Unibo team leader: Prof. Federico Magnani, Dip. di Colture Arboree
The GHG-Europe project aims to improve our understanding and capacity for predicting the European terrestrial carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) budget by applying a systematic, comprehensive and integrative approach. GHG-Europe quantifies the annual to decadal variability of the carbon and GHG budgets of terrestrial ecosystems in EU27 plus Switzerland and in six data-rich European regions via data-model integration, diagnostic and predictive modelling. Models are calibrated by multi-site observations. Research includes CO2, CH4 and N2O in forests, croplands, grasslands, shrublands, peatlands and soils. Via an integrated approach, GHG Europe scales up consistently from local to regional and continental scale via scale dependent error propagation and systematic quantification of uncertainties, model validation at different scales and top-down verification by atmospheric inversion models.
At regional and European scale lateral C transport by land use, trade and rivers are included. Variability in C and GHG budgets is attributed to natural (climate) and anthropogenic drivers (N deposition, land use, past and present management) by synthesis of past and emerging experiments, targeted observations in hot spots and hot moments and model sensitivity analyses. For this purpose, observations are extended to under-sampled regions and ecosystems with likely high importance for the European C budget: forests and land use change in Eastern Europe and Mediterranen shrublands. The future vulnerability of carbon pools and risks of positive feedbacks in the climate-carbon system are assessed by scenario analyses with biophysical models and by integrating feedbacks with socio-economic changes and EU climate and land use policies. GHG-Europe uses a bidirectional interaction with stakeholders to provide regular and timely scientific advice targeted to the emerging needs of the UNFCCC process and for implementing post-2012 climate commitments in Europe.
Coordinator
JOHANN HEINRICH VON THUENEN-INSTITUT,
BUNDESFORSCHUNGSINSTITUT FUER LANDLICHE RAUME, WALD UND FISCHEREI (Germany)
Other participants
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM – UNIVERSITA’ DI BOLOGNA
- Dip. di Colture Arboree
- Resp. Scientifico: Prof. Federico Magnani
KØBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET (Denmark)
PROVINCIA AUTONOMA DI BOLZANO (Italy)
BUNDESFORSCHUNGS-UND AUSBILDUNGSZENTRUM FÜR WALD, NATURGEFAHREN UND LANDSCHAFT (Austria)
UNIWERSYTET PRZYRODNICZY W POZNANIU (Poland)
FONDAZIONE EDMUND MACH (Italy)
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL (UK)
METEO-FRANCE (France)
CENTRE TECNOLOGIC FORESTAL DE CATALUNYA (Spain)
INSTITUTUL DE CERCETARI SI AMENAJARI SILVICE (Romania)
COMMISSARIAT A L' ENERGIE ATOMIQUE (France)
UNIVERSITAET INNSBRUCK (Austria)
STICHTING ENERGIEONDERZOEK CENTRUM NEDERLAND (The Netherlands)
ILMATIETEEN LAITOS (Finland)
SUOMEN YMPARISTOKESKUS (Finland)
EUROPEAN FOREST INSTITUTE (Finland)
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI UDINE (Italy)
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DELLA TUSCIA (Italy)
POTSDAM INSTITUT FUER KLIMAFOLGENFORSCHUNG (Germany)
JOANNEUM RESEARCH FORSCHUNGSGESELLSCHAFT MBH (Austria)
HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO (Finland)
ALTERRA B.V. (The Netherlands)
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE AGRONOMIQUE (France)
UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA - LA MANCHA (Spain)
VERENIGING VOOR CHRISTELIJK HOGER ONDERWIJS WETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK EN PATIENTENZORG (The Netherlands)
WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITEIT (The Netherlands)
FUNDACION CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS AMBIENTALES DEL MEDITERRANEO (Spain)
RUPRECHT-KARLS-UNIVERSITAET HEIDELBERG. (Germany)
INTERNATIONALES INSTITUT FUER ANGEWANDTE SYSTEMANALYSE (Austria)
CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE-CNR (Italy)
RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN (The Netherlands)
EIDGENÖSSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZÜRICH (Switzerland)
UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN (Belgium)
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLIN (Eire)
DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET (Denmark)
MAX PLANCK GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN E.V. (Germany)
THE UNIVERSITY COURT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN (UK)
SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET (Sweden)
UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADA (Spain)
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN (Germany)
Start date 01/01/2010
End date 30/06/2013
Duration 42 months
Subprogramme Area ENV.2009.1.1.3.1: Quantification and attribution of annual-todecadal changes of carbon and GHG budgets in European terrestrial ecosystems to human and natural drivers and associated climatecarbon feedbacks
ENV.2009.2.1.3.1: Soil processes and modeling
ENV.2009.2.2.1.1: Options for Ecosystem-based management
Contract type Collaborative project - Large-scale integrating project