Handbook of Climate Change and Agroecosystems : Impacts, Adaptation, and Mitigation

by Hillel, Daniel; Rosenzweig, Cynthia

• ISBN13: 9781848166554
• ISBN10: 1848166559
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-10-04
• Publisher: World Scientific Pub Co Inc

Summary

The portending process of climate change, induced by the anthropogenic accumulations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, is likely to generate effects that will cascade through the biosphere, impacting all life on earth and bearing upon human endeavors. Of special concern is the potential effect on agriculture and global food security. Anticipating these effects demands that scientists widen their field of vision and cooperate across disciplines to encompass increasingly complex interactions. Trans-disciplinary cooperation should aim to generate effective responses to the evolving risks, including actions to mitigate the emissions of greenhouse gases and to adapt to those climate changes that cannot be avoided. This handbook presents an exposition of current research on the impacts, adaptation, and mitigation of climate change in relation to agroecosystems. It is offered as the first volume in what is intended to be an ongoing series dedicated to elucidating the interactions of climate change with a broad range of sectors and systems, and to developing and spurring effective responses to this global challenge. As the collective scientific and practical knowledge of the processes and responses involved continues to grow, future volumes in the series will address important aspects of the topic periodically over the coming years.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. v
Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction Climate Change and Agroecosystems: Key Issues	p. 1
Broad-scale Interactions
The Role of Soils in Climate Change	p. 9
Fertilizing Change: Carbon-Nitrogen Interactions and Carbon Storage in Land Ecosystems	p. 21
Crop Yield Potential, Yield Trends, and Global Food Security in a Changing Climate	p. 37
Measuring and Modeling CO2 and Temperature Effects
Effects of CO2 and Temperature on Crops: Lessons from SPAR Growth Chambers	p. 55
Lessons from FACE: CO2 Effects and Interactions with Water, Nitrogen and Temperature	p. 87
Testing Effects of Climate Change in Crop Models	p. 109
Use of Crop Models for Climate-Agricultural Decisions	p. 131
Climate, Pests, and Regions
Climate Models for Agricultural Impacts: Scales and Scenarios	p. 161
Precipitation: The Thousand-Pound Gorilla in Crop Response to Climate Change	p. 179
Global Climate Change and Carbon Dioxide: Assessing Weed Biology and Management	p. 191
Climate Change Effects on Plant-Pest-Natural Enemy Interactions	p. 209
Climate Impacts on Agriculture in the United States: The Value of Past Observations	p. 239
African Agriculture in 2050: Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Options	p. 255
Adaptation and Mitigation
Guidelines for Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change	p. 269
Soil Carbon and Climate Change	p. 287
Quantification and Decision Support Tools for US Agricultural Soil Carbon Sequestration	p. 307
Role of Biochar in Mitigation of Climate Change	p. 343
Trade-offs Associated with Using Soil Carbon Sequestration as Climate Change Mitigation	p. 365
Soil Carbon Sequestration for Mitigating Climate Change: Distinguishing the Genuine from the Imaginary	p. 393
Economics of Agricultural Impacts, Adaptation, and Mitigation	p. 403
Conclusion Climate Change and Agroecosystems: Main Findings and Future Research Directions	p. 429
Index	p. 437
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