Completed projects
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Our overall objective is to create novel insights into trends in greenhouse gases (GHG) CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes under climate and land-use change. Their relationships with environmental conditions and microbiological factors in organic soils under various management statuses at various spatial scales from local (experimental site) through regional (the Baltic region) to global scale will be analysed. Existing datasets but also soil and water samples from our earlier studies will be used for further analysis. In addition, we will gather new research data from different experimental sites with water regime manipulation to simulate effects from climate extreme events. All these datasets in combination with literature databases will serve for development of a GHG-emission transfer function based on environmental and microbiological variables, and process-based models. The final output will be management guidelines to mitigate GHG fluxes and adaptation strategies based on scenarios.
Project participants: Kaido Soosaar, Alar Teemusk, Mae Uri, Reti Ranniku, Hanna Vahter, Anto Raig
Funding: Estonian Research Council
Duration: 01.01.2019–31.12.2023
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EcolChange will represent a synergistic network of expertise to elaborate global and local scenarios for terrestrial ecosystems in the context of global change. Through lateral integration of six top-level research teams, it will contribute towards further internationalization and strengthening of the research agenda and provide the necessary resources to target national priorities in environmental and agricultural research and adaptation to climate change. It aims to (1) integrate studies of ecosystem function, biodiversity and adaptability, (2) create symbiosis between macroecological big-data, genetic and experimental approaches, (3) incorporate ecological knowledge into principles of adaptation to global change through sustainable ecosystem management, (4) enhance ecologically sustainable economic growth via smart regional planning in forestry and agriculture: functionally diverse forests, cultivars for future climates, novel crops, sustainable nutrient cycles.
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Funding: Archimedes Foundation
Duration: 01.01.2016–01.03.2023
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Climate change and ozone depletion are among gravest environmental challenges. The accelerating increase in atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) concentrations is concerning not only because N2O is a dangerous greenhouse gas (responsible for 6% of global radiative forcing) but also considered as a major ozone-layer depleting agent. The 120-years atmospheric lifetime of N2O means that atmospheric concentrations would take more than a century to stabilise. Recently found rapidly depleting ozone layer in lower stratosphere at tropical latitudes can be caused by increasingly high N2O in the troposphere over the tropics. Land use changes and alterations of hydrological regime in peatlands and other types of organic soils (holding about 10% of the world’s soil nitrogen (N) pool) have been identified as major factors of N2O emissions. Our proposal is aimed to revise a ERC Advance grant proposal on this topic. The N2ORG grant was successful in the first phase (B1) in 2018 but was not granted.
Project participants: Kaido Soosaar, Thomas Schindler, Alisa Krasnova, Alar Teemusk
Funding: Estonian Research Council
Duration: 01.05.2019–30.11.2020
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The study will focus on the spatio-temporal dynamics of the Estonian landscapes and related changes in material cycling caused by natural and anthropogenic factors. One task of the project is to analyse influences of changes in the Arctic climate on the Estonian ecosystems and landscapes. The second task is to study anthropogenic landscape changes and to work out optimal models and decision support systems for landscape and ecosystem management. The third task is to analyse both climate change-induced and anthropogenic impacts on the nutrient and carbon cycling of landscapes and to work out methods for a better regulation of material fluxes which are based on innovative analyses (i.e., soil metagenomics, eddy covariance for gaseous fluxes) and enhanced sustainable technologies (constructing treatment wetlands with recent filter materials and optimal flow regimes). New methods of spatial data processing elaborated by our working group will be applied for spatial analyses.
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Funding: Estonian Research Council
Duration: 01.01.2013–31.12.2018
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Project participants: Kaido Soosaar
Funding: Estonian University of Life Sciences
Duration: 01.07.2015–30.06.2018
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Ecosystems have a large capacity to adapt to environmental perturbations, but so far, most of the future projections of global change ignore the adaptation responses. A truly interdisciplinary consortium involving five top teams from three major Estonian universities is formed addressing adaptation of temperate terrestrial ecosystems to environmental alterations. In the core of the proposed centre of excellence is the Estonian Science Roadmap project „Estonian Environmental Observatory“. Interdisciplinary experimental and modelling approaches are used to scale from molecular stress response mechanisms to ecosystem adaptation analysing abiotic and biotic stress effects at phenotypic, physiological and molecular levels, and determining the limits of adaptation to multiple sequential and interacting stresses. Apart from excellence in science, the consortium builds a foundation for sustainable management of natural resources of Estonia and other Nordic countries under global change.
Project participants: Alisa Krasnova, Kaido Soosaar
Funding: Archimedes Foundation
Duration: 01.01.2011–31.12.2015
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Project participants: Kaido Soosaar
Funding: Estonian Research Council
Duration: 01.10.2011–31.12.2014
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The main objectives are: (1) to clarify the impact of the change in land use intensity (abandonment from one side and intensification from another) on fluxes of N2O and CH4 from riparian buffer zones (RBZ) on different soils; (2) to determine the range of potential greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes influenced by the change of water regime in both wetlands RBZs within agricultural landscapes; (3) to compile scenarios for optimal siting and management of RBZs and constructed wetlands (CW) to minimize the GHG emission (e.g., biomass production for sustainable energy consumption).
Project participants: Kaido Soosaar
Funding: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Duration: 14.11.2012–30.10.2013
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The main objectives are: (1) to improve understanding of the impact of climate change (in its interaction with changes of land use & nutrient loading) on the dynamics of material cycling in landscapes; (2) to analyse extreme climatic events in relation to certain circulation types and synoptic situations, and to compile a regionalization scheme of Estonia based on climate extremes; (3) to estimate impact of climate change and extreme events on variations in water regime and nutrient runoff using statistical methods; (4) to create a GIS-based hierarchical simulation model on nutrient fluxes in catchments and a decision support system for sustainable catchment management; (5) to estimate effectiveness of ecotechnological measures in nutrient runoff control in catchments; (6) to work out optimal structures and operational regimes for wastewater treatment wetlands. This project is related to the implementation of EU Water Framework Directive and other directives on sustainable development.
Project participants: Kaido Soosaar, Alar Teemusk, Alar Teemusk
Funding: Ministry of Education and Research
Duration: 01.01.2008–31.12.2012
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The general objective of the project is to analyse the transport of N (nitrogen), P (phosphorus) and TOC (organic carbon), and denitrification intensity in north temperate agricultural catchments. The specific targets are to explain: 1)the relationships between the N and P losses and landscape factors; 2) trends in TOC runoff from north temperate catchments during 1992–2010 with the impact of climate, water chemistry, soil, and land use change; 3) denitrification activity with ecological parameters; 4) the activity dynamics of denitrification with landscape elements. We also intend to create and validate a catchment denitrification model and N and P indexes for the small agricultural catchments (< 5000 km2) in Estonia. The hypotheses are: 1) The N and P losses are positively correlated to land use intensification and negatively correlated to the functioning of riparian buffer zones; 2) TOC trends and denitrification acivity dynamics correlate with the respective environmental parameters; 3) Denitrification activity differs significantly between arable upland, adjacent riparian wetland, and their interface, indicating hot spots; 4) The Estonian N and P index describes >75% of the nutrient runoff from the small agricultural catchments in Estonia during 2007–2012. In international cooperation, we intend to acquire data on TOC runoff and other data from catchments under temperate climate. We will perform Mann-Kendall’s trend analyses and utilise land use change parameters correlate with trends in TOC. In order to analyse denitrification activity, we plan to establish 15 transects corresponding to a gradient of soil moisture conditions at the upland-riparian interfaces in the agricultural landscapes of Estonia. In every sampling location, we will analyse the soil and the gas. We will upscale the data into a landscape-scale model. This analysis will utilise the laboratories and the geoinformatical capacity of the Department of Geography. The project is planned for four year during the period 2012–2015. Seven principal investigators will be active, including the project leader and two doctoral students of environmental technology.
Project participants: Kaido Soosaar
Funding: Estonian Science Foundation
Duration: 01.01.2012–31.12.2012
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The European Union has committed to increase the proportion of renewable energy from today 9% to 20% of total energy consumption by 2020. Bioenergy feedstock consists of forest products (e.g., wood, pellets), industrial and agricultural residues (e.g., straw, sawdust), conventional crops (e.g., maize), and dedicated new energy crops (e.g., hybrid poplar, reed canary grass or Miscanthus spp.). It is predicted that 17-21 Mha of additional land will have to be converted to energy crop production in Europe before 2020. Biomass energy from conventional and new crops is expected to make a considerable contribution to climate change mitigation. However, bioenergy is not carbon neutral because emissions of CO2, N2O and CH4 during crop production may reduce or completely counterbalance CO2 savings of the substituted fossil fuels. We plan measure CO2, CH4, and N2O fluxes using soil enclosure and eddy covariance techniques in two disturbed peatland areas in Estonia – the Lavassaare peat extraction area and the Aardla polder – which are partly used for bioenergy grass cultivation. Also, relevant soil and water parameters, microbial communities and expression of functional genes controlling denitrification and methanogenesis, and plant biomass parameters will be measured. Life Cycle Analysis of different restoration and peat consumption pathways will be provided, and GIS-based modelling and scenario-based spatial analysis of bioenergy crops perspectives on organic soils will be conducted. The main hypotheses of this project are: (1) the GWP of abandoned peat extraction areas used for reed canary grass cultivation as well as of restored fen meadows with various grass communities will be significantly lower than that from areas without vegetation cover; (2) balance of individual GHGs is influenced by different factors: water table, harvesting practice and litter layer, S and N content in peat; (3) rapid changes in water regime will significantly increase emission of CH4 and N2O emissions, as well as the N2O:N2 ratio; (4) microbial communities as well as expression of denitrification genes and methane monogygenase genes of peat extraction areas will be significantly different from initial conditions of undisturbed peatlands; (5) the LCA will demonstrate significant benefits of bioenergy crops’ cultivation when comparing with (natural) secondary succession, restoration of water regime, afforestation or other alternative ways of land use.
Project participants: Kaido Soosaar
Funding: Estonian Science Foundation
Duration: 01.01.2012–31.12.2012
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The main objectives are: (1) to clarify the impact of the change in land use intensity (abandonment from one side and intensification from another) on fluxes of N2O and CH4 from agricultural fields on different soils; (2) to determine the range of potential GHG fluxes influenced by the change of water regime in both forested and cultivated lands; (3) to upscale GHG emissions from various land use types of different management regime to the agricultural landscapes in Estonia, using the GIS technique; (4) to compile scenarios for optimal land use strategies of abandoned lands to minimize the GHG emission (e.g., biomass production for sustainable energy consumption in abandoned areas). We hypothesize that: (1) in abandoned lands with low N supply, both the rate of denitrification and nitrification will decrease, and thus emissions of N2O will decrease as well, (2) abandonment of cultivated lands on automorphic soils will not significantly influence the CH4 emission but will decrease the N2O emission; (3) changes in water regime influence CH4 and N2O emissions differently: on Gleysols and Histols drainage causes a decrease in CH4 emission but enhances the N2O emission, and vice versa, re-wetting of abandoned lands on hydric soils will result in increase of CH4 and in decrease of N2O flux; (4) in winter the main component of gaseous N fluxes from cultivated areas and also forests is N2O, whereas in summer, N2 is dominating in the flux; (5) the energy forest plantations on Gleysols and Histosols with no significant fertilization level will help decrease both CH4 and N2O fluxes from landscapes. Following field site complexes will be established: (1) on cultivated land with intensive agricultural practices (high N & P input, intensive tillage) and abndoned land on similar soils; (2) patches of energy forest land (willow plantations) within the agricultural landscape, (3) an experimental field site for manipulation with fertilization intensity and soil water table. Gaseous emissions will be studied using the closed chamber, the 15N, the acetylene, and the He-O method. Gas analyses will be carried out in labs of following institutions: the ZALF, Germany, the BioForsk, Norway, and the Institute of Technology, University of Tartu. Supporting water, soil and plant analysis is planned in field sites. Ten principal investigators (including the project leader and 5 PhD students of environmental technology) will be active in this project planned for 4 years (2008-2011).
Project participants: Kaido Soosaar
Funding: Estonian Science Foundation
Duration: 01.01.2008–31.12.2011
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Dramatic changes in the whole socio-economic system which happened in Estonia during the last decade, especially significant decrease in agricultural production, in combination with climate change (e.g., changing inter-annual patterns of precipitation and river runoff, milder winters with less snow and shorter snow-cover period) have caused significant decrease in nutrient losses from rural catchments. On the other hand, possible intensification of agriculture in some areas, especially after the joining the EU, should be followed by the comprehensive catchment management including the ecotechnological measures. It requires a comprehensive decision making system based on GIS. Main scope and objectives of this research project are: (1) analysis of changes of landscape pattern and material cycling in respect with significant changes of anthropogenic and natural driving forces in rural landscapes during last decades; (2) creating a GIS-based simulation model and related scenarios based on information gathered during the fundamental research; (3) quantitative assessment of the dynamics of climatic conditions and hydrological regime in Estonia regarding the global climate change; (4) scenarios and decision support systems for implementation ecotechnological measures to control nutrient fluxes in sustainable catchment management; (5) optimisation of design and management parameters of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment and riparian buffer zones in terms of water quality and trace gas emissions. Main expected results are: (1) GIS-based simulation model for forecasting of nutrient fluxes in respect with changing climatic and land-use conditions; (2) GIS of Estonian landscape pattern and nutrient flows; (3) explanation of Estonia?s climate and hydrological regime over the past century; (4) spatial decision support system for sustainable catchment management.
Project participants: Alar Teemusk, Kaido Soosaar
Funding: Ministry of Education and Research
Duration: 01.01.2003–31.12.2007
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