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© Thünen-Institut/AK
[Translate to English:]
Institute of

AK Climate-Smart Agriculture

Project

ARS AfricaE



Setting up an eddy-covariance tower for the measurement of carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes at a pasture site near Middelburg, Eastern Cape, Karoo, South Africa
© Thünen-Institut/AK
Setting up an eddy-covariance tower for the measurement of carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes at a pasture site near Middelburg, Eastern Cape, Karoo, South Africa

ARS AfricaE - Adaptive Resilience in Southern African Ecosystems

The ARS AfricaE project investigates the coupled carbon and water cycles of natural and disturbed savanna ecosystems by setting up a network of research clusters.

Background and Objective

Main objectives of the project are

  1. setting up a network of research clusters to investigate the effects of disturbance and land use change on water and carbon cycles as well as their interaction along an aridity gradient, l
  2. inking ecosystem functioning and structure using field measurements and models,
  3. characterizing ecosystem disturbances by functional parameters such as gross primary productivity, water use and other efficiency parameters,
  4. setting up an individual-based model system to predict ecosystem dynamics under different disturbances and land uses,
  5. linking this model with long-term data from remote sensing products, and
  6. development of sustainable strategies for ecosystem management.

Approach

ARS AfricaE is a joint research project with 3 German and 6 South African partner institutions. The Thünen Institute of Climate-Smart  Agriculture takes the overall coordination of the project. Results of the project will form better management strategies of savanna ecosystems.

Results

see final report below

Links and Downloads

http://www.ars-africae.org/

Involved external Thünen-Partners

  • Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
    (Jena, Deutschland)
  • Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main
    (Frankfurt, Deutschland)
  • Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg (HAW)
    (Hamburg, Deutschland)
  • Zambian Meteorological Department
    (Lusaka, Sambia)
  • Grootfontein AD Institute
    (Grootfontein, Südafrika)
  • University of Witwatersrand
    (Johannesburg, Südafrika)
  • Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
    (Pretoria, Südafrika)
  • Rhodes University
    (Grahamstown, Südafrika)
  • Forest Sense
    (Kapstadt, Südafrika)

Funding Body

  • Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
    (national, öffentlich)

Duration

8.2014 - 10.2018

More Information

Project funding number: 01LL1303A
Project status: finished

Publications

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