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Montane ecosystem productivity responds more to global circulation patterns than climatic trends.
Journal article

Montane ecosystem productivity responds more to global circulation patterns than climatic trends.

  • Desai AR University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, 1225 W Dayton St, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 USA.
  • Wohlfahrt G University of Innsbruck, Institute of Ecology, Sternwartestraße 15, A-6020 Innsbruck, AUSTRIA.
  • Zeeman MJ Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), KIT Campus Alpin, Kreuzeckbahnstraße 19, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GERMANY.
  • Katata G Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), KIT Campus Alpin, Kreuzeckbahnstraße 19, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GERMANY.
  • Eugster W ETH Zürich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092 Zürich, SWITZERLAND.
  • Montagnani L Forest Services, Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Via Brennero 6, 39100 Bolzano, ITALY.
  • Gianelle D Department of Sustainable Agro-Ecosystems and Bioresources, Research and Innovation Center, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38010 S. Michele all' Adige Trento, ITALY.
  • Mauder M Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), KIT Campus Alpin, Kreuzeckbahnstraße 19, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GERMANY.
  • Schmid HP Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), KIT Campus Alpin, Kreuzeckbahnstraße 19, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GERMANY.
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  • 2017-05-02
Published in:
  • Environmental research letters : ERL [Web site]. - 2016
Alpine ecology
Foehn
atmospheric circulation
climatic change and variability
ecosystem carbon uptake
English Regional ecosystem productivity is highly sensitive to inter-annual climate variability, both within and outside the primary carbon uptake period. However, Earth system models lack sufficient spatial scales and ecosystem processes to resolve how these processes may change in a warming climate. Here, we show, how for the European Alps, mid-latitude Atlantic ocean winter circulation anomalies drive high-altitude summer forest and grassland productivity, through feedbacks among orographic wind circulation patterns, snowfall, winter and spring temperatures, and vegetation activity. Therefore, to understand future global climate change influence to regional ecosystem productivity, Earth systems models need to focus on improvements towards topographic downscaling of changes in regional atmospheric circulation patterns and to lagged responses in vegetation dynamics to non-growing season climate anomalies.
Language
  • English
Open access status
gold
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/185696
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