Filtyp
Baltic Earth is an independent research network of scientists from all Baltic Sea countries that promotes regional Earth system research. Within the framework of this network, the Baltic Earth Assessment Reports (BEARs) were produced in the period 2019-2022. These are a collection of 10 review articles summarising current knowledge on the environmental and climatic state of the Earth system in the
Climatic extreme events are expected to occur more frequently in the future, increasing the likelihood of unprecedented climate extremes (UCEs) or record-breaking events. UCEs, such as extreme heatwaves and droughts, substantially affect ecosystem stability and carbon cycling by increasing plant mortality and delaying ecosystem recovery. Quantitative knowledge of such effects is limited due to the
Anthropogenic nitrogen deposition is widely considered to increase CO2 sequestration by land plants on a global scale. Here, we demonstrate that bedrock nitrogen weathering contributes significantly more to nitrogen-carbon interactions than anthropogenic nitrogen deposition. This working hypothesis is based on the introduction of empirical results into a global biogeochemical simulation model over
The boreal biome plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. However, current estimates of its sink-source strength and responses to changes in climate are primarily derived from models and thus remain uncertain. A major challenge is the validation of these models at a regional scale since empirical flux estimates are typically confined to ecosystem or continental scales. The Integrated Ca
Semi-arid ecosystems, common across the Australian continent, strongly influence the inter-annual variability and trend in the global terrestrial net carbon sink. Here we explore the future Australian terrestrial carbon cycle using the CMIP6 ensemble, and the dynamic global vegetation model LPJ-GUESS. Uncertainty in Australia's carbon storage in vegetation ranged between 6 and 49 PgC at the end of
Land cover governs biogeophysical and biogeochemical feedbacks between the land surface and atmosphere. Holocene vegetation-atmosphere interactions are of particular interest, both to understand the climate effects of intensifying human land use and as a possible explanation for the Holocene Conundrum, a widely studied mismatch between simulated and reconstructed temperatures. Progress addressing
Accurate maps of past land cover and human land use are necessary for studying the impact of anthropogenic land-cover changes, such as deforestation, on the climate. The maps of past land cover should ideally be separated into naturally occurring vegetation and human-induced changes, thereby enabling the quantification of the effect of human land use on the past climate. A Bayesian hierarchical mo
The ongoing 2023 Israel-Hamas War has severe and far-reaching consequences for the people, economy, food security, and environment. The immediate impacts of damage and destruction to cities and farms are apparent in widespread reporting and first-hand accounts from within the Gaza Strip. However, there is a lack of comprehensive assessment of the war's impacts on key Gazan agricultural land that a
Phosphorus (P) is a critical macronutrient for plant growth, often limiting plant production in areas where plant demand is higher than soil supply. In contrast to nitrogen (N), P cannot be sourced from the atmosphere; therefore, where it is rare, it becomes a strong constraint on primary production. Due to this, most dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) are incorporating a prognostic P cycle
Land cover and land management changes (LCLMCs) have a substantial impact on the global carbon budget and, consequently, on global climate via the biogeochemical (BGC) effects. The commonly considered BGC effects refer to the direct influence of LCLMCs on local carbon stocks (local BGC effects). However, LCLMCs also influence climate by altering the local surface energy balance due to changes in l
Advances in Earth observation capabilities mean that there is now a multitude of spatially resolved data sets available that can support the quantification of water and carbon pools and fluxes at the land surface. However, such quantification ideally requires efficient synergistic exploitation of those data, which in turn requires carbon and water land-surface models with the capability to simulta
The European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) is an insect species that causes significant damage to Norway spruce (Picea abies) forests across Europe. Infestation by bark beetles can profoundly impact forest ecosystems, affecting their structure and composition and affecting the carbon cycle and biodiversity, including a decrease in net primary productivity (NPP), a key indicator of forest he
Accurately predicting terrestrial ecosystem responses to climate change over long-timescales is crucial for addressing global challenges. This relies on mechanistic modeling of ecosystem processes through land surface models (LSMs). Despite their importance, LSMs face significant uncertainties due to poorly constrained parameters, especially in carbon cycle predictions. This paper reviews the prog
BACKGROUND: The Scandinavian Neurotrauma Committees (SNC) guideline is a validated and well established decision tool for pediatric minor to moderate head trauma in Sweden, categorizing patients into low, moderate and high risk for intracranial injury. It recommends observation over imaging with computer tomography in low and moderate risk stratified patients. However the effect on guideline imple
The expansive carbon reservoirs of the boreal region are becoming some of the most rapidly growing sources of greenhouse gasses under a positive feedback between intensifying fire activity and climate change. However, current regional-scale methods lack the spatial precision needed to improve understanding of the drivers of these fluxes to inform strategies aimed at maximizing landscape carbon sto
If you really want to know how much Australia contributes to the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere, you have to study all the “sources” and “sinks”.Sources release CO₂ into the atmosphere, while sinks take it out. There are sources from human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, and there are natural sinks such as plants absorbing CO₂. You can tally it all up on a balance sheet
Pollen-based quantitative vegetation reconstructions using multiple sedimentary basins from the same area, along with their quantified relevant pollen source areas, are a powerful means to study how long-term human impact has affected vegetation and shaped the currently protected heritage landscapes at different spatial scales. Our study presents the outcome of a palynological investigation in Kar
The article examines Kim Stanley Robinson's novel The Ministry for the Future (2020) as an example of how the commonsensical modern distinction between the material and the social pervades mainstream deliberations on technological solutions to problems of sustainability. To expose the fetishism of modern technology, founded on the unwarranted ontological distinction between nature and society, we
