Publications

Productivity limits and potentials of the principles of conservation agriculture

Publication ID: pub.1024457923

Publication date: 22/10/2014

Keywords: Agriculture; Climate; Climate Change; Conservation of Natural Resources; Crops, Agricultural; Efficiency; Food Supply; Global; Rain; Soil

A global meta-analysis of conservation agriculture principles indicates that the potential contribution of no-till to the sustainable intensification of agriculture is more limited than often assumed.

Persistent growth of CO2 emissions and implications for reaching climate targets

Publication ID: pub.1049079456

Publication date: 21/09/2014

Keywords: Carbon Intensity Improvements; Cement Production; Climate Agreement; Climate Targets; CO2 Emission Quota; Emerging Economies; Emissions Scenarios; Fossil Fuel Combustion; Global; Global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Growth; Stringent Mitigation; Temperature Level; Temperature Limit

In order to limit climate warming, CO2 emissions must remain below fixed quota. An evaluation of past emissions suggests that at 2014 emissions rates, the total quota will probably be exhausted within the next 30 years.

Creating a national citizen engagement process for energy policy

Publication ID: pub.1003270809

Publication date: 15/09/2014

Keywords: Communication; Community Participation; Conservation of Energy Resources; Energy-Generating Resources; Humans; Information Dissemination; Public Policy; United Kingdom

This paper examines some of the science communication challenges involved when designing and conducting public deliberation processes on issues of national importance. We take as our illustrative case study a recent research project investigating public values and attitudes toward future energy system change for the United Kingdom. National-level issues such as this are often particularly […]

Accelerated microbial turnover but constant growth efficiency with warming in soil

Publication ID: pub.1046607824

Publication date: 07/09/2014

Keywords: Climate Change; Microbial Enzyme Kinetics; Microbial Growth Efficiency (MGE); Microbial Respiration; Microbial Turnover; Minnesota; Model; Response; Soil Carbon Stocks; Temperature Sensitivity; US; Warming

Whether rising temperatures will reduce global soil carbon stocks and enhance climate warming remains uncertain, in part because of a poor understanding of the mechanisms of soil microbial response to warming. Research now shows that microbial growth efficiency is insensitive to temperature change and that the response of microbial respiration to warming is driven by […]

Temperature sensitivity of soil respiration rates enhanced by microbial community response

Publication ID: pub.1014303262

Publication date: 03/09/2014

Keywords: Arctic-Amazon Climate Gradient; Arctic Regions; Carbon; Carbon Dioxide; Cold Climate; Feedback; Global Warming; Nitrogen; Oxygen; Soil; Soil Microbiology; Temperature; Tropical Climate

Microbial community responses in soils from the Arctic to the Amazon often enhance the longer-term temperature sensitivity of respiration, particularly in soils with high carbon-to-nitrogen ratios and in soils from cold regions, suggesting that carbon stored in Arctic and boreal soils could be more vulnerable to climate warming than currently predicted.

Shifting perspectives on coastal impacts and adaptation

Publication ID: pub.1016995384

Publication date: 27/08/2014

Keywords: Adaptation; Coastal Impacts; Evolving Attitudes; Global; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); Perspectives; Report; Responses; Sea-level Rise; Systems Approach

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports reflect evolving attitudes in adapting to sea-level rise by taking a systems approach and recognizing that multiple responses exist to achieve a less hazardous coast.