Find research datasets worth reusing

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2022View details →

The carbon sink potential of southern China after two decades of afforestation

Geological data were provided by China Geological Survey in shapefile with lithology and lithological age in the attribute table. The "class" means the lithology class, where "1" denotes a classification dominated by Dolomite; "2" is a classification dominated by Limestone; "3" represents a classification dominated by Clastic; "4" means water and "5" denotes a classification dominated by Carbonate rocks. "symbol" represents the lithological age. The geomorphological units (Cheng and Zhou, 2014) can be downloaded at the National Tibetan Plateau Third Pole Environment Data Center (https://data.tpdc.ac.cn/en/data/ecb4889a-8d85-4a64-a426-2c74f59fe14f/?q=geomor) in shapefile. It includes 5 types in the attribute table named TypeNames: Flat, Hills, Low relief, Moderate relief, High relief. Hydrological data is available at https://www.webmap.cn/commres.do?method=result25W in shapefile with 3 elements: rivers, lakes, springs and so on. "HYDA" represents the lakes, "HYDL" is rivers, and "HYDP" is springs and wells. Climate data include mean annual precipitation (MAP, mm), mean annual temperature (MAT, °C), aridity index (aridity), humidity index (im), >0°C accumulated temperature (aat0dem, °C-days) and >10°C accumulated temperature (aat10dem, °C-days). MAP and MAT are at a resolution of 1km x 1km from 2000-2015. Aridity index (aridity), humidity index (im), >0°C accumulated temperature (aat0dem, °C-days) and >10°C accumulated temperature (aat10dem, °C-days) are at a resolution of 500m x 500m. Soil properties are also available at the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (https://www.resdc.cn/) at a resolution of 1km x 1km.  Where names of the soil order codes represent as follows: 10: Alfisols. 11: Semi-alfisol. 13: Xerosol. 15: Primitive soil. 16: Semi-hydric soil. 17: Hydric soil. 18: Saline-alkali soil. 19: Anthrosols. 20: Alpine soil. 21: Ferralsols. 22: Cities. 23: Rocks. 24: Lakes and reservoirs. 25: Rivers. 26: Sand bars and islands in rivers. 27: Glacier and snow cover. 28: Coral reefs and sea islands. 30: Coastal salt farm/aquaculture farm. Soil texture includes clay content (%), silt content (%), and sand content (%). DEM (ASTGTM2_dem) is also available at the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (https://www.resdc.cn/) at a resolution of 30m x 30m. This dataset is the percentage of above-ground biomass carbon carrying capacity reached in the eight provinces of southern China and in different forest types from 2002 to 2017 at the resolution of 500m x 500m, with the urban and water areas, cropland, and the southeast margin of the Tibet Plateau masked. The dataset takes values ranging from 0%-100%. 0% represents the highest carbon sequestration potential, while 100% represents carbon sequestration has reached saturation. The dataset can locate areas where vegetation has not yet reached its full potential, which is significant for the implementation and adjustment of ecological engineering. The dataset is publicly available.

opencc-by-4.0May 2019View details →

Supporting data sets for "Estimating Carbon Fixation of Plant Organs for Afforestation Monitoring using a Process-based Ecosystem Model and Ecophysiological Parameter Optimization". (the survey of tree breast diameter and tree height in 11-year old Eucommia ulmoides plantation, values of simulation results used in figures and tables.)

Supporting data sets for Miyauchi et al., Ecology and Evolution, 2019 (accepted). The files store:  (1) The survey of tree breast diameter and tree height in Eucommia ulmoides plantation. The ring and stem analysis and dry weight of seven harvested sample trees in the plantation. (2) Values of optimization result used fig.7. (3) Values of prediction result used fig.8. and table 4. (4) Values of optimized parameters by optimization methods, parameter range and constrain.

opencc-by-4.0May 2023View details →

Realistic afforestation scenarios in Great Britain at a 1 km scale to run with the land surface model JULES

Afforestation scenarios created in the work of Buechel et al. (XXXX) which cover Great Britain at a 1 km spatial resolution and attempt to represent potential realistic broadleaf afforestation. The datasets represent a 50% and 100% afforestation scenario. The netCDF files are designed so that may be run with the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES), a community land surface model. The dataset is structured similar to the CHESS-land dataset (Martinez-De La Torre, 2018) where each grid contains information on the fractional coverage of eight different land cover types: Broadleaf woodland, needleleaf woodland, grassland, shrubland, crops, bare soil, urban areas and inland water.    This dataset was created as part of the NERC doctoral training partnerships (grant number NE/L002612/1).   Martinez-de la Torre, A.., Blyth, E.M.. M. and Robinson, E.L.. L. (2018) ‘Water, carbon and energy fluxes simulation for Great Britain using the JULES Land Surface Model and the Climate Hydrology and Ecology research Support System meteorology dataset (1961-2015) [CHESS-land]’. NERC Environmental Information Data Centre. doi:10.5285/c76096d6-45d4-4a69-a310-4c67f8dcf096.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2023View details →

