How Taigas may change the world’s climate

Ecosystems get increasingly thirsty due to climate change

4. Juli 2022

Climate Change Ecosystem Function Greenhouse Gases René Orth Water Cycle

A new study shows that future ecosystem functioning will increasingly depend on water availability. Using recent simulations from climate models, an international team of scientists found several “hot spot regions” where increasing water limitation strongly affects ecosystems. These include Central Europe, the Amazon, and western Russia.

When microbes fight over food

19. Mai 2022

AquaDiva Carbon Cycle Climate Change Gerd Gleixner Microorganisms

You can't see them with the naked eye, but our forest ground is littered with microorganisms. They decompose falling leaves, thereby improving soil quality and counteracting climate change. But how do these single-celled organisms coordinate their tasks? An international research team has been looking into this little-understood process. The results of the study were recently published in Scientific Reports.

Breakthrough in measuring CO<sub>2</sub> emissions from fossil fuels

Breakthrough in measuring CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels

28. April 2022

Christoph Gerbig Climate Change Global Carbon Project Greenhouse Gases

Scientists have succeeded in detecting changes in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels much faster than before. Using a new method, they combined atmospheric measurements of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and oxygen (O₂) from the north coast of the United Kingdom. The study, with the participation of the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, was published Apr. 22 in Science Advances.

Forest dieback due to climate extremes follows global pattern

12. April 2022

Carbon Cycle Climate Change Climate Extremes Drought Henrik Hartmann

International researchers found a pattern of extreme climate conditions leading to forest dieback. To do this, the team had collected worldwide records of climate-related tree and forest dieback events over the past nearly five decades. The results, recently published in Nature Communications, reveal an ominous scenario for forests in the context of ongoing global warming.

Unexpected forest die-off after climate extremes worries scientists worldwide

3. März 2022

Ana Bastos Climate Change Climate Extremes Drought Henrik Hartmann

International forest experts analyzed major tree and forest dieback events that occurred globally in the last decades in response to climate extremes. To their surprise many forests were strongly affected that were not considered threatened based on current scientific understanding. The study, led by the MPI-BGC and published in Annual Reviews in Plant Biology, underscores also that further tree and forest dieback is likely to occur.

Climate and soil determine the distribution of plant traits

23. Dezember 2021

Climate Change Jens Kattge Plant Traits TRY

An international research team succeeded in identifying global factors that explain the diversity of form and function in plants. Led by the University of Zurich, the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena and the University of Leipzig, the researchers collected and analyzed plant data from around the world.

The diversity of plants’ water use strategies makes forests resilient to extreme drought

16. Dezember 2021

Carbon Cycle Climate Change Climate Extremes Drought Jianbei Huang

Precisely how does a forest system and the individual plants within it react to extreme drought? Understanding the processes involved is crucial to making forests more resilient in the increasingly dry climate that will result from climate change, and also important for refining climate models. A research team led by Prof. Dr. Christiane Werner from the University of Freiburg has conducted the most extensive experiment to date into this subject using stable isotopes to trace flows of water and carbon through a forest.

ICOS: High quality data on climate change brings faster and more reliable results

18. Oktober 2021

Armin Jordan Climate Change Greenhouse Gases ICOS

The increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is causing our climate to warm at an alarming rate. Information is vital for societies who must decide on pathways to climate neutrality. The European ICOS research structure, including Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, provides this information, as described in a recent article.

Functioning of terrestrial ecosystems is governed by three main factors

22. September 2021

Climate Change Ecosystem Function Fluxnet Markus Reichstein Plant Traits

Ecosystems provide multiple services for humans. However, these services depend on basic ecosystem functions which are shaped by natural conditions like climate and species composition, and human interventions. A large international research team, led by the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, identified three key indicators that together summarize the integrative function of terrestrial ecosystems.

Importance of atmospheric measurements confirmed

27. November 2018

Armin Jordan Climate Change Greenhouse Gases

The recent Greenhouse gas Bulletin, published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), highlights the importance of measuring greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to monitor emissions of such climate-threatening compounds.

Multiple facets of biodiversity drive the diversity–stability relationship

28. August 2018

Biodiversity Climate Change Jena Experiment Jens Kattge

A new study shows that, in addition to species richness, plant evolutionary history plays a critical role in regulating year-to-year variation of biomass production in grasslands. In the face of climate change, understanding the causes of variability in key ecosystem services such as biomass production is essential.

Discovery of hidden CFC emissions

28. Juni 2018

Climate Change Greenhouse Gases Martin Heimann

For a long time, the Montreal protocol has been taken as a success story on how to implement an international agreement on environmental sustainability. It was key to protect the Earth's ozone layer. Recently, however, researchers found out that chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions have been increasing again.

How Taigas may change the world’s climate

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