Agricultural Landscapes under Global Climate Change
- Processes and Feedbacks on a Regional Scale -

In the next decades, the global climate change will have substantial consequences for structure and functions of natural and semi-natural ecosystems, for biological diversity, food production and security, water availability, human health and the economic development in many regions of the world. The effects of climatic change which may assume dramatic proportions in some regions can be attenuated by adaptation strategies, but detailed regional climate projections are needed in order to develop tailor-made strategies. Global mean values are of no use for this purpose as long as we do not know whether heat, storms, flooding or drought will be the consequences to be expected at a specific site. Researchers of the University of Hohenheim, the Helmholtz-Zentrum München and the Justus Liebig University Giessen are investigating the impact of climate change in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and Europe in an interdisciplinary approach by means of field measurements, controlled experiments and integrated modelling. The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) is funding the Research Unit 1695 which builds on the DFG Integrated Project PAK 346 (2008-2011) since 2012. More...