QUEST: Quantifying and Understanding the Earth System
Integrative activities | Working groups | Climate change and uplands
Climate change and uplands
QUEST has been commissioned by the EA to fund a £100k research project on the implications of climate change for upland carbon-rich soils in the UK, (including peatlands), and the effects on ecosystem services such as carbon storage, flooding and water quality. The project has developed a collaborative network with a wide range of network partners including academic, research, policy and NGOs. The 18 month project will make significant contributions to data collation, meta-analysis, and map production. It has used environmental threshold approaches, bio-climate envelope modelling and process-based soil models; and has drawn on huge expertise and experience across the collaborative network. The combination of scientific work carried out and the expertise within the network will provide information of use to scientists, decision makers and managers.
Some of the questions the project has focused on scientifically or will address in policy briefings include:
- What are the climate and hydrogeographic conditions where peat exists in the UK now and where it will exist in the future?
- How will climate change affect the distribution of peat globally?
- Will peat still form in UK uplands in 2100 and what changes in distribution can be expected?
- How does the ‘climate pressure’ compare with other pressures on UK upland soils?
- What are the implications for provision of ecosystem services such as carbon storage, flood protection (run-off) and water quality (DOC)?
- What are the implications for managing upland soils? e.g. when and where and how is it worth restoring/protection?
Leaders: Jo House, Harriet Orr (EA)
Project Scientists: Joanna Clark (Bangor University), Angela Gallego-Sala (University of Bristol)
Co-sponsor: Environment Agency (EA)
QUEST links: Theme 1 (QUERCC, CCMAP), Theme 2 (QUEST Deglaciation), Theme 3 (Biosphere Management projects)
Other UK links: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology - Bangor; Bangor University; Natural England; Defra; Macaulay Institute; Forestry Commission; Countryside Council for Wales; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Products:
- 20th Jan 2009, Manchester: Mid-term progress meeting: interim results, methodologies, data sharing, and next step - Report (download as pdf)
- 8-9th November 2007, Bristol UK: Climate change and uplands: Science to inform adaptation. Report (download as pdf)
- Journal article
- Special Issue in Climate Research: Climate Change and the British Uplands
- Briefing paper
- Knowledge map (download as pdf)
- Conference presentations
Meetings: Past and Upcoming