PowerPoint Presentation - Global Change Curricula and Programs at Iowa State University

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Image courtesy of NASA/GSFC
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Climate Change Interface with Plant Sciences

• Eugene S. Takle
• Professor of Atmospheric Science
• Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences
• Professor of Agricultural Meteorology
• Department of Agronomy
• Iowa State University
• Ames, Iowa 50011
• gstakle_at_iastate.edu

Plant Science Institute Iowa State University
Ames, IA 26 October 2007
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Carbon Dioxide and Temperature
2007 380 ppm
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Carbon Dioxide and Temperature
2050 550 ppm
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http//www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/2006
/ann/glob_jan-dec-error-bar_pg.gif
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Natural and anthropogenic contributions to global
temperature change (Meehl et al., 2004).
Observed values from Jones and Moberg 2001. Grey
bands indicate 68 and 95 range derived from
multiple simulations.
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Source Jerry Meehl, National Center for
Atmospheric Research
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Energy intensive
Reduced Consumption
Energy conserving
Mitigation Possible
Adaptation Necessary
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report Summary for Policy
Makers
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(No Transcript)
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Tin and Seager
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Projected Changes for the Climate of Iowa/Midwest
(My tentative assessment)

• Longer frost-free period (high)
• Higher average winter temperatures (high)
• Fewer extreme cold temperatures in winter (high)
• More extreme high temperatures in summer (medium)
• Lower mean summertime daily max temperature
• Higher nighttime temperatures both summer and
  winter (high)
• More (10) precipitation (medium)
• More variability of summer precipitation (high)
• More intense rain events and hence more runoff
  (high)
• Higher episodic streamflow (medium)
• Longer periods without rain (medium)
• Higher absolute humidity (high)
• Stronger storm systems (medium)
• Reduced annual mean wind speeds (medium)

Follows trend of last 25 years and projected by
models No current trend but
model suggestion or current trend but models
inconclusive
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D. Herzmann, Iowa Environmental Mesonet
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D. Herzmann, Iowa Environmental Mesonet
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North America Regional Climate Change Assessment
Program
Linda O. Mearns, National Center for Atmospheric
Research Principal Investigator

• Raymond Arritt, William Gutowski, Gene Takle,
  Iowa State University
• Erasmo Buono, Richard Jones, Hadley Centre, UK
• Daniel Caya, OURANOS, Canada
• Phil Duffy, Lawrence Livermore National
  Laboratories, USA
• Filippo Giorgi, Jeremy Pal, Abdus Salam ICTP,
  Italy
• Isaac Held, Ron Stouffer, NOAA Geophysical Fluid
  Dynamics Laboratory, USA
• René Laprise, Univ. de Québec à Montréal, Canada
• Ruby Leung, Pacific Northwest National
  Laboratories, USA
• Linda O. Mearns, Doug Nychka, Phil Rasch, Tom
  Wigley, National Center for Atmospheric Research,
  USA
• Ana Nunes, John Roads, Scripps Institution of
  Oceanography, USA
• Steve Sain, Univ. of Colorado at Denver, USA
• Lisa Sloan, Mark Snyder, Univ. of California at
  Santa Cruz, USA

http//www.narccap.ucar.edu/
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NARCCAP IAMAS 2005
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Potential Plant-Climate Research Issues

• Plants that adapt to climate change
• Higher yield (seed and/or biomass above-ground
  and/or below-ground)
• Drought tolerance
• Disease resistance
• Resilient to water logging
• Plants that mitigate climate change
• Carbon sequestration
• Plants for fuels
• Artificial photosynthesis (?)

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Potential Plant-Climate Research Issues

• Plants that deliver environmental services
• Stimulate rainfall, enhance recycling ratio
• Protect soil from erosion
• Better use of early season PAR

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Recycling ratio, R PL/P PL precipitation
from local sources P total precipitation Amazon
R (0.24 - 0.56) Upper Mississippi River
Basin R (0.2-0.24)
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May
June
Jul
Jul
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ISU Climate Science and Impacts Initiative
Open invitation to faculty, staff, and graduate
students to discuss opportunities for
collaboration on basic science and applications
of climate change and climate variability Monday
November 26 400-530 PM 3140 Agronomy Hall
(?) Overview of regional climate science at ISU
(10 min) Proposals submitted Funding
opportunities available