Microclimate Measurements Research Articles

Evaluasi Fungsi Ekologis Taman Kota pada Lanskap Riparian Sungai Cimanuk, Indramayu

The riparian landscape of the Cimanuk River has been declared a local protected area. Cimanuk Park is located on the northern coast of Java Island, Indramayu Regency which is one of the tourist centers and icons of the city of Indramayu. City parks are closely related to ecological functions that affect user comfort. This study aims to identify the diversity of vegetation, evaluate ecological functions, determine the perception of the people of Indramayu towards Cimanuk Park which is used as an icon of the city of Indramayu and provide recommendations for improving the green system of Cimanuk Park. The method of this research uses the study of aspects of ecological functions including microclimate measurement, and noise level measurement, which consists of preparation, inventory, analysis, assessment and evaluation, and preparation of recommendations. It has 17 species with a total of 333 individuals. This study conducted an assessment of vegetation diversity using the KPI method. Most of Cimanuk Parks have good categories in modifying temperature and controlling air humidity and have moderate categories in resisting wind, and reducing noise. Meanwhile, from the results of the study, the THI value was in the uncomfortable category.

Spatiotemporal patterns of greenhouse gas fluxes in the subtropical wetland ecosystem of Indian Himalayan foothill.

The study characterized the temporal and spatial variability in greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes (CO2, CH4, and N2O) between December 2020 and November 2021 and their regulating drivers in the subtropical wetland of the Indian Himalayan foothill. Five distinct habitats (M1-sloppy surface at swamp forest, M2-plain surface at swamp forest, M3-swamp surface with small grasses, M4-marshy land with dense macrophytes, and M5-marshy land with sparse macrophytes) were studied. We conducted in situ measurements of GHG fluxes, microclimate (AT, ST, and SMC(v/v)), and soil properties (pH, EC, N, P, K, and SOC) in triplicates in all the habitat types. Across the habitats, CO2, CH4, and N2O fluxes ranged from 125 to 536mgm-2h-1, 0.32 to 28.4mgm-2h-1, and 0.16 to 3.14mgm-2h-1, respectively. The habitats (M3 and M5) exhibited higher GHG fluxes than the others. The CH4 flux followed the summer > autumn > spring > winter hierarchy. However, CO2 and N2O fluxes followed the summer > spring > autumn > winter. CO2 fluxes were primarily governed by ST and SOC. However, CH4 and N2O fluxes were mainly regulated by ST and SMC(v/v) across the habitats. In the case of N2O fluxes, soil P and EC also played a crucial role across the habitats. AT was a universal driver controlling all GHG fluxes across the habitats. The results emphasize that long-term GHG flux monitoring in sub-tropical Himalayan Wetlands has become imperative to accurately predict the near-future GHG fluxes and their changing nature with the ongoing climate change.

Forest plant indicator values for moisture reflect atmospheric vapour pressure deficit rather than soil water content.

Soil moisture shapes ecological patterns and processes, but it is difficult to continuously measure soil moisture variability across the landscape. To overcome these limitations, soil moisture is often bioindicated using community-weighted means of the Ellenberg indicator values of vascular plant species. However, the ecology and distribution of plant species reflect soil water supply as well as atmospheric water demand. Therefore, we hypothesized that Ellenberg moisture values can also reflect atmospheric water demand expressed as a vapour pressure deficit (VPD). To test this hypothesis, we disentangled the relationships among soil water content, atmospheric vapour pressure deficit, and Ellenberg moisture values in the understory plant communities of temperate broadleaved forests in central Europe. Ellenberg moisture values reflected atmospheric VPD rather than soil water content consistently across local, landscape, and regional spatial scales, regardless of vegetation plot size, depth as well as method of soil moisture measurement. Using in situ microclimate measurements, we discovered that forest plant indicator values for moisture reflect an atmospheric VPD rather than soil water content. Many ecological patterns and processes correlated with Ellenberg moisture values and previously attributed to soil water supply are thus more likely driven by atmospheric water demand.

