EPRECOT - This work focused on the effects of precipitation change on the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems.

The workshop was organised together with the science networks PRECIPNET and TERACC
The workshop included 4 main activities:

1. present day “state of the art” and knowledgewas synthesized based on past and present ecosystem scale research projects.
2. future key research areas were pinpointed by the use of ecosystem-models generating hypotheses about the expected consequences of precipitation changes.
3. gaps in knowledge and new research activities were proposed through plenary discussions and a series of working group discussions.
4. the results will be disseminated and distributed in a synthesis report, 2 scientific papers and a web-page summary.

The workshop integrated experimental and modeling approaches on the effects of precipitation changes on ecosystems across local, regional, and global scales. Interactions with other global change factors was specifically highlighted through a modeling experiment, and novel research and modeling opportunities that have yet to be explored in past and ongoing studies were identified. The workshop emphasized the following areas:

• Changes in the quantity (increases and decreases) and timing of precipitation.
• Interactions with elevated CO2 and warming.
• The relative importance of these vectors of global change in different climatic and vegetation zones.
• Ecosystem-scale responses (soil processes, plant growth, C-cycling, biodiversity etc.) with specific focus on natural ecosystems.
• Feedbacks to the climate system.
• Contrasting responses in arid, semi-arid and moist environments.

A follow up activity is currently underway and our data has been submitted to the database with response data from all precipitation experiments. There are also 2 workshops in US in 2008 to conduct a metanalysis to synthesise the results.

NitroEurope (NEU)

The NitroEurope IP – or NEU for short – addresses the major question: What is the effect of reactive nitrogen (Nr) supply on net greenhouse gas budgets for Europe? The objectives are to:

• establish robust datasets of N fluxes and net greenhouse-gas exchange (NGE) in relation to C-N cycling of representative European ecosystems, as a basis to investigate interactions and assess long-term change,
• quantify the effects of past and present global changes (climate, atmospheric composition, land-use/land-management) on CN cycling and NGE,
• simulate the observed fluxes of N and NGE, their interactions and responses to global change/land-management decisions, through refinement of plot-scale models,
• quantify multiple N and C fluxes for contrasting European landscapes, including interactions between farm-scale management, atmospheric and water dispersion, and consideration of the implications for net fluxes and strategies,
• scale up Nr and NGE fluxes for terrestrial ecosystems to regional and European levels, considering spatial variability and allowing assessment of past, present and future changes,
• assess uncertainties in the European model results and use these together with independent measurement/inverse modelling approaches for verification of European N2O and CH4 inventories and refinement of IPCC approaches.

These objectives are met by a programme that integrates:

• an observing system for N fluxes and pools [Component 1]
• a network of manipulation experiments [Component 2]
• plot-scale C-N modelling [Component 3]
• landscape analysis [Component 4]
• European up-scaling [Component 5] and
• uncertainty and verification of European estimates [Component 6].

In addition to that, the project organisation comprises cross-cutting activities addressing management, databases, training and dissemination. NEU will advance the fundamental understanding of C-N interactions at different scales and deliver: process-based models, landscape-level assessments, European maps of C-N pools, Nr fluxes and NGE, and independent verification of GHG inventories, as required under the Kyoto Protocol.

Both the Climoor and Recovery roof site are part of Component 2.

UKREATE - DEFRA Terrestrial Umbrella

The UKREATE project is funded by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).  The umbrella consists of a  consortium coordinated by Dr Bridget Emmett at CEH Bangor and a DEFRA project officer, Alison Vipond.

The aims of the project are to:

• improve the critical load model for acidity and nutrient nitrogen for terrestrial ecosystems in the UK
• develop predictive modelling tools to assess the response of soil and vegetation to reductions in atmospheric emissions of pollutants
• assess the role of reduced nitrogen in acidification, the role of oxidised and reduced nitrogen in eutrophication
• assess the processes which control nitrate leaching from soils into freshwaters