Gridcell response to widespread afforestation using a Convection Permitting Model

This folder contains gridcell absolute differences due to afforestation in: 1. Evaporation 2. Rainfall 3. Runoff 4. Overall Soil Moisture These are calculated for the overall period and for each season by calculating the difference between the afforestation and control land cover scenarios. There are also two maps which show the change in the topsoil moisture and the second layer below for summer.

opencc-zeroJul 2020View details →

Data from: Savannas after afforestation: assessment of herbaceous community responses to wildfire versus native tree planting

Afforestation and fire exclusion are pervasive threats to tropical savannas. In Brazil, laws limiting prescribed burning hinder the study of fire in the restoration of Cerrado plant communities. We took advantage of a 2017 wildfire to evaluate the potential for tree cutting and fire to promote the passive restoration of savanna herbaceous plant communities after destruction by exotic tree plantations. We sampled a burned pine plantation (Burned Plantation); a former plantation that was harvested and burned (Harvested & Burned); an unburned former plantation that was harvested, planted with native trees, and treated with herbicide to control invasive grasses (Native Tree Planting); and two old-growth savannas which served as reference communities. Our results confirm that herbaceous plant communities on post-afforestation sites are very different from old-growth savannas. Among post-afforestation sites, Harvested & Burned herbaceous communities were modestly more similar in composition to old-growth savannas, had slightly higher richness of savanna plants (3.8 species per 50-m2), and supported the greatest cover of native herbaceous plants (56%). These positive trends in herbaceous community recovery would be missed in assessments of tree cover: whereas canopy cover in the Harvested & Burned site was 6% (less than typical of savannas of the Cerrado), the Burned Plantation and Native Tree Planting, supported 34% and 19% cover, respectively. By focusing on savanna herbaceous plants, these results highlight that tree cutting and fire, not simply tree planting and fire exclusion, should receive greater attention in efforts to restore savannas of the Cerrado.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2023View details →

Air-sea CO2 equibration timescales for Bach et al. 'Testing the climate intervention potential of ocean afforestation using the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt''

Data for the timescales of CO2 equilibration in the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt from Fig. 3a and 3c of Bach et al. 2021 'Testing the climate intervention potential of ocean afforestation using the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt'. The data includes two files. The first file, tco2tres.nc, contains the 2-dimensional mapped 1 degree latitude x l degree longitude annual mean air-sea CO2 equilibration timescale (Tco2) in months (from Figure 3a) and the annual mean ratio of the CO2 equilibration timescale to the surface residence time (Tco2/Tres) (from Figure 3c).  The second file, tco2_seasonal.nc, contains the seasonal mean CO2 equilibration timescales, from Supplementary Figure 5.

opencc-zeroMay 2022View details →

Subarctic afforestation: effects of forest plantations on ground-nesting birds in lowland Iceland

Planting forests is a commonly suggested measure to mitigate climate change. The resulting changes in habitat structure can greatly influence the diversity and abundance of pre-existing wildlife. Understanding these consequences is key for avoiding unintended impacts of afforestation on habitats and populations of conservation concern. Afforestation in lowland Iceland has been gaining momentum in recent years and further increases are planned. Iceland supports internationally important breeding populations of several ground-nesting, migratory bird species that mostly breed in open habitats. If afforestation impacts the distribution and abundance of these species, the consequences may be apparent throughout their non-breeding ranges across Europe and Africa. To quantify the effects of plantation forests on the abundance and distribution of ground-nesting birds (in particular waders, Charadriiformes), surveys were conducted on 161 transects (surrounding 118 plantations) perpendicular to forest edges throughout Iceland. The resulting variation in density with distance from plantation was used to estimate the likely changes in bird numbers resulting from future afforestation plans, and to explore the potential effects of different planting configuration (size and number of forest patches) scenarios. Of seven wader species, densities of five (golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria), whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus), dunlin (Calidris alpina) and black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa)) in the 200 m surrounding plantations were just over half of those further away (up to 700 m). Redshank (Tringa totanus) densities were lowest <150 m from the plantation edge while snipe (Gallinago gallinago) densities were 50% higher close to plantations (0-50 m) than further away (51-700 m), and no consistent effects of plantation height, diameter, density or type were identified. Plantations are typically small and widespread, and simulated scenarios indicated that total declines in bird abundance resulting from planting trees in one large block (1000 ha) could result in only ~11% of the declines predicted from planting multiple small blocks (1 ha) in similar habitats. Synthesis and application: The severe impact that planting forests in open landscapes can have on populations of ground-nesting birds emphasises the need for strategic planning of tree-planting schemes. Given Iceland's statutory commitments to species protection and the huge contribution of Iceland to global migratory bird flyways, these are challenges that must be addressed quickly, before population-level impacts are observed across migratory ranges.

