EPRECOT

was a workshop on “effects of precipitation change on terrestrial ecosystems” with the aim of bringing together international research groups and experiences from precipitation related research. The workshop was held in Elsinore, Den,ark in May 2006

EPRECOT - was a workshop focusing on effects of precipitation change on the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems.

View some of the results

The workshop was organised together with the science networks PRECIPNET and TERACC

The workshop included 4 main activities:

1. present day “state of the art” and knowledgewas synthesized based on past and present ecosystem scale research projects.
2. future key research areas were pinpointed by the use of ecosystem-models generating hypotheses about the expected consequences of precipitation changes.
3. gaps in knowledge and new research activities were proposed through plenary discussions and a series of working group discussions.
4. the results will be disseminated and distributed in a synthesis report, 2 scientific papers and a web-page summary.

The workshop integrated experimental and modeling approaches on the effects of precipitation changes on ecosystems across local, regional, and global scales. Interactions with other global change factors was specifically highlighted through a modeling experiment, and novel research and modeling opportunities that have yet to be explored in past and ongoing studies were identified. The workshop emphasized the following areas:

• Changes in the quantity (increases and decreases) and timing of precipitation.
• Interactions with elevated CO₂ and warming.
• The relative importance of these vectors of global change in different climatic and vegetation zones.
• Ecosystem-scale responses (soil processes, plant growth, C-cycling, biodiversity etc.) with specific focus on natural ecosystems.
• Feedbacks to the climate system.
• Contrasting responses in arid, semi-arid and moist environments.

A follow up activity is presently being planned for 2008 consisting of creating a database with response data from all precipitation experiments and 2 workshops in US in 2008 to conduct a metanalysis to synthesise the results