Global carbon dioxide removal rates from forest landscape restoration activities

Background

Forest landscape restoration (FLR) has been adopted by governments and practitioners across the globe to mitigate and adapt to climate change and restore ecological functions across degraded landscapes. However, the extent to which these activities capture CO₂ with associated climate mitigation impacts are poorly known, especially in geographies where data on biomass growth of restored forests are limited or do not exist. To fill this gap, we developed biomass accumulation rates for a set of FLR activities (natural regeneration, planted forests and woodlots, agroforestry, and mangrove restoration) across the globe and global CO₂ removal rates with corresponding confidence intervals, grouped by FLR activity and region/climate.

Results

Planted forests and woodlots were found to have the highest CO₂ removal rates, ranging from 4.5 to 40.7 t CO² ha^?1 year^?1 during the first 20 years of growth. Mangrove tree restoration was the second most efficient FLR at removing CO₂, with growth rates up to 23.1 t CO₂ ha^?1 year^?1 the first 20 years post restoration. Natural regeneration removal rates were 9.1–18.8 t CO₂ ha^?1 year^?1 during the first 20 years of forest regeneration, followed by agroforestry, the FLR category with the lowest and regionally broad removal rates (10.8–15.6 t CO₂ ha^?1 year^?1). Biomass growth data was most abundant and widely distributed across the world for planted forests and natural regeneration, representing 45% and 32% of all the data points assessed, respectively. Agroforestry studies, were only found in Africa, Asia, and the Latin America and Caribbean regions.

Conclusion

This study represents the most comprehensive review of published literature on tree growth and CO₂ removals to date, which we operationalized by constructing removal rates for specific FLR activities across the globe. These rates can easily be applied by practitioners and decision-makers seeking to better understand the positive climate mitigation impacts of existing or planned FLR actions, or by countries making restoration pledges under the Bonn Challenge Commitments or fulfilling Nationally Determined Contributions to the UNFCCC, thereby helping boost FLR efforts world-wide.

     

Provenance and weathering history of Mesoproterozoic clastic sedimentary rocks from the basal Gulcheru Formation,Cuddapah Basin

Geochemical analysis for the Mesoproterozoic clastic sedimentary rocks of the basal Gulcheru Formation of the Cuddapah Basin in the Gugudu-Dadithota-Parnapalle-Palkonda region (extending atleast 40 km) have been performed to highlight their provenance and weathering history. The low K₂O/Al₂O₃ ratios of the representative samples points to the recycled nature of sediments and illite clay in the sediments indicate an overall cold climate (low chemical weathering degree). All the provenance diagrams indicate a mixed source of the Gulcheru sediments with felsic dominancy and Upper continental crust (UCC) signature.     

Rainfall retention and runoff generation processes in tropical mature green roof ecosystems

Rainfall retention and runoff detention are likely the most important ecosystem services provided by extensive green roofs (EGRs) that contribute to urban stormwater mitigation and management. However, the hydrological performance and runoff generation mechanisms of mature, well-established EGRs in tropical regions remain poorly understood. This study evaluated the rainfall retention, discharge detention times and processes of runoff generation in two neighbouring 20-year-old EGRs with different slopes (2° and 14° for EGRns and EGRws, respectively) and management practices in Mexico City; results were compared with those obtained in a conventional roof (CR, 2° slope). Precipitation, substrate moisture and storm runoff were continuously measured during the 2017 and 2018 rainy seasons (May–November). Results showed spatial differences in substrate properties and moisture within and between green roofs. In general, higher bulk densities and a wide range of variation in water content characterized the bare substrate areas compared to those below vegetation. Greatest increases in substrate moisture and storm runoff were observed in the steeper green roof. Subsurface flow was the dominant process controlling the amount and timing of stormflow in the EGRs. The occurrence of saturation excess overland flow was small and detected when large rain events were preceded by high wetness conditions. The main factors influencing the hydrological responses of the green roofs were their substrate hydrophysical properties, related mostly to vegetation cover, management and age, and to much lesser extent to slope and substrate depth. On average, rainfall retention was ~60% in the EGRs with significantly longer delays and prolonged runoff times (100 and 340 min, respectively) compared to CR (3%, 20 min, and 258 min, respectively). Overall, these findings highlight the potential of EGRs in reducing stormflow and peak discharges for most rainfall in Mexico City, and thus mitigating the risk of saturation and overflow of urban drainages.     

Genesis and mineral transformations in Lower Cretaceous karst bauxites (NE Spain): climatic influence and superimposed processes

Four outcrops of Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) karst bauxites located in Teruel (NE Spain) were analysed to determine their mineral associations and genesis related to climatic palaeoweathering events and late superimposed kaolinization processes. The materials comprise metric‐sized pisolitic blocks embedded in a clay‐rich red groundmass. Fourteen samples were examined by X‐ray diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and the major elements were analysed by inductively‐coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICPMS). The samples are composed of kaolinite, gibbsite, goethite, and hematite as the main phases, with diaspore, boehmite, anatase, and rutile as accessory minerals. The results show a complex sequence of mineralogical and geochemical processes that transformed the parent rock into the current bauxite materials. The clay‐rich groundmass constitutes the lateritic parent material of the pisolitic bauxites. In the parent material authigenic kaolinite (e.g. vermicular kaolinite and kaolinite between cleavage sheets of pre‐existing mica) has been observed; Fe oxides formed subsequent to kaolinite. In the pisolitic bauxites, mineralogical and textural evidence indicates that bauxitization took place at the expense of previous kaolinite, with gibbsite post‐dating the other Al hydroxides. The pisolitic bauxites also show a more homogeneous chemical composition and a relative Ti, Al and Zr enrichment. The data are consistent with an intense palaeoweathering event during the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) under tropical climatic conditions (warm and humid). Several stages probably took place during the bauxitization process, suggesting variations in water saturation conditions. Subsequent karst reactivation stages and related collapses were responsible for the present lithostructure of the deposits and allowed late kaolinization not related to climate to take place. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of arid phases during the last 50 cal. ka BP from the Fuentillejo maar‐lacustrine record (Campo de Calatrava Volcanic Field,Spain)

