Biology Seminar – Professor Andrew Reinmann, Environmental Sciences Initiative CUNY and Hunter College – The Forgotten Season: Winter Climate as an Important Mediator of Forest Response to Climate Change
Thursday, October 4, 2018 | 4:25 PM
Druck 20

Changes in growing season climate are often the foci of research exploring forest response to climate change. In mid- and high-latitude systems, projected warmer and longer growing seasons are generally expected to stimulate forest growth and rates of carbon sequestration.

However, projected warming during winter is expected to increase winter soil frost severity by reducing the depth and duration of the winter snowpack that has historically insulated soils in seasonally snow-covered systems (e.g., northern New England) from cold winter air temperatures. In contrast to the ecological “benefits” of warming during the growing season, these changes in winter climate can trigger a cascade of adverse impacts on northern forest ecosystems.

Andrew’s talk will focus on his work from several field experiments in New England that collectively demonstrate the potential for projected changes in winter climate to offset forest growth enhancements expected from longer and warmer growing seasons.