Scientific Results

This catalogue is obtained by conducting a systematic literature review of scientific studies and reviews related to monitoring, forecasting, and simulating the inland water cycle. The analysis maps scientific expertise across research groups and classifies findings by the type of inland water studied, application focus, and geographical scope. A gap analysis will identify missing research areas and assess their relevance to policymaking.

ID â–Č Type Year Authors Title Venue/Journal DOI Research type Water System Technical Focus Abstract Link with Projects Link with Tools Related policies ID
publications-1791 Peer reviewed articles 2024 Eusun Han, John A. Kirkegaard, Kristian Thorup-Kristensen Temporary growth cessation of wheat roots following defoliation Plant and Soil 10.1007/s11104-024-06547-4 Uncategorized Wastewater Treatment Plants Abstract Background and aims Defoliation triggers the remobilisation of root reserves to generate new leaves which can affect root growth until the shoot resumes net assimilation. However, the duration of root growth cessation and its impact on resource uptake potential is uncertain. Methods Winter wheat was established in a 4 m high outdoor rhizobox facility equipped with imaging panels, sensors, and access points for tracer-labelling. The wheat was defoliated in autumn at early tillering and roots were imaged at a high-time resolution and analyzed by deep learning segmentation. The water and nitrogen (N) uptake were measured using time-domain reflectometer (TDR) sensors and 2H and 15N isotopes. Results Root penetration of wheat paused for 269 °C days (20 days) following defoliation after which it resumed at a similar rate to un-defoliated plants (1.8 mm °C days−1). This caused a substantial decrease in root density with an associated reduction in water and N uptake at maturity, especially from deeper soil layers (>2 m). Conclusions Our results have significant implications for managing the grazing of dual-purpose crops to balance the interplay between canopy removal and the capacity of deep roots to provide water and N for yield recovery. 884364
publications-1792 Peer reviewed articles 2022 Joshi, J., Stocker, B., Hofhansl, F., Zhou, S., Dieckmann, U. and Prentice, I.C Towards a unified theory of plant photosynthesis and hydraulics Nature Plants 10.1038/s41477-022-01244-5 Uncategorized Wastewater Treatment Plants AbstractThe global carbon and water cycles are governed by the coupling of CO2and water vapour exchanges through the leaves of terrestrial plants, controlled by plant adaptations to balance carbon gains and hydraulic risks. We introduce a trait-based optimality theory that unifies the treatment of stomatal responses and biochemical acclimation of plants to environments changing on multiple timescales. Tested with experimental data from 18 species, our model successfully predicts the simultaneous decline in carbon assimilation rate, stomatal conductance and photosynthetic capacity during progressive soil drought. It also correctly predicts the dependencies of gas exchange on atmospheric vapour pressure deficit, temperature and CO2. Model predictions are also consistent with widely observed empirical patterns, such as the distribution of hydraulic strategies. Our unified theory opens new avenues for reliably modelling the interactive effects of drying soil and rising atmospheric CO2on global photosynthesis and transpiration. 787203
publications-1793 Peer reviewed articles 2020 Dongyang Wei, I. Colin Prentice, Sandy P. Harrison The climatic space of European pollen taxa Ecology 10.1002/ecy.3055 Simulation & Modeling River Basins AbstractPollen data are widely used to reconstruct past climate changes, using relationships between modern pollen abundance in surface samples and climate at the surface‐sample sites as a calibration. Visualization of modern pollen data in multidimensional climate space provides a way to establish that taxon abundances are well behaved before using them in climate reconstructions. Visualization is also helpful for ecological interpretation of variations in pollen abundance in space and time. Here, we present Generalized Additive Models for the distribution of 195 European pollen and pteridophyte spore taxa in a bioclimate space defined by seasonal temperatures (as mean temperature of the coldest month and annual growing degree days) and an annual moisture index. These models can be used to explore the realized climate niche of pollen taxa and to build statistical models for palaeoclimate reconstruction. The data set is released under a Creative Commons BY license. When using the data set, we kindly request that you cite this article. 787203
