Albedo-induced global warming impact of Conservation Reserve Program grasslands converted to annual and perennial bioenergy crops

Abraha, Michael; Chen, Jiquan; Hamilton, Stephen K.; Sciusco, Pietro; Lei, Cheyenne; Shirkey, Gabriela; Yuan, Jiangru; Robertson, G. Philip

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac1815

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…In line with other studies [55], the largest contribution to the overall total seasonal GWI ∆α came from the non-growing season months, during which all the cover types exhibited cooling effects that varied in magnitude depending on the ecoregion. Once again, urban was the only cover type that contributed to warming effects in the growing season, generally following a decreasing trend going from June to September.…”

Section: Seasonal Percent Contributions To the Total Cooling And Warmingsupporting

confidence: 91%

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Albedo-Induced Global Warming Impact at Multiple Temporal Scales within an Upper Midwest USA Watershed

Sciusco

Chen

Giannico

et al. 2022

Land

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Land surface albedo is a significant regulator of climate. Changes in land use worldwide have greatly reshaped landscapes in the recent decades. Deforestation, agricultural development, and urban expansion alter land surface albedo, each with unique influences on shortwave radiative forcing and global warming impact (GWI). Here, we characterize the changes in landscape albedo-induced GWI (GWIΔα) at multiple temporal scales, with a special focus on the seasonal and monthly GWIΔα over a 19-year period for different land cover types in five ecoregions within a watershed in the upper Midwest USA. The results show that land cover changes from the original forest exhibited a net cooling effect, with contributions of annual GWIΔα varying by cover type and ecoregion. Seasonal and monthly variations of the GWIΔα showed unique trends over the 19-year period and contributed differently to the total GWIΔα. Cropland contributed most to cooling the local climate, with seasonal and monthly offsets of 18% and 83%, respectively, of the annual greenhouse gas emissions of maize fields in the same area. Urban areas exhibited both cooling and warming effects. Cropland and urban areas showed significantly different seasonal GWIΔα at some ecoregions. The landscape composition of the five ecoregions could cause different net landscape GWIΔα.

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Section: Seasonal Percent Contributions To the Total Cooling And Warmingsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Analyzing land transformation with reference to forests is only one method. For example, other studies and policymakers have focused on land transformation in the context of bioenergy conversions [55] and land management practices to compare landscape dynamics to agriculture [65][66][67].…”

Section: Assumptions and Limitations Of The Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Albedo-Induced Global Warming Impact at Multiple Temporal Scales within an Upper Midwest USA Watershed

Sciusco

Chen

Giannico

et al. 2022

Land

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“…Similarly, Sciusco et al (2020) and Sciusco et al (2022), who integrated spatial and temporal changes as main drivers of albedo variations, showed that cropland had higher albedo and intra-annual variabilities, with an average RF between −5.6 W m −2 to −1.2 W m −2 when compared to forests. Abraha et al (2021) also assessed the biogeophysical climate impact of albedo using multiple modeled conversions from an unconverted reference CRP grassland using radiation measures from eddy covariance towers, which showed that switchgrass and restored prairie fields provided albedo-induced cooling.…”

Section: Crop Conversion From Maizementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies on albedo‐induced warming effects are mostly based on satellite data (Fang et al, 2007; Sciusco et al, 2020, 2022; Zhang et al, 2010), while biophysical models (Cherubini et al, 2012; Smith et al, 2020) and ground surface measurements (Abraha et al, 2021; Miller et al, 2016) have been lacking. Within the latter studies, measurements have been restricted to the effects of albedo on only one to two bioenergy crop species, over very short periods that do not thoroughly inform longer temporal changes, through the use of remote sensing that can potentially miss entire portions of the growing season, or through modeling studies that may be oversimplified and not reflect realistic changes seen on the landscape.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate cooling benefits of cellulosic bioenergy crops from elevated albedo

Lei,

Chen,

Robertson

2023

GCB Bioenergy

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Changes in land surface albedo can alter ecosystem energy balance and potentially influence climate. We examined the albedo of six bioenergy cropping systems in southwest Michigan USA: monocultures of energy sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), and giant miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus), and polycultures of native grasses, early successional vegetation, and restored prairie. Direct field measurements of surface albedo (αs) from May 2018 through December 2020 at half‐hourly intervals in each system quantified the magnitudes and seasonal differences in albedo (∆α) and albedo‐induced radiative forcing (RF∆α). We used a nearby forest as a historical native cover type to estimate reference albedo and RF∆α change upon original land use conversion, and a continuous no‐till maize (Zea mays L.) system as a contemporary reference to estimate change upon conversion from annual row crops. Annually, αs differed significantly (p < 0.05) among crops in the order: early successional (0.288 ± 0.012SE) >> miscanthus (0.271 ± 0.009) ≈ energy sorghum (0.270 ± 0.010) ≥ switchgrass (0.265 ± 0.009) ≈ restored prairie (0.264 ± 0.012) > native grasses (0.259 ± 0.010) > maize (0.247 ± 0.010). Reference forest had the lowest annual αs (0.134 ± 0.003). Albedo differences among crops during the growing season were also statistically significant, with growing season αs in perennial crops and energy sorghum on average ~20% higher (0.206 ± 0.003) than in no‐till maize (0.184 ± 0.002). Average non‐growing season (NGS) αs (0.370 ± 0.020) was much higher than growing season αs (0.203 ± 0.003) but these NGS differences were not significant. Overall, the original conversion of reference forest and maize landscapes to perennials provided a cooling effect on the local climate (RFαMAIZE: −3.83 ± 1.00 W m−2; RFαFOREST: −16.75 ± 3.01 W m−2). Significant differences among cropping systems suggest an additional management intervention for maximizing the positive climate benefit of bioenergy crops, with cellulosic crops on average ~9.1% more reflective than no‐till maize, which itself was about twice as reflective as the reference forest.

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“…The above-ground biomass of a bioenergy crop is burned after harvesting for energy and, if below-ground biomass increases carbon accumulated in the soil, there is a net removal of CO 2 from the atmosphere (Anderson-Teixeira and DeLucia, 2011). Crops and grasses, including perennial bioenergy crops such as Miscanthus x giganteus and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), also have higher albedo values than forests (Bonan, 2008;Miller et al, 2016;Abraha et al, 2021). The direct effect of the higher albedo of perennial bioenergy crops on the atmospheric radiation balance can be large.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined Carbon and Albedo Climate Forcing From Pine and Switchgrass Grown for Bioenergy

Ahlswede¹,

O’Halloran²,

Thomas³

2022

Front. For. Glob. Change

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Expanding and restoring forests decreases atmospheric carbon dioxide, a natural solution for helping mitigate climate change. However, forests also have relatively low albedo compared to grass and croplands, which increases the amount of solar energy they absorb into the climate system. An alternative natural climate solution is to replace fossil fuels with bioenergy. Bioenergy crops such as switchgrass have higher albedo than forest ecosystems but absorb less total carbon over their lifetime. To evaluate trade-offs in the mitigation potential by pine and switchgrass ecosystems, we used eddy covariance net ecosystem exchange and albedo observations collected from planted pine forests and switchgrass fields in eastern North America and Canada to compare the net radiative forcing of these two ecosystems over the length of typical pine rotation (30 years). We found that pine had a net positive radiative forcing (warming) of 5.4 ± 2.8 Wm−2 when albedo and carbon were combined together (30 year mean). However the assumptions regarding the fate of harvested carbon had an important effect on the net radiative forcing. When we assumed all switchgrass carbon was emitted to the atmosphere while the harvested pine carbon was prevented from entering the atmosphere, the 30-year mean net radiative forcing reversed direction (−3.6 ± 2.8 Wm−2). Overall, while the pine ecosystem absorbed more carbon than the switchgrass, the difference in albedo was large enough to result in similar climate mitigation potential at the 30-year horizon between the two systems, whereby the direction and magnitude of radiative forcing depends on the fate of harvested carbon.

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Albedo-induced global warming impact of Conservation Reserve Program grasslands converted to annual and perennial bioenergy crops

Cited by 17 publications

References 33 publications

Albedo-Induced Global Warming Impact at Multiple Temporal Scales within an Upper Midwest USA Watershed

Albedo-Induced Global Warming Impact at Multiple Temporal Scales within an Upper Midwest USA Watershed

Climate cooling benefits of cellulosic bioenergy crops from elevated albedo

Combined Carbon and Albedo Climate Forcing From Pine and Switchgrass Grown for Bioenergy

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