CO₂ and Precipitation Manipulation Experiments

Hawkesbury Forest

Contact:  Ross McMurtrie, Craig Barton, Derek Eamus, David Ellsworth, David Tissue

Email:  r.mcmurtrie@unsw.edu.au ,  craigba@sf.nsw.gov.au , Derek.Eamus@uts.edu.au ,  D.Ellsworth@uws.edu.au ,  D.Tissue@uws.edu.au

Site Location:  Richmond, NSW, Australia (60 km N-W of Sydney)

Latitude:  -33.6 decimal degrees

Longitude:  150.7 decimal degrees

Mean Annual Temperature:  17 degrees Celsius

Mean Annual Precipitation:  800 mm

Biome: Temperate forest (Eucalyptus saligna) 

Experimental Manipulation:  CO2 X Precipitation. CO2 treatments: Current (i.e. tracks [CO2] outside chambers and Current + 240 ppm.    

Technology: 10m tall whole-tree chambers (as at Flakaliden experiment). Chambers measure whole-tree fluxes of CO2 and water.

 Start Date:  January 2007

End Date:  Ongoing   

Key Research Questions:

* What is the impact of rising CO2 and altered water supply on the growth, carbon storage potential and water use of water- and nutrient-limited trees?

* How does elevated [CO2] affect growth and water use of large woody plants under water-limitation versus under non-water limited conditions?

* How do tree-responses to elevated CO2 change over a drying cycle, and with fluctuations in environmental conditions?

* How to scale from single-tree response to stand-scale?

Key Findings:

Web Site:  http://www.uws.edu.au/researchcentres/pafs/hawkesburyforestexperiment

Publications:

High CO₂ on Maize

Contact:  Hans Weigel

Email: hans.weigel@fal.de

Site Location:  Braunschweig, Germany

Latitude:  52.3 decimal degrees

Longitude:  10.43 decimal degrees

Mean Annual Temperature:  8.8 degrees Celsius  

Mean Annual Precipitation: 618 mm 

Biome:  Agricultural Crops

Experimental Manipulation: 

- ambient air and elevation of atmospheric CO₂ concentration to a target concentration of 550 ppm

- full water supply and water stress

Technology:  FACE system engineered by Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York, USA (Lewin et al, 1992, Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 11: 135-141

Start Date:  Spring 2007 

End Date:   Autumn 2008

Key Research Questions:

- feedback between elevated CO₂ and water in relation to energy crop.

- main focus is on water fluxes between atmosphere, plant and soil under different water regimes

Key Findings:

Web Site: 

Publications: