Draft 1: Effect of Type and Amount of Crop on Climate Change

This topic submitted by Matt Carity, John Miller ( caritymr@muohio.edu, miller43@muohio.edu ) on 1/28/04 .

Global Climate Change -Western Program-Miami University

Matt Carity & John Miller
GLG 401
Agriculture and Climate Change

Research Question:

What effect does the type and amount of crop cover have on climate change?

Specific Predictions:

Depending on the type of crop planted, carbon dioxide acquisition and albedo will be influenced.

-Corn should have more carbon dioxide acquisition because it has more biomass than
either soybeans or wheat. This means that there is more surface area on the leaf,
providing more area for stomata to be found.
-The types of carbon dioxide acquisition mechanisms will have to be taken into account
(i.e. C3, C4, and CAM). These methods are adaptations for the plant to harvest carbon
dioxide more effectively.
-Having a mixed crop (more than one type of vegetation planted) will optimize carbon
dioxide acquisition as well as light re-radiation because there is an increased likelihood of
light scattering. Also, the mixing of larger and smaller biomass will balance out the
amount of carbon dioxide sequestered from the air.

***Editorial note: planting 100% corn seems like the best way to go. How do you think we should incorporate soybeans and wheat?***

Carbon dioxide acquisition would work to lower the local temperature, and light reflectance would increase local temperature. If there is a medium where these two variables could coexist at optimal levels, farming environmentally while still getting a good crop haul seems feasible.

Preliminary Research Design:

Analyze growing seasons and growing trends of local farmers. Distinguish advantages and disadvantages to varying the type of crop (according to the farmer).

Obtain data from various sources about carbon dioxide composition in the (local) atmosphere in fields with corn, soybeans, or wheat.

Find information on albedo and its effect on the local climate regimes.

Discern what kind of temperature differences are present in rural, suburban, and urban environments. Also, maybe look at the local climate of a parcel of land suitable for farming of x size, and a parcel of land of the same size that is being farmed, paying attention to the climate of those regions. **IÕm having a hard time putting my idea into words here! **

Formulate the ÒbestÓ viable option to get enough variety and amount of crop, while doing the least environmental damage (maintaining a steady local climate).

Five Library or Journal References:

Gifford, R.M., et al. Agriculture and global change: scaling direct carbon dioxide impacts and
feedbacks through time. In Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems. Ed. Walker, Brian
and Steffen, Will. 2nd title in series. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. 229.

Goudriaan, J. Predicting crop yields under global change. In Global Change and Terrestrial
Ecosystems. Ed. Walker, Brian and Steffen, Will. 2nd title in series. New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1996. 260.

Nilsson, Annika. Greenhouse Earth. New York: John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 1993.

Schulze, E.D., et al. The role of vegetation in controlling carbon dioxide and water exchange
between land surface and the atmosphere. In Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems.
Ed. Walker, Brian and Steffen, Will. 2nd title in series. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. 77.

Tate, K.R., et al. Impacts of Atmospheric Composition and Climate Change on Temperate and
Tropical Pastoral Agriculture. In Greenhouse: Coping With Global Climate Change. Ed.
Bouma, W.J., et al. 1994 edition. Australia: CSIRO Publishing, 1996. 171.

Five Website References:

Agriculture and Climate Change: NCRS Ð How is agriculture effecting climate change? Carbon
sequestering can help reduce greenhouse gases. How is climate change effecting
agriculture? Climate change is altering the times and lengths of growing seasons. It is
also changing the harvest dates. A need to change the variety of crops may appear in the
future. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/ECS/air/change.html

Carbon Dioxide and Temperature Effects on Evapotranspiration and Water-Use Efficiency of
Soybean Ð University of Florida is experimenting with soybeansÕ response to increased
levels of carbon dioxide. http://www.nal.usda.gov/ttic/tektran/data/000012/53/0000125308.html

Global Warming Could Disrupt Agriculture Around the Globe Ð Rising temperatures could play
havoc with crops. However, in the short-run some crops could grow better, but other
functions, such as reproduction may become inhibited. http://www.napa.ufl.edu/98news/greenhou.htm

High Carbon Dioxide Levels can Retard Plant Growth Ð Higher temperatures and increased
precipitation (both effects of higher carbon dioxide) actually impede plant growth. This is a
generational plant/ecosystem study done at Stanford.
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2002/december11/jasperplots-124.html

Rising Carbon Dioxide is Great for Plants Ð With a higher amount of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere, plants would be better off. Plants would grow faster and higher with more
carbon dioxide. Also, if there was an increase in carbon dioxide water loss would be
reduced. http://www.purgit.com/co2ok.html

Five PDF Reference Articles:

Changing Global Land Surface:
This article is put out by NASA and talks about the implications of the greenhouse effect and evapotranspiration in plants. The article also goes into the carbon cycle. Similar to one of the articles we read in class, this article talks about the ÔmigrationÕ of plants due to changing temperatures.
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/gsfc/service/gallery/fact_sheets/earthsci/terra/changing_global_land.pdf

Climate Change:
Human impact on the climate is the main focus of this article. The contributions to and causes of beginning of the climate change are discussed.
www.mountains2002.org/files/ pdf/factsheets/climatee.pdf

Climate Change and U.S. Agriculture:
Explanation of what is currently happening with climate change. Also, this article talks about how climate change is effecting agriculture and how agriculture is effecting climate change. Steps are being taken by the USDA to help farmers cope with climate change.
www.rma.usda.gov/news/info/1999/pdf/global.pdf

Global Warming Changes the Forecast for Agriculture:
Increasing water availability is a benefit of the warmer temperatures. However, the article also cautions that if the temperatures get too high the carbon dioxide will no longer have an effective ÔfertilizingÕ effect.
www.ifpri.org/pubs/books/ufa/ufa_ch24.pdf

Net Carbon Sequestration in Agriculture: A National Assessment:
This article provides a good view of national data on the amount of carbon that is able to be sequestered in various types of crops. csite.esd.ornl.gov/pubs/ENERGEX_03.pdf

Next Article
Previous Article
Return to the Topic Menu Or Return to the Global Change Syllabus