Plant temperature-regulated Arctic responses and feedbacks to the changing climate

In the Arctic, the temperature that plants experience (T plant ), diverge largely in magnitudes from the often-measured air temperature (T air ).

The differences between these two temperatures have been often neglected in models, causing errors in the estimated responses and feedbacks to the amplified warming in the Arctic.

This project aims to elucidate the fundamental roles of T plant in regulating Arctic plants´ activities and in determining plant feedbacks to the fast-changing Arctic climate.

We will examine factors regulating T plant changes across different ecosystems, and experimentally quantify the relationships of T plant with leaf phenology, photosynthesis, and the responses of CO 2uptake and emissions of biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOCs, highly reactive in the atmosphere) to warming and heatwaves.

The relationships will be updated in the large-scale mechanistic models to re-assess regional changes in CO 2 and BVOC fluxes, as well as the roles of arctic plants on the climate system. This 4-year project consists of the PI (65% of full time), and a 2-year Postdoc.

The laboratory work will be conducted at the University of Copenhagen to make use of the state-of-the-art photosynthesis and BVOC equipments. The large-scale simulations will make use of the computing resources from SNIC.

The project will greatly improve model representations of arctic plants´ processes and climatic feedbacks, and thus narrow down uncertainties in predicting future climate.