Newcastle viral disease causation web correlations with laying hen productivity

Environmental conditions profoundly impact the health, welfare, and productivity of laying hens in commercial poultry farming. We investigated the association between microclimate variations, production indices, and histopathological responses to accidental Newcastle disease virus (NDV) infection within a controlled closed-house system. The study was conducted over seven months in a laying hen facility in Cairo, Egypt. Microclimate measurements included temperature, relative humidity (RH%), air velocity (AV), and the temperature humidity index (THI) that were obtained from specific locations on the front and back sides of the facility. Productivity indices, including the egg production percentage (EPP), egg weight (EW), average daily feed intake, and feed conversion ratio, were assessed monthly. During an NDV outbreak, humoral immune responses, gross pathology, and histopathological changes were evaluated. The results demonstrated significant (p < 0.05) variations in EPP and EW between the front and back sides except in April and May. AV had a significant (p = 0.006) positive effect (Beta = 0.346) on EW on the front side. On the back side, AV had a significant (p = 0.001) positive effect (Beta = 0.474) on EW, while it negatively influenced (p = 0.027) EPP (Beta = − 0.281). However, temperature, RH%, and THI had no impact and could not serve as predictors for EPP or EW on either farm side. The humoral immune response to NDV was consistent across microclimates, highlighting the resilience of hens. Histopathological examination revealed characteristic NDV-associated lesions, with no significant differences between the microclimates. This study underscores the significance of optimizing microclimate conditions to enhance laying performance by providing tailored environmental management strategies based on seasonal variations, ensuring consistent airflow, particularly near cooling pads and exhaust fans, and reinforcing the importance of biosecurity measures under field challenges with continuous monitoring and adjustment.

Multi-year analysis of physical interactions between solar PV arrays and underlying soil-plant complex in vegetated utility-scale systems

Concerns over the land use changes impacts of solar photovoltaic (PV) development are increasing as PV energy development expands. Co-locating utility-scale solar energy with vegetation may maintain or rehabilitate the land's ability to provide ecosystem services. Previous studies have shown that vegetation under and around the panels may improve the performance of the co-located PV and that PV may create a favorable environment for the growth of vegetation. While there have been some pilot-scale experiments, the existence and magnitude of these benefits of vegetation has not been confirmed in a utility-scale PV facility over multiple years. In this study we use power output data coupled with microclimatic measurements in temperate climates to assess these potential benefits. This study combines multi-year microclimatic measurements to analyze the physical interactions between PV arrays and the underlying soil-vegetation system in three utility-scale PV facilities in Minnesota, USA. No significant cooling of PV panels or increased power production was observed in PV arrays with underlying vegetation. Fine soil particle fraction was the highest in soils within PV arrays with the vegetation which was attributable to the lowest wind speeds from the compounding suppression of wind by vegetation and PV arrays. Soil moisture and soil nutrient response to re-vegetation varied between PV facilities, which could be attributed to differing soil texture. No statistically significant vegetation-driven panel cooling was observed in this climate. This finding prompts a need for site-specific studies to identify contributing factors for environmental co-benefits in co-located systems.

Field Assessment of Vertical Bifacial Agrivoltaics with Vegetable Production: A Case Study in Lahore, Pakistan

Sustainable energy and food production face significant challenges due to the increasing population, land-use conflicts, and rapidly changing environmental conditions. Coupling solar energy and food production on the same land (Agrivoltaics; AV) could revolutionize the sustainable food-energy nexus and the land ecosystem. We explore a vertical AV system in Lahore using bifacial modules and vegetables, including okra, calabash, and potato, which is the 1st field assessment of AV in the semi-arid climate of Pakistan. Food-energy performance and microclimate were monitored across multiple seasons for the AV system having 10.5 kW nominal power capacity covering a land area of ∼85 m2. Results were compared with reference systems, including an adjacent full sun crop treatment and a nearby rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system of matched capacity installed at a standard south-tilted orientation. Crop rotation includes okra and calabash, which were grown in summer, and potato in the winter. The net biomass AV yield for okra and calabash was reduced by 15.97 % and 38.17 %, respectively, while potato yield increased by ∼8.7 % relative to the corresponding yield in the control treatment. The annual energy production for the vertical bifacial AV system was reduced by ∼25 % compared to the rooftop PV system, which is attributed mainly to the difference in their tilt and orientation. The microclimate measurements showed 26 % more soil moisture and 0.5 °C reduced air temperature for AV treatment relative to the control, demonstrating potential synergies between solar energy and crops. The soiling measurements at the AV and rooftop locations showed 1.9 % and 1.5 % daily energy loss due to the dust effect. These results indicate that AV systems offer sustainable solutions for the food-energy nexus to cater to the demands of the expanding cities.

Impact of Microclimate on Perception and Physical Activities in Public Spaces of New Urban Areas in Beijing, China

The development of new urban areas in Beijing has alleviated overcrowding in old urban centers and has ample public spaces for recreational activities. However, these public spaces are not ideally designed and have not been as successful as expected. Few studies have investigated the ineffective use of these public spaces in terms of microclimatic and thermal comfort factors. Our study investigated microclimatic factors, the subjective assessment of thermal comfort, the intensity of human activities, and the spatial features of public spaces in conjunction with surrounding buildings in a mixed commercial and residential complex in the Fangshan District, Beijing. We used a mixed-methods approach comprising microclimate measurements, questionnaires (n = 150), spatiotemporal behavior mapping, and field measurements. Our results showed that the human perception of the microclimate is related to the exposure duration and other microclimatic factors. The perception of people who spend longer periods outdoors is often inconsistent with objectively measured thermal comfort values. Activity intensity (low, medium, and high) was also related to the duration of time spent outdoors. Microclimatic factors affect the number of people at different activity intensities and the trajectory of the activities. Different spatial features cause different microclimate formations and can directly influence the human subjective assessment of thermal comfort. This study uniquely links the microclimate to human perceptions, physical activities, and spatial features in service of redesigning public spaces. We developed a comprehensive methodology that expands the post-occupancy evaluation and proposes new urban public space designs that consider microclimates. This study also provides a new perspective for promoting physical activity by enhancing the thermal comfort of the environment to achieve physical and mental health goals.

Sensitivities of energy use reduction in subtropical high-rise office buildings: A Hong Kong case

Office buildings are a major contributor to energy consumption in high-density urban contexts where building high-rises is a norm. It is important to understand the parameters affecting high-rise office buildings’ energy consumption. However, previous research generally used isolated buildings as target buildings, regardless of the impact brought by the surrounding buildings. Also, there lacked a comprehensive calibration method to validate the energy baseline model. This paper aims to quantitatively analyse the energy use in high-rise office buildings by tackling these two issues and examining the impacts of various energy-saving measures (ESMs). A real-life 26-story office building in Hong Kong was selected as a base case. Multiple methods were used to calibrate the building energy model, including onsite microclimate measurement, metered data, architectural drawings and official documents, and onsite surveys. Parametric sensitivity analyses were then conducted to quantify the importance of ten selected parameters from five types of ESMs. Results indicate that fan efficiency and cooling setpoint temperature had the most significant energy-saving potential. The base case of the ESMs in use was considered as the base scenario. Two new scenarios were proposed to examine the range of total energy consumption by adopting the most and least energy-efficient ESMs, which were referred to as the “optimistic scenario” and the “pessimistic scenario”. The maximum reduction/increase in energy use is expected to be approximately 13.2%/39.3% for the optimistic/pessimistic scenario compared to the base scenario. The findings on the sensitivities and scenarios contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the critical parameters that influence energy use in high-rise office buildings in subtropical climate. The findings also provide scenario-based design solutions for delivering low-energy office buildings.

Study on indoor air temperature and moisture behaviour in historical churches

Increased indoor air humidity in cultural heritage buildings in the Baltic States region results in the deterioration of cultural heritage values. Existing norms, standards, and research do not specify the necessary conservational microclimate indoor air parameter limits. Two main types of historical cultural heritage building constructions exist based on enclosing structures – wood and masonry, with various heating strategies and usage intensities. This study complements previous research on the microclimate of Krimulda Church and compiles measurements of three additional Latvian churches: Turaida Church, Riga Jesus Church, and Liepaja St. Trinity Cathedral. Microclimate measurements were conducted in two wood and two masonry churches. Humidity ratio and moisture excess calculations were derived from the measurement data. Results indicate that in certain cases, the moisture excess threshold of 6 g/m3 and indoor air humidity ratio threshold of 15,6 g/kg are exceeded, posing a significant risk of condensation. Moisture evaporation levels from masonry church constructions were identified. The study reveals conservational microclimate indoor air parameter limits for various types of churches in the Baltic States climatic region.

Measurement Errors When Measuring Temperature in the Sun.

In the validation of microclimate simulation software, the comparison of simulation results with on-site measurements is a common practice. To ensure reliable validation, it is crucial to utilize high-quality temperature sensors with a deviation smaller than the average absolute error of the simulation software. However, previous validation campaigns have identified significant absolute errors, particularly during periods of high solar radiation, possibly attributed to the use of non-ventilated radiation shields. This study addresses the issue by introducing a ventilated radiation shield created through 3D printing, aiming to enhance the accuracy of measurements on cloudless summer days with intense solar radiation. The investigation employs two pairs of sensors, each comprising one sensor with a ventilated and one with a non-ventilated radiation shield, placed on a south-oriented facade