Geochemical (element analysis, molecular analysis of organic compounds), physical, palynological, mineralogical and sedimentary facies analysis were performed to characterise the sedimentary record in Fuentillejo maar‐lake in the Central Spanish Volcanic Field of Campo de Calatrava, in order to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic processes which controlled vegetation patterns and deposition of different sedimentary facies. The upper 20 m of core FUENT‐1 show variations in clastic input, water chemistry, vegetation and organic fraction sources in the lake throughout the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. The temporal framework provided by ¹⁴C accelerator mass spectrometry dating allows assigning the sequence to the last 50 cal. ka BP. Arid phases identified in the FUENT‐1 sequence are correlated to Heinrich events (HE) and to stadials of the Dansgaard/Oeschger (D/O) cycles. Siliciclastic facies with high magnetic susceptibility values, high Juniperus pollen content, a low Paq index (aquatic macrophysics proxy index), a decrease in the relative percentage of the n‐C₂₇ and an increase in the n‐C₃₁ alkanes are indicative of arid and colder climatic events related to HE 2, HE 1 and the Younger Dryas (YD). Similar short cold and arid phases during the Holocene were identified at 9.2–8.6, 7.5–7 and 5.5–5 cal. ka BP. In dolomite–mud facies, the pollen data show an increase in the herbs component, mainly – Chenopodiaceae, Artemisia and Ephedra – steppe taxa; a low Paq index, a decrease in the relative percentage of the n‐C₂₇ alkane and an increase in the n‐C₃₁ alkane are also observed. This facies was probably the result of lower lake levels and more saline–alkaline conditions, which can be interpreted as linked to arid–warm periods. These warm and arid phases were more frequent during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and the interstadials of MIS 2. HE 4, HE 2, HE 1 and the YD in core FUENT‐1 were immediately followed by increases of warm steppe pollen assemblages that document rapid warming similar to the D/O cycles but do not imply increasing humidity in the area. Fuentillejo hydrology is controlled by changes in the atmospheric and oceanic systems that operated on the North Atlantic region at millennial scale during the last 50 cal. ka BP. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Glacial Cirques in the Southern Side of the Cantabrian Mountains of Southwestern Europe

A total of 156 glacial cirques located on two different areas in the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain) were identified and measured in order to continue and expand the study of these large‐scale erosional forms in European mountains. Environmental variables that may explain cirque distribution (altitude, aspect and lithology), and their most important morphometric features (area, length (L), width (W), headwall height (H), and L/W, L/H and W/H indices), are analysed. Statistical analysis has been applied as indicators of contrast (ANOVA) and association (correlation and regression). Conglomerate analysis (CLUSTER) has been used to discriminate cirque groups based on their morphometric variables. Results show that cirques occur at lower altitudes in the Upper Sil River basin area than in the Montaña Central area due to a lower former equilibrium line altitude (ELA) position. In the Upper Sil River basin, environmental variables appear to have had a strong influence on the location and size of cirques: the largest cirques are located in quartzite rocks at elevations above 2000 m and face N or NE. In Montaña Central, the influence of these factors was more limited as a consequence of higher geological structure control. Cirque sizes generally are modest compared with cirques present in other mountain ranges globally, most likely due to shorter glacial occupancy in the Cantabrian Mountains.     

Effects of solar activity on myocardial infarction deaths in low geomagnetic latitude regions

We study the effect of solar activity on the incidence of myocardial infarction deaths (MID) in Mexico. We work with 129,917 cases along 1996–1999, grouping the data by sex and age, and considering the solar cycle phases. At higher frequencies the circaseptan is the most persistent periodicity in MID occurrence. During solar minimum the circaseptan period is not detectable compared with solar maximum. During Forbush decreases and geomagnetic activity, most cases present a higher average MID occurrence. Furthermore the MID rate is higher as the level of the geomagnetic perturbation increases. Male MID rates are in general higher than female rates and the difference increases as the geomagnetic perturbation increases. The age group with the lowest MID incidence is 25 to 44 years, the age group of 65 years is the most vulnerable. We conclude that solar activity does affect MID at low geomagnetic latitudes and that the solar maximum is the most hazardous time for MID incidence.     

Sediment characteristics of tropical,karst lakes and their relationship with watershed topography,lake morphometry,and human activities

Journal of Paleolimnology - We analyzed multiple variables in recent sediments from 18 tropical, karst lakes in “Lagunas de Montebello” National Park, a Mexican Protected Natural Area...     

Free vibration of rectangular plates with circular openings

The optimized Rayleigh-Ritz method is applied to generate values of the fundamental frequency coefficient and the one corresponding to the first fully antisymmetric mode for rectangular plates elastically restrained against rotation and with located circular holes. The results of this study are compared with existing data and the agreement is quite good.     

High-latitude methane sulphonic acid variability and solar activity: the role of the total solar irradiance

The direct impact of solar activity on climate has been widely studied through Total Solar Irradiance (TSI). Biological processes also impact climate and are deeply affected by TSI. Marine phytoplankton emissions into the atmosphere have been proposed to change cloud albedo through cloud formation. In this work, we use wavelet analysis to investigate the decadal relation between high-latitude concentrations of methane sulphonic acid, a product of seawater algae, and TSI. We found that some of the methane sulphonic acid main periodicities coincide with periods of solar activity periods.