GHG Europe

Synthesis of the European Greenhouse Gas Budget

Contact
Nina Buchmann

Project Members
Lutz Merbold
Dennis Imer
Sebastian Wolf

Timeplan
2010 - 2013

Related projects
CarboEurope IP
Swiss FluxNet
NitroEurope

Research Sites
Chamau
Früebüel
Alp Weissenstein
Oensingen cropland

Further information
GHG - Europe

Context

More than 50 % of the European land surface is used for agricultural and forestry production. Land management directly impacts the terrestrial sources and sinks of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

In the view of climate change it is crucial to know the amount of GHGs released into the atmosphere by anthropogenic activities. But also natural drivers such as climate variability influence the GHG balance of European ecosystems. The attribution of GHG emissions to anthropogenic and natural drivers is the ultimate challenge tackled in the GHG-Europe project and is the precondition to assess the potential for GHG reduction from agriculture and forestry in Europe.

Objectives

The GHG-Europe project aims to improve our understanding and capacity for predicting the European terrestrial carbon and greenhouse gas budget.

Research Questions

Which part of the terrestrial GHG emissions is anthropogenic?

Which ecosystems are particularly susceptible to changes in climate?

Which options are available in agriculture and forestry management to keep carbon (C) sinks and minimize GHG emissions?

Publications

 

Imer D, Merbold L, Eugster W and Buchmann N: Temporal and spatial variations of CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes at three differently managed grasslands (2013), Biogeosciences Discussions 10: 2635-2673

Merbold L, Steinlin C, Hagedorn F: Winter greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4 and N2O) from a sub-­‐alpine grassland (2013), Biogeosciences Discussions 10: 401-445