opencc-by-4.0Jan 2018View details →

Response of surface temperature to afforestation in the Kubuqi Desert, Inner Mongolia

This is the data used in “Response of surface temperature to afforestation in the Kubuqi Desert, Inner Mongolia” by Wang et al, for Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres  [MS#2017JD027522].

opencc-by-4.0May 2024View details →

Contrasting Responses of Particulate and Mineral-Associated Organic Carbon to Afforestation Potentially Obscure Soil Carbon Accumulation [Dataset]

This is the data repository for the manuscript “Contrasting Responses of Particulate and Mineral-Associated Organic Carbon to Afforestation Potentially Obscure Soil Carbon Accumulation” submitted to Global Biogeochemical Cycles.

opencc-zeroMay 2024View details →

Data from: Restoring heathlands after afforestation on two islands in western Norway

The ongoing loss of red-listed coastal heathlands is a threat to biodiversity and cultural heritage legacies throughout the Atlantic coastal regions of Europe. It is possible to restore degraded and afforested heathlands, but restoration interventions are often labour-intensive and costly, and the outcome of specific restoration actions is not well documented. We assess the efficiency of restoring coastal heathlands through natural succession (i.e. "passive restoration") after removal of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) plantations. The study was replicated on two neighbouring islands in a nature reserve in Western Norway. Low-intensity free-range sheep grazing was implemented as part of the reserve management plan. Furthermore, we tested the effect of leaving the clear-felled woody material as chips on site, this being a cost-efficient strategy on islands. Succession was monitored 1, 2, 4/5 and 8 years after clear-felling, and revegetation of vascular plants and bryophytes was compared to target heathland vegetation. Surprisingly, we found different successional trajectories on the two islands. Species composition on one island approached target heathland vegetation during succession, but not on the other. Wood chips reduced species richness and slowed the restoration process, but these negative effects were only short-term (< 8 years). Differences in seed bank composition and soil conditions due to land use may explain the deviating successional trajectories on the two islands. We also found that management actions beyond clear-felling and introducing sheep grazing are necessary due to the rapid seed regeneration of the Sitka spruce.

opencc-zeroMar 2023View details →

Afforestation and abandonment of semi-natural grasslands lead to biodiversity loss and a decline in ecosystem services and functions

1. During the past century, semi-natural grasslands, once widespread throughout Europe, have largely been converted into intensively managed agricultural areas, abandoned or afforested. These large-scale land-use changes have already resulted in considerable biodiversity loss but can also lead to a decline in ecosystem service provision and ecosystem multifunctionality. 2. We assessed the impact of afforestation and abandonment of semi-natural grasslands on the supply of ecosystem services in Western Estonia. We compared a wide array of services provided by open grasslands, abandoned grasslands, and afforested grasslands. Additionally, we analysed the impact of land-use change and species richness on ecosystem multifunctionality. 3. Significant declines in the supply of pollination service, natural pest regulation, forage production, soil quality, wild food, and cultural appreciation of landscape were detected as a result of overgrowing or afforestation. 4. There was a significant positive relationship between species richness and ecosystem multifunctionality, i.e. more biodiverse grasslands were able to support more services at a higher capacity. 5. Results show that both grassland degradation due to abandonment, as well as grassland afforestation, have significant negative impacts on biodiversity, on the supply of multiple important ecosystem services and on the ecosystem multifunctionality. 6. Synthesis and applications. Temperate semi-natural grasslands have high biodiversity and capacity to deliver multiple important ecosystem services simultaneously. Conservation and restoration of grassland habitats must be considered as an important part of sustainable landscape planning.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2022View details →

A comparison of the climate and carbon cycle effects of carbon removal by Afforestation and Reduction of Fossil fuel emissions

This dataset is for the journal article titled "A comparison of the climate and carbon cycle effects of carbon removal by Afforestation and Reduction of Fossil fuel emissions".

opencc-zeroMay 2023View details →

Putting down roots: afforestation and bank cohesion of Icelandic rivers

Riparian vegetation is widely recognized as a critical component of functioning fluvial systems. Human pressures on woody vegetation including riparian areas, especially at high latitude, have had lasting effects. In Iceland, prior to human settlement, native downy birch woodlands covered approximately 15–40% of the land area compared to 1–2% today. Afforestation efforts include planting seedlings, protecting native forest remnants, and acquiring land areas as national forests. The planted and protected nature of vegetation along rivers within some forests provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the various taxa within riparian zones and the channel stabilizing characteristics of the vegetation used in afforestation. We investigated bank properties, sediment textures, and root characteristics within riparian zones along four rivers in forests in Iceland. Bank sediment textures are dominantly sandy loam overlying coarser textures. Undercut banks are common because of erosion of the less cohesive subsurface layer. Quantitative root data indicate that the woody taxa have greater root densities, rooting depths, and more complex root structures than forbs or graminoids. The native downy birch has the highest root densities, with <1 mm roots most abundant. Modeling of added bank cohesion indicates that willow provides up to 6 times and birch up to 4 times more added cohesion to the coarse sediment textures comprising stream banks compared to no vegetation. We conclude that planting and protecting the native birch and willow helps to reduce bank erosion, especially where long-term grazing exclusion can be maintained.

opencc-zeroJun 2023View details →

Large-scale changes in macrobenthic biodiversity driven by mangrove afforestation

<ol> <li>Large-scale anthropogenic mangroves have been constructed in coastal regions worldwide, but our understanding of their ecological effects is limited. In particular, the question of whether and how anthropogenic mangroves influence biodiversity patterns remains elusive.</li> <li>Here, we investigated the influence of large-scale anthropogenic mangroves on biodiversity patterns of mangrove macrobenthos. Specifically, we measure and seek to explain differences in species richness, abundance, assemblage composition, and distance-decay effect before and after the construction of anthropogenic mangroves.</li> <li>We surveyed assemblages of gastropod, bivalve and crab species over a wide latitudinal extent (24–28°N) in subtropical China. For each, we calculated species richness, abundance, assemblage composition, and distance-decay relationship before and after the construction of anthropogenic mangroves.</li> <li> After the large-scale anthropogenic mangroves, we found species richness of gastropods, bivalves and crabs increased by 23.81%, 100% and 20%, respectively. The distance-decay effects of gastropods and bivalves decreased by 25% and 91.43%, while that of crabs remained virtually unchanged, indicating that large-scale monospecific planting changed spatial processes of macrobenthos (e.g., dispersal limitation). With mangrove plantation, compositional similarity of crab and bivalve assemblages increased by 28.57% and 38.46%, suggesting that large-scale monospecific planting exacerbates biotic homogenization. Altogether, these results indicate that large-scale anthropogenic habitats increase the diversity of mangrove macrobenthos and change taxonomic compositions by reducing distance-decay effects. </li> <li> Synthesis and applications. We emphasize that afforestation of coastal wetlands can drive major changes in benthonic communities. Monitoring and assessing the ecological effects of the anthropogenic habitats for the presence of functional faunas will be important in determining the future coastal restoration and maintaining economic aquaculture. Quantifying those effects in terms of regional biodiversity composition enables management decisions about habitat restoration to be based upon macro-evidence rather than wishful thinking or untested intuition even or a one-sided local perspective. </li> </ol>

opencc-zeroJul 2023View details →

Data from: Decadienal afforestation and risks to montane grassland amphibians in the Udzungwa Plateau, Tanzania

Human modification of the environment has drastically changed ecosystems around the globe. While forest-loss (deforestation) has been well studied for its effects on ecosystems, afforestation also has major impacts on ecosystems. The Udzungwa Plateau in Tanzania is naturally a mix of forests and grasslands. However, non-native pine plantations have recently increased in the area displacing the native grasslands of the montane plateau. In this study, we explored the effects of land use change on amphibian communities by comparing amphibian surveys before non-native plantations were introduced (~ 2000) and after (2017-2019). To put these amphibian surveys into wider context across the plateau, to distinguish local population loss compared to plateau-wide extinctions, we compared new sampling locations and broader surveys and assessed landscape change through remotely sensed data. Amphibian encounter surveys found approximately the same species diversity across all sampling locations, but local extinctions appear likely. Remaining amphibians appear to be limited to small refugia in non-pine wetlands. Approximately half (45%) of the species found have limited distributional ranges (<72,000 km2) and are described as habitat specialists by the IUCN Red List. Monitoring pine plantation growth using remote sensing techniques suggested only limited extensions of plantations between 2000 through to 2013-2016, but ground-surveys found small pines (<3 years old) throughout almost all areas identified as grasslands on satellite imagery. Our study highlights the plight of this narrowing biome on the African continent and calls for more intensive research on the impact of non-native plantations on natural communities.