Infrared heater system for warming tropical forest understory plants and soils

Ecology and Evolution
Bruce A KimballTana E Wood

Abstract

The response of tropical forests to global warming is one of the largest uncertainties in predicting the future carbon balance of Earth. To determine the likely effects of elevated temperatures on tropical forest understory plants and soils, as well as other ecosystems, an infrared (IR) heater system was developed to provide in situ warming for the Tropical Responses to Altered Climate Experiment (TRACE) in the Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico. Three replicate heated 4-m-diameter plots were warmed to maintain a 4°C increase in understory vegetation compared to three unheated control plots, as sensed by IR thermometers. The equipment was larger than any used previously and was subjected to challenges different from those of many temperate ecosystem warming systems, including frequent power surges and outages, high humidity, heavy rains, hurricanes, saturated clayey soils, and steep slopes. The system was able to maintain the target 4.0°C increase in hourly average vegetation temperatures to within ± 0.1°C. The vegetation was heterogeneous and on a 21° slope, which decreased uniformity of the warming treatment on the plots; yet, the green leaves were fairly uniformly warmed, and there was little difference among 0-10 c...Continue Reading

References

Dec 14, 2002·Science·J M MelilloS Morrisseau
Feb 21, 2009·Science·Andrew E Dessler, Steven C Sherwood
Jul 19, 2011·Science·Yude PanDaniel Hayes
Dec 8, 2011·Plant Methods·Muhammad Ishaq Asif RehmaniYanfeng Ding
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Feb 3, 2015·Global Change Biology·Molly A CavaleriTana E Wood
Mar 11, 2017·Science·Caitlin E Hicks PriesM S Torn

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Citations

Sep 22, 2019·Oecologia·Charlotte GrossiordNate G McDowell
Mar 21, 2020·Global Change Biology·Benedicte BachelotTana E Wood
Oct 22, 2019·Frontiers in Plant Science·Andrea MiserereMaria Cecilia Rousseaux
Oct 14, 2020·Nature·Andrew T NottinghamBenjamin L Turner
Mar 22, 2021·Plant, Cell & Environment·S V Krishna JagadishThomas D Sharkey
Oct 31, 2021·Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture·Leila HamzeM Cecilia Rousseaux

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