Max Planck Institutes and Experts

The consequences of climate extremes on the carbon cycle of land ecosystems are not yet fully understood. However, it is becoming apparent that climate extremes tend to trigger a disproportionately high release of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Current research in the department “Biogeochemical Integration” at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry aims at estimating the relevance of this phenomenon at global scales.

The traits of living organisms define their interaction with the environment and are an essential basis of ecological research. At the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry the TRY initiative has united and consolidated worldwide collections of plant traits in a global database and makes them available for further research. The improved usage of plant trait data is expected to promote a paradigm shift from species- to trait-based ecology. Moreover, it facilitates accounting for biodiversity aspects in Earth system sciences.

Calculations using a global Earth chemistry model show that about 80 % of the population worldwide is exposed to fine particulate matter concentrations that are higher than the guideline concentration by the World Health Organization (10 µg/m³) and 35 % to more than 25 µg/m³ (EU Directive). Presently, gaseous and particulate air pollution causes about 3.4 million premature deaths per year. In the coming decades air pollution and related public health impacts are projected to increase particularly rapidly in South and East Asia and in the Middle East.

Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz have investigated up to 2.70 m long giant spicules of the deep-sea glass sponge Monorhaphis chuni by new microanalytical techniques. They showed that the lifespan of these biogenic silica structures can be up to 13,000 years. Giant spicules therefore offer a unique opportunity to record changes of past oceanic and climatic conditions.

Earth System models do not account for the limited availability of essential plant nutrients. Currently, about one third of the fossil fuel CO₂ emissions is taken up by land ecosystems, but there is no guarantee that this ecosystem service will continue into the future. This study accounts for the first time for the availability of nitrogen and phosphorus on land. It shows that the omission of nutrient limitation in the models leads to an overestimation of carbon dioxide uptake by vegetation in future. Reduced CO₂ uptake due to nutrient limitation will accelerate global warming.