrast, the top-down estimates for the sum of emissions from the UK and Ireland agree relatively well with the total of anthropogenic and natural bottom-up inventories.

Ecological research heavily relies on coarse-gridded climate data based on standardized temperature measurements recorded at 2 m height in open landscapes. However, many organisms experience environmental conditions that differ substantially from those captured by these macroclimatic (i.e. free air) temperature grids. In forests, the tree canopy functions as a thermal insulator and buffers sub-canopy microclimatic conditions, thereby affecting biological and ecological processes. To improve the assessment of climatic conditions and climate-change-related impacts on forest-floor biodiversity and functioning, high-resolution temperature grids reflecting forest microclimates are thus urgently needed. Combining more than 1200 time series of in situ near-surface forest temperature with topographical, biological and macroclimatic variables in a machine learning model, we predicted the mean monthly offset between sub-canopy temperature at 15 cm above the surface and free-air temperature over the period 2000-2020 at a spatial resolution of 25 m across Europe. This offset was used to evaluate the difference between microclimate and macroclimate across space and seasons and finally enabled us to calculate mean annual and monthly temperatures for European forest understories. We found that sub-canopy air temperatures differ substantially from free-air temperatures, being on average 2.1°C (standard deviation ± 1.6°C) lower in summer and 2.0°C higher (±0.7°C) in winter across Europe. Additionally, our high-resolution maps expose considerable microclimatic variation within landscapes, not captured by the gridded macroclimatic products. The provided forest sub-canopy temperature maps will enable future research to model below-canopy biological processes and patterns, as well as species distributions more accurately. ispartof: GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY vol:27 issue:23 pages:6307-6319 ispartof: location:England status: published

Fruit tree ecosystems represent an important land use type in Southern Europe. Nevertheless, limited information and large uncertainty currently exist about their potential role as a sink of atmospheric CO2, which is measured through an index that accounts for all inputs and outputs of C, namely the net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB). In this paper, we studied the fluxes of C assimilation, the C release and the lateral C and their contribution to the NECB in an apple orchard at different time scales. Data of net ecosystem productivity (NEP) were recorded by eddy covariance and converted into ecosystem respiration and gross primary productivity (GPP). The net primary productivity (NPP) and the C partitioning among tree organs were also biometrically assessed. The study was carried out in the period 2009–2012 in a commercial apple orchard located in an intensive fruit production district of South Tyrol, Italy. We found a positive NEP from March to October and yearly NEP values of 403 g C m−2. GPP (1346 g C m−2 year−1 on average) was highest between May and September, when leaves intercepted the highest amount of PPFD. Tree growth accounted for more than 90% of the total new biomass produced in the orchard, the remaining part being represented by the herbaceous vegetation covering the orchard floor. Trees allocated to fruits approximately half of the yearly NPP, while they increased only to a limited extent their standing biomass. A significant fraction of NPP was also allocated to organs (leaves, pruned woody organs, etc.,) that feed the detritus cycle. The NECB was on average positive (69 g C m−2) but showed high variation among years, and in the year when fruit yields was very high (74 t fruits/ha), the NECB was even negative. NECB was accounted to a greater extent by the yearly increase of tree woody organs and to a minor extent by the C transfer to the soil from the decomposing litter. The most relevant agronomical suggestion of this study is that tree vegetative growth resulting into either increasing standing biomass and/or increasing tree litter should not be reduced if we aim at maintaining the CO2 sink capacity of the apple orchard.

This study investigates the possibility of monitoring carbon fixation of a terrestrial ecosystem from high spectral resolution field spectroscopy measurements. Canopy radiance spectra were collected under clear sky conditions using high resolution spectrometers which made it possible to estimate sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence at the oxygen absorption band O2-A located at 760nm (F760) as well as spectral vegetation indices. Spectral observations were collected in a rice field monitored with an eddy covariance (EC) flux tower measuring the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of the crop.Estimation of gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) from remotely sensed data was based on the widely used light-use efficiency model (LUE), which states that carbon uptake is a function of the photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by vegetation (APAR) and light-use efficiency (e{open}) which represents the conversion efficiency of energy to fixed carbon.Hyperspectral data were used to derive both the APAR and the e{open} term. Different versions of the LUE model were formalized and tested with EC fluxes during two growing seasons. We started using a LUE model in which e{open} is held constant and remote sensing data are used to estimate APAR. We then investigated the improvements in GEP modelling provided by the partitioning between photosynthetic (PV) and non-photosynthetic (NPV) components of vegetation in APAR estimation, holding e{open} constant. The use of spectral indices related to APARPV instead of APAR resulted in an improvement in midday GEP estimation of about 50% with respect to the basic LUE model, average root mean square error in cross-validation (RMSEcv) of the model class from 9.69 to 4.49μmol CO2m-2s-1. Afterwards, we tested the use of the apparent fluorescence yield (Fy*760) and the scaled Photochemical Reflectance Index (sPRI) to derive e{open}. Modelling e{open} further improved the estimation of GEP up to an RMSEcv of 3.81μmol CO2m-2s-1 using Fy*760 and the MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI) and 3.67μmol CO2m-2s-1 using sPRI and F760 to estimate e{open} and APARPV, respectively. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.

This paper reports 3 years of eddy covariance measurements (2002-2004) on a poplar plantation (Populus; x cancidensis Moench, Clone I-214) in Northern Italy. We analyzed seasonal and interannual variability of the net ecosystem exchange (NEE), gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (R(ECO)) and evapotranspiration (ET) in relation to different meteorological and environmental conditions experienced by the plantation and to natural disturbances. In particular, during 2003 climatic conditions were exceptionally severe, with the highest mean air temperatures and the lowest precipitations observed in the study area in the last 50 years. In addition, during the late summer of 2004, the plantation was attacked by fall webworm larvae (Hyphantria cunea). The cumulated NEE during the three growing season (April-September) was -752.8, -626.7 and -702.7 g C m(-2) for 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively. In the period June-August 2003, NEE was 35% and 29% higher than the NEE measured in the same period in 2002 and 2004, respectively, resulting in a lower net carbon uptake. As R(ECO) did not show large differences over the three growing seasons, the reduction in net carbon sequestration of June-August 2003 is mainly explained by a reduction of GPP (-18% and -17% in 2002 and 2004, respectively). The cumulated ET over the three growing seasons was 388, 471, 484 kg H(2)O m(-2) for 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively. This behaviour was due to the fact that the position of the water table remained close to the roots, therefore supplying enough water to the plantation, even during the driest period. The analysis of light curve parameters, their residuals and canopy conductance suggests that the reduction Of CO(2) uptake during summer 2003 was mainly controlled by stomatal and non-stomatal limitations due to high temperatures, directly and in particular indirectly (i.e. through D) rather than by soil water stress. In conclusion, our study shows that in the presence of a heat-wave, a significant reduction of net productivity during summer may occur even in the absence of marked soil water stress. In addition to this sensitivity to high temperatures, which will likely increase in the future, the effects of natural disturbances may add further uncertainties, thus suggesting caution in the evaluation of the potential carbon sequestration of these ecosystems. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effects of harvest on European forest net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon and its photosynthetic and respiratory components (GPP (gross primary production) and TER (total ecosystem respiration)) were examined by comparing four pairs of mature/harvested sites in Europe via a combination of eddy covariance measurements and empirical modeling. Three of the comparisons represented high coniferous forestry (spruce in Britain, and pines in Finland and France), while a coppice-with-standard oak plantation was examined in Italy. While every comparison revealed that harvesting converted a mature forest carbon sink into a carbon source of similar magnitude, the mechanisms by which this occurred were very different according to species or management practice. In Britain, Finland, and France the annual sink (source) strength for mature (clear-cut) stands was estimated at 496 (112), 138 (239), and 222 (225) g C m−2, respectively, with 381 (427) g C m−2 for the mature (coppiced) stand in Italy. In all three cases of high forestry in Britain, Finland, and France, clear-cutting crippled the photosynthetic capacity of the ecosystem – with mature (clear-cut) GPP of 1970 (988), 1010 (363), and 1600 (602) g C m−2– and also reduced ecosystem respiration to a lesser degree – TER of 1385 (1100), 839 (603), and 1415 (878) g C m−2, respectively. By contrast, harvesting of the coppice oak system provoked a burst in respiration – with mature (clear-cut) TER estimated at 1160 (2220) gC m−2– which endured for the 3 years sampled postharvest. The harvest disturbance also reduced GPP in the coppice system – with mature (clear-cut) GPP of 1600 (1420) g C m−2– but to a lesser extent than in the coniferous forests, and with near-complete recovery within a few years. Understanding the effects of harvest on the carbon balance of European forest systems is a necessary step towards characterizing carbon exchange for timberlands on large scales.

Despite the well known association between interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cardiovascular mortality, no study has so far verified whether IL-6 adds prognostic information to that provided by C-reactive protein (CRP).A cohort of 218 haemodialysis patients from four different dialytic centres was followed-up retrospectively. Plasma IL-6 and CRP concentrations were determined. Full information on co-morbidities was available in 162 patients.With respect to the lowest quartile (3.6 pg/ml for IL-6, and2.2 mg/l for CRP), the crude relative risk (RR) of death from all causes of the upper quartile (13.9 pg/ml for IL-6, and12.8 mg/l for CRP) was 5.20 (95% confidence interval 2.06-13.011) for IL-6 and 3.16 (1.41-7.12) for CRP. When both variables were included, the estimates were 4.10 (1.30-12.96) for IL-6 and 1.29 (0.47-3.57) for CRP. As to continuous variables, the relationship between both variables and mortality tended to level off for the highest values, but became fairly linear after log transformation of the variables. For one unit SD of the log (variable), the RR was 2.09 (1.52-2.88) for IL-6 and 1.66 (1.23-2.24) for CRP. When they were included in the same model, the estimates were 1.90 (1.18-2.82) for IL-6 and 1.16 (0.81-1.66) for CRP.IL-6 has a stronger predictive value than CRP for cardiovascular mortality and provides independent prognostic information, while conveying most of that provided by CRP.

A study of forest ecosystems from across western Europe and the United States has settled a long-running controversy — and raised many new questions. At issue is the influence of nitrogen deposition on the global carbon cycle, particularly the part played by human activity. The new study demonstrates that via the direct effects of forest management and indirectly via the use of nitrogen fertilizers and nitrogen oxide production by cars and industry, human activities have had a profound and largely positive effect on the carbon balance or net ecosystem production. (That's the balance between ecosystem carbon fixation through photosynthesis and its subsequent release through plant and soil respiration.) The implications of these findings for practical questions such as the merits of fertilizing forests with nitrogen, are considered in the accompanying News and Views by Peter Hogberg. The profound, overwhelming effects of human activities on the carbon balance of temperate and boreal forests are demonstrated. Apart from the direct effects of forest management, they show that carbon sequestration by this important component of the biosphere is driven by the imbalance in the global nitrogen cycle determined by human activities. Temperate and boreal forests in the Northern Hemisphere cover an area of about 2 × 107 square kilometres and act as a substantial carbon sink (0.6–0.7 petagrams of carbon per year)1. Although forest expansion following agricultural abandonment is certainly responsible for an important fraction of this carbon sink activity, the additional effects on the carbon balance of established forests of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, increasing temperatures, changes in management practices and nitrogen deposition are difficult to disentangle, despite an extensive network of measurement stations2,3. The relevance of this measurement effort has also been questioned4, because spot measurements fail to take into account the role of disturbances, either natural (fire, pests, windstorms) or anthropogenic (forest harvesting). Here we show that the temporal dynamics following stand-replacing disturbances do indeed account for a very large fraction of the overall variability in forest carbon sequestration. After the confounding effects of disturbance have been factored out, however, forest net carbon sequestration is found to be overwhelmingly driven by nitrogen deposition, largely the result of anthropogenic activities5. The effect is always positive over the range of nitrogen deposition covered by currently available data sets, casting doubts on the risk of widespread ecosystem nitrogen saturation6 under natural conditions. The results demonstrate that mankind is ultimately controlling the carbon balance of temperate and boreal forests, either directly (through forest management) or indirectly (through nitrogen deposition).

The endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), is a strong cardiovascular (CV) risk marker in patients with chronic renal insufficiency. Statins have pleiotropic effects and are currently considered as potential ADMA-lowering agents.We investigated the effect of simvastatin on plasma ADMA levels in 35 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) by performing a secondary analysis of a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial where patients were randomized to receive simvastatin or placebo for 6 months.Plasma ADMA was higher in CKD patients (0.84 +/- 0.14 micromol/L) than in healthy subjects (0.69 +/- 0.10 micromol/L) (p0.001). In CKD patients, ADMA at baseline was related directly with triglycerides (r=0.42, p=0.01) and inversely with HDL cholesterol (r=-0.37, p=0.03) and creatinine clearance (p=0.03). As expected, simvastatin caused significant reductions in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as in C-reactive protein (CRP; -28%, p=0.001) and IL-6 (-20%, p=0.05) but failed to decrease plasma ADMA both in crude and adjusted analyses.Simvastatin does not modify plasma ADMA. Because raised ADMA is known to prevent the favorable effect of statins on myocardial blood flow, cointerventions aimed at lowering or antagonizing ADMA may either prompt or potentiate the cardiovascular protective effect of simvastatin.

Changes in snow cover depth and duration predicted by climate change scenarios are expected to strongly affect high-altitude ecosystem processes. This study investigates the effect of an exceptionally short snow season on the phenology and carbon dioxide source/sink strength of a subalpine grassland. An earlier snowmelt of more than one month caused a considerable advancement (40 days) of the beginning of the carbon uptake period (CUP) and, together with a delayed establishment of the snow season in autumn, contributed to a two-month longer CUP. The combined effect of the shorter snow season and the extended CUP led to an increase of about 100% in annual carbon net uptake. Nevertheless, the unusual environmental conditions imposed by the early snowmelt led to changes in canopy structure and functioning, with a reduction of the carbon sequestration rate during the snow-free period.