Project Number: 5409-11000-002-13
Project Type: Specific C/A

Start Date: Jul 21, 2003
End Date: Apr 30, 2005

Objective:
The objective of this cooperative research project is to design and test FACE rings for their application in field studies for the purpose of assessing the impacts of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations and various management scenarios on Great Plains grasslands.

Approach:
Understanding the effect of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations on agricultural ecosystems requires field experiments that are able to incorporate the many complex environmental interactions with CO2. However, the logistics of conducting such studies in field environments is difficult due to the problem of elevating CO2 in the field within a system that does not unduely disturb the natural field environment. FACE technology has been successfully used to artifically elevate CO2 in field environments in agricultural studies without having large and unintended environmental effects, but instrumentation of such technology has been cost prohibitive. Recently, a more simple FACE technology has been developed by Dr. Franco Miglietta that allows for acceptable control of CO2 in the field, but at much less cost than was possible with older, more involved FACE designs. We propose to design and build a FACE CO2 enrichment system to study how rising atmospheric CO2 affects production, forage quality, and species composition of a northern mixed prairie under different management scenarios (different simulated grazing, with and without interseeding alfalfa, effects on weed invasion). This will be accomplished in a realistic field environment at the USDA-ARS High Plains Grasslands Research Station outside of Cheyenne, WY. The results from this study will help predict how Great Plains grasslands will respond to global change, and will help determine management options to prepare for rising CO2 and associated global climate change.

Project Team

Morgan, Jack Schuman, Gerald - Jerry Derner, Justin Blumenthal, Dana Reeder, Jean Franco Miglietta - Senior Scientist 307-772-2433

Project Annual Reports

FY 2003

Related National Programs

Global Change (204)   Rangeland, Pasture, and Forages (205)