Publications

Carbon Emissions From Oil Palm Plantations on Peat Soil

Publication ID: pub.1120341962

Publication date: 16/08/2019

Keywords: Heterotrophic Respiration; Malaysia; Methane; Oil Palm; Peat; Peat Oxidation; Sabaju; Sarawak; Sebungan

Southeast Asian peatlands have undergone recent land use change with an increase in industrial agricultural plantations, including oil palm. Cultivating peatlands requires creating drainage ditches and other surface microforms (i.e., harvest paths, frond piles, cover plants, and next to the palm). However, it is currently unclear how these management actions affect rates of carbon losses […]

Increased atmospheric vapor pressure deficit reduces global vegetation growth

Publication ID: pub.1120330578

Publication date: 14/08/2019

Keywords: Climate; Climate Change; Environmental Monitoring; Global; Models, Biological; Plant Development; Plants; Satellite Imagery; Steam; Vapor Pressure

Atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD) is a critical variable in determining plant photosynthesis. Synthesis of four global climate datasets reveals a sharp increase of VPD after the late 1990s. In response, the vegetation greening trend indicated by a satellite-derived vegetation index (GIMMS3g), which was evident before the late 1990s, was subsequently stalled or reversed. Terrestrial […]

Minimal influence of reduced Arctic sea ice on coincident cold winters in mid-latitudes

Publication ID: pub.1120287442

Publication date: 12/08/2019

Keywords: Anomalies; Arctic Region; Arctic Sea Ice; Atmosphere; Causal Inference; Climate Models; Cold Mid-latitude Winters; Influence; Interannual Timescales; Modelling Experiments; Observed Correlations

Observations show that reduced regional sea-ice cover is coincident with cold mid-latitude winters on interannual timescales. However, it remains unclear whether these observed links are causal, and model experiments suggest that they might not be. Here we apply two independent approaches to infer causality from observations and climate models and to reconcile these sources of […]

What goes in, must come out: Combining scat‐based molecular diet analysis and quantification of ingested microplastics in a marine top predator

Publication ID: pub.1120283162

Publication date: 12/08/2019

Keywords: Diet Analysis; DNA; Marine Animals; Metabarcoding; Microplastics; Next-generation Sequencing; Pinnipeds; Plymouth Marine Laboratory; Prey Composition; Skomer Island; UK; Wales

Microplastics (plastic particles

Diet-related selectivity of macroplastic ingestion in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the eastern Mediterranean

Publication ID: pub.1120200090

Publication date: 09/08/2019

Keywords: Animal Feed; Animals; Chelonia mydas; Diet; Eastern Mediterranean; Eating; Feeding Behavior; Mediterranean Region; Plastics; Turtles

Understanding the drivers of key interactions between marine vertebrates and plastic pollution is now considered a research priority. Sea turtles are primarily visual predators, with the ability to discriminate according to colour and shape; therefore these factors play a role in feeding choices. Classification methodologies of ingested plastic currently do not record these variables, however […]

Amazon forest response to CO2 fertilization dependent on plant phosphorus acquisition

Publication ID: pub.1120126304

Publication date: 05/08/2019

Keywords: Amazon Forest Response; Biomass Carbon; Climate Change; CO2 Fertilisation; Phosphorus Availability; Plant Phosphorus Acquisition; Resilience; Terrestrial Ecosystem Models

Global terrestrial models currently predict that the Amazon rainforest will continue to act as a carbon sink in the future, primarily owing to the rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration. Soil phosphorus impoverishment in parts of the Amazon basin largely controls its functioning, but the role of phosphorus availability has not been considered in global […]