INERC: Increasing Ecosystem Resilience
under Drying Climate: Analyses of Water and Carbon Fluxes across Scales
Context
Agriculture is an important source of greenhouse gas emissions and thereby a driver of climate change. At the same time, agriculture is also very vulnerable to these processes. The C sink function of acroecosystems can be strengthened by improving water use efficiency of the system. However, the mechanisms of ecosystem resistance and recovery under heatwaves and droughts remain insufficiently understood. Combining long-term eddy covariance flux measurements with novel isotopic techniques, the project will investigate resilience processes at ecosystem scale, and strengthen the scientific basis for future adaptation strategies in European agriculture.
Project aims
INERC aims to assess opportunities for increased resilience of agroecosystems under drought with a focus on water use efficiency of grasslands and croplands. Specifically, the project will (1) improve the understanding of agroecosystem resilience mechanisms under climate extremes; (2) develop robust, validated methods for ET partitioning; (3) develop high-resolution ET maps to evaluate management strategies for improved water use of agroecosystems; and (4) provide an independent, observation-based estimate of Hungary’s national CO₂ budget.