publications-1794 Peer reviewed articles 2020 AliĂ©nor Lavergne, Steve Voelker, Adam Csank, Heather Graven, Hugo J. Boer, ValĂ©rie Daux, Iain Robertson, Isabel Dorado‐Liñån, Elisabet MartĂ­nez‐Sancho, Giovanna Battipaglia, Keith J. Bloomfield, Christopher J. Still, Frederick C. Meinzer, Todd E. Dawson, J. Julio Camarero, Rory Clisby, Yunting Fang, Annette Menzel, Rachel M. Keen, John S. Roden, I. Colin Prentice Historical changes in the stomatal limitation of photosynthesis: empirical support for an optimality principle New Phytologist 10.1111/nph.16314 Simulation & Modeling River Basins Summary The ratio of leaf internal (ci) to ambient (ca) partial pressure of CO2, defined here as χ, is an index of adjustments in both leaf stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate to environmental conditions. Measurements and proxies of this ratio can be used to constrain vegetation model uncertainties for predicting terrestrial carbon uptake and water use. We test a theory based on the least‐cost optimality hypothesis for modelling historical changes in χ over the 1951–2014 period, across different tree species and environmental conditions, as reconstructed from stable carbon isotopic measurements across a global network of 103 absolutely dated tree‐ring chronologies. The theory predicts optimal χ as a function of air temperature, vapour pressure deficit, ca and atmospheric pressure. The theoretical model predicts 39% of the variance in χ values across sites and years, but underestimates the intersite variability in the reconstructed χ trends, resulting in only 8% of the variance in χ trends across years explained by the model. Overall, our results support theoretical predictions that variations in χ are tightly regulated by the four environmental drivers. They also suggest that explicitly accounting for the effects of plant‐available soil water and other site‐specific characteristics might improve the predictions. 787203
publications-1795 Peer reviewed articles 2019 CĂ©sar Terrer, Robert B. Jackson, I. Colin Prentice, Trevor F. Keenan, Christina Kaiser, Sara Vicca, Joshua B. Fisher, Peter B. Reich, Benjamin D. Stocker, Bruce A. Hungate, Josep Peñuelas, Ian McCallum, Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia, Lucas A. Cernusak, Alan F. Talhelm, Kevin Van Sundert, Shilong Piao, Paul C. D. Newton, Mark J. Hovenden, Dana M. Blumenthal, Yi Y. Liu, Christoph MĂŒller, Klaus Winter Nitrogen and phosphorus constrain the CO2 fertilization of global plant biomass Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-019-0545-2 Simulation & Modeling River Basins No abstract available 787203
publications-1796 Peer reviewed articles 2021 Shengchao Qiao, Han Wang, I Colin Prentice, Sandy P Harrison Optimality-based modelling of climate impacts on global potential wheat yield Environmental Research Letters 10.1088/1748-9326/ac2e38 Uncategorized River Basins AbstractEvaluation of potential crop yields is important for global food security assessment because it represents the biophysical ‘ceiling’ determined by variety, climate and ambient CO2. Statistical approaches have limitations when assessing future potential yields, while large differences between results obtained using process-based models reflect uncertainties in model parameterisations. Here we simulate the potential yield of wheat across the present-day wheat-growing areas, using a new global model that couples a parameter-sparse, optimality-based representation of gross primary production (GPP) to empirical functions relating GPP, biomass production and yield. The model reconciles the transparency and parsimony of statistical models with a mechanistic grounding in the standard model of C3photosynthesis, and seamlessly integrates photosynthetic acclimation and CO2fertilization effects. The model accurately predicted the CO2response observed in FACE experiments, and captured the magnitude and spatial pattern of EARTHSTAT ‘attainable yield’ data in 2000 CE better than process-based models in ISIMIP. Global simulations of potential yield during 1981–2016 were analysed in parallel with global historical data on actual yield, in order to test the hypothesis that environmental effects on modelled potential yields would also be shown in observed actual yields. Higher temperatures are thereby shown to have negatively affected (potential and actual) yields over much of the world. Greater solar radiation is associated with higher yields in humid regions, but lower yields in semi-arid regions. Greater precipitation is associated with higher yields in semi-arid regions. The effect of rising CO2is reflected in increasing actual yield, but trends in actual yield are stronger than the CO2effect in many regions, presumably because they also include effects of crop breeding and improved management. We present this hybrid modelling approach as a useful addition to the toolkit for assessing global environmental change impacts on the growth and yield of arable crops. 787203
publications-1797 Peer reviewed articles 2024 Stefano Viaroli, Michele Lancia, Jin-Yong Lee, Yujie Ben, Roberto Giannecchini, Valter Castelvetro, Riccardo Petrini, Chunmiao Zheng, Viviana Re Limits, challenges, and opportunities of sampling groundwater wells with plastic casings for microplastic investigations Science of The Total Environment 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174259 Simulation & Modeling River Basins No abstract available 101028018
publications-1798 Peer reviewed articles 2024 Botond Zsombor Pertics, Alysia Cox, Adrienn NyĂșl, NĂłra Szamek, TamĂĄs KovĂĄcs, György Schneider Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Lytic Bacteriophage against the K2 Capsule-Expressing Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae Strain 52145, and Identification of Its Functional Depolymerase Microorganisms 10.3390/microorganisms9030650 Uncategorized Natural Water Bodies Klebsiella pneumoniae is among the leading bacteria that cause nosocomial infections. The capsule of this Gram-negative bacterium is a dominant virulence factor, with a prominent role in defense and biofilm formation. Bacteriophages, which are specific for one bacterial strain and its capsule type, can evoke the lysis of bacterial cells, aided by polysaccharide depolymerase enzymes. In this study, we isolated and characterized a bacteriophage against the nosocomial K. pneumoniae 52145 strain with K2 capsular serotype. The phage showed a narrow host range and stable lytic activity, even when exposed to different temperatures or detergents. Preventive effect of the phage in a nasal colonization model was investigated in vivo. Phlyogenetic analysis showed that the newly isolated Klebsiella phage B1 belongs to the Webervirus genus in Drexlerviridae family. We identified the location of the capsule depolymerase gene of the new phage, which was amplified, cloned, expressed, and purified. The efficacy of the recombinant B1dep depolymerase was tested by spotting on K. pneumoniae strains and it was confirmed that the extract lowers the thickness of the bacterium lawn as it degrades the protective capsule on bacterial cells. As K. pneumoniae strains possessing the K2 serotype have epidemiological importance, the B1 phage and its depolymerase are promising candidates for use as possible antimicrobial agents. 821423
publications-1799 Peer reviewed articles 2024 Aritro Banerjee, Rajnish Kaur Calay, Fasil Ejigu Eregno Role and Important Properties of a Membrane with Its Recent Advancement in a Microbial Fuel Cell Energies 10.3390/en15020444 Uncategorized Natural Water Bodies Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are an emerging technology for wastewater treatment that utilizes the metabolism of microorganisms to generate electricity from the organic matter present in water directly. The principle of MFC is the same as hydrogen fuel cell and has three main components (i.e., anode, cathode, and proton exchange membrane). The membrane separates the anode and cathode chambers and keeps the anaerobic and aerobic conditions in the two chambers, respectively. This review paper describes the state-of-the-art membrane materials particularly suited for MFC and discusses the recent development to obtain robust, sustainable, and cost-effective membranes. Nafion 117, Flemion, and Hyflon are the typical commercially available membranes used in MFC. Use of non-fluorinated polymeric membrane materials such as sulfonated silicon dioxide (S-SiO2) in sulfonated polystyrene ethylene butylene polystyrene (SSEBS), sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK) and graphene oxide sulfonated polyether ether ketone (GO/SPEEK) membranes showed promising output and proved to be an alternative material to Nafion 117. There are many challenges to selecting a suitable membrane for a scaled-up MFC system so that the technology become technically and economically viable. 821423
publications-1800 Peer reviewed articles 2021 Huiying Xu, Han Wang, I Colin Prentice, Sandy P Harrison, Genxu Wang, Xiangyang Sun Predictability of leaf traits with climate and elevation: a case study in Gongga Mountain, China Tree Physiology 10.1093/treephys/tpab003 Simulation & Modeling River Basins Abstract Leaf mass per area (Ma), nitrogen content per unit leaf area (Narea), maximum carboxylation capacity (Vcmax) and the ratio of leaf-internal to ambient CO2 partial pressure (χ) are important traits related to photosynthetic function, and they show systematic variation along climatic and elevational gradients. Separating the effects of air pressure and climate along elevational gradients is challenging due to the covariation of elevation, pressure and climate. However, recently developed models based on optimality theory offer an independent way to predict leaf traits and thus to separate the contributions of different controls. We apply optimality theory to predict variation in leaf traits across 18 sites in the Gongga Mountain region. We show that the models explain 59% of trait variability on average, without site- or region-specific calibration. Temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, vapor pressure deficit, soil moisture and growing season length are all necessary to explain the observed patterns. The direct effect of air pressure is shown to have a relatively minor impact. These findings contribute to a growing body of research indicating that leaf-level traits vary with the physical environment in predictable ways, suggesting a promising direction for the improvement of terrestrial ecosystem models. 787203