Climate-Warming Simulation in Tundra: Enhanced Precision and Repeatability with an Improved Infrared-Heating Device

Nijs, Ivan; Kockelbergh, Fred; Heuer, Mark; Beyens, Louis; Trappeniers, K.; Impens, I.

doi:10.2307/1552534

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Energy additions increased temperatures in the soil and plant canopy, but not in the atmosphere, above the plant canopy. This observation is consistent with results in a montane meadow [Saleska et al, 1999], but contrasts with reports from high arctic graminoid tundra [Nijs et al, 2000] and tallgrass prairie [Wan et al, 2002]. Open air warming is not expected to occur because there are too few molecules of radiatively active gases between an IR radiator and the plant canopy.…”

Section: Ir Radiation Additions and Air Warmingsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…However, recent work has shown that the efficiency of IR radiators declines rapidly with increasing wind speed [Kimball, 2005]. Several investigators have suggested modifying traditional IR radiators to achieve a constant canopy warming effect by varying the electrical energy input [Nijs et al, 2000;Kimball, 2005]. Our observations suggest that such an approach should be considered for experiments at windy sites.…”

Section: Soil Warmingmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Air, canopy and soil temperatures, as well as soil water contents, were measured in response to long-wave radiation and water supplements, applied singularly and in combination. Previous studies using infrared (IR) radiators have examined grasslands [Wan et al, 2002;Zavaleta et al, 2003], a subalpine meadow [Harte et al, 1995], an agricultural system [Kimball, 2005] and high arctic wet tundra [Nijs et al, 2000]. Our experiment expands on previous work in the sense that supplemental energy and water were applied to a cold, dry ecosystem with welldrained soils, where previous investigators have suggested that both water and temperature may limit ecosystem function [Teeri, 1973;Bliss, 2000].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Energy and water additions give rise to simple responses in plant canopy and soil microclimates of a high arctic ecosystem

et al. 2008

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Energy and water inputs were increased during the snow‐free season to test the sensitivity of a cold, dry ecosystem to climate change. Infrared radiators were used to provide two levels of supplemental radiation (T1 and T2) to prostrate dwarf‐shrub, herb tundra in northwest Greenland. The higher radiation addition was combined with supplemental water in a factorial design. Radiation additions increased midday canopy temperatures by up to 4.0°C and 6.0°C and growing season mean shallow soil temperatures by 1.3°C and 2.4°C in T1 and T2 plots, respectively. Soil warming was measured at and probably exceeded 10 cm in depth. There was no evidence of soil drying in plots that received additional radiation, in contrast with other studies, nor was there evidence that supplemental water interacted with radiation additions to affect soil temperatures. Water additions were generally undetectable against a background of large seasonal changes in soil water content. We suggest that well‐drained soils and strong seasonal controls on soil water contents (e.g., soil thaw and evapotranspiration) limit the system's sensitivity to changes in precipitation during the brief growing season. In general, multifactor changes in climate gave rise to simple changes in the vegetation microclimate of this cold, dry ecosystem.

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Section: Ir Radiation Additions and Air Warmingsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Soil Warmingmentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Energy and water additions give rise to simple responses in plant canopy and soil microclimates of a high arctic ecosystem

et al. 2008

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“…Infrared warming experiments without soil warming cables (Nijs et al, 2000;Kimball et al, 2008;Luo et al, 2010;Morgan et al, 2011;Wall et al, 2013;LeCain et al, 2014;and McDaniel et al, 2014) have reported significant soil warming primarily at shallow depths (less than 10 cm). However, the warming effects of IR heaters alone are likely reduced in dense vegetation and high moisture soils.…”

Section: Applications and Explorationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of the logistical complexity, expense, and high-energy requirements, all free-air experiments to date have focused on heating either aboveground or belowground, but not both. Aboveground feedback-controlled warming manipulation alone has become more common in a variety of ecosystems, such as tundra (Nijs et al, 2000), grazing land (Luo et al, 2010), paddy rice (Rehmani et al, 2011;Gaihre et al, 2014), rangeland (Morgan et al, 2011;LeCain et al, 2014), soybean (Ruiz-Vera et al, 2013), wheat (Wall et al, 2011;Ottman et al, 2012), and on tree seedlings (McDaniel et al, 2014). While infrared heaters warm vegetation and exposed soil surfaces, associated soil temperature elevation often diminishes with depth (Luo et al, 2010), is less effective when soil moisture is higher (Wall et al, 2013;McDaniel et al, 2014), and fluctuates diurnally relative to ambient soil.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and performance of combined infrared canopy and belowground warming in the B4WarmED (Boreal Forest Warming at an Ecotone in Danger) experiment

Rich

Stefański

Montgomery

et al. 2015

Global Change Biology

113

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Conducting manipulative climate change experiments in complex vegetation is challenging, given considerable temporal and spatial heterogeneity. One specific challenge involves warming of both plants and soils to depth. We describe the design and performance of an open-air warming experiment called Boreal Forest Warming at an Ecotone in Danger (B4WarmED) that addresses the potential for projected climate warming to alter tree function, species composition, and ecosystem processes at the boreal-temperate ecotone. The experiment includes two forested sites in northern Minnesota, USA, with plots in both open (recently clear-cut) and closed canopy habitats, where seedlings of 11 tree species were planted into native ground vegetation. Treatments include three target levels of plant canopy and soil warming (ambient, +1.7°C, +3.4°C). Warming was achieved by independent feedback control of voltage input to aboveground infrared heaters and belowground buried resistance heating cables in each of 72-7.0 m(2) plots. The treatments emulated patterns of observed diurnal, seasonal, and annual temperatures but with superimposed warming. For the 2009 to 2011 field seasons, we achieved temperature elevations near our targets with growing season overall mean differences (∆Tbelow ) of +1.84°C and +3.66°C at 10 cm soil depth and (∆T(above) ) of +1.82°C and +3.45°C for the plant canopies. We also achieved measured soil warming to at least 1 m depth. Aboveground treatment stability and control were better during nighttime than daytime and in closed vs. open canopy sites in part due to calmer conditions. Heating efficacy in open canopy areas was reduced with increasing canopy complexity and size. Results of this study suggest the warming approach is scalable: it should work well in small-statured vegetation such as grasslands, desert, agricultural crops, and tree saplings (<5 m tall).

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Infrared heater system for warming tropical forest understory plants and soils

Kimball

Alonso‐Rodríguez

Cavaleri

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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The response of tropical forests to global warming is one of the largest uncertainties in predicting the future carbon balance of Earth. To determine the likely effects of elevated temperatures on tropical forest understory plants and soils, as well as other ecosystems, an infrared (IR) heater system was developed to provide in situ warming for the Tropical Responses to Altered Climate Experiment (TRACE) in the Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico. Three replicate heated 4‐m‐diameter plots were warmed to maintain a 4°C increase in understory vegetation compared to three unheated control plots, as sensed by IR thermometers. The equipment was larger than any used previously and was subjected to challenges different from those of many temperate ecosystem warming systems, including frequent power surges and outages, high humidity, heavy rains, hurricanes, saturated clayey soils, and steep slopes. The system was able to maintain the target 4.0°C increase in hourly average vegetation temperatures to within ± 0.1°C. The vegetation was heterogeneous and on a 21° slope, which decreased uniformity of the warming treatment on the plots; yet, the green leaves were fairly uniformly warmed, and there was little difference among 0–10 cm depth soil temperatures at the plot centers, edges, and midway between. Soil temperatures at the 40–50 cm depth increased about 3°C compared to the controls after a month of warming. As expected, the soil in the heated plots dried faster than that of the control plots, but the average soil moisture remained adequate for the plants. The TRACE heating system produced an adequately uniform warming precisely controlled down to at least 50‐cm soil depth, thereby creating a treatment that allows for assessing mechanistic responses of tropical plants and soil to warming, with applicability to other ecosystems. No physical obstacles to scaling the approach to taller vegetation (i.e., trees) and larger plots were observed.

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Climate-Warming Simulation in Tundra: Enhanced Precision and Repeatability with an Improved Infrared-Heating Device

Cited by 14 publications

References 17 publications

Energy and water additions give rise to simple responses in plant canopy and soil microclimates of a high arctic ecosystem

Energy and water additions give rise to simple responses in plant canopy and soil microclimates of a high arctic ecosystem

Design and performance of combined infrared canopy and belowground warming in the B4WarmED (Boreal Forest Warming at an Ecotone in Danger) experiment

Infrared heater system for warming tropical forest understory plants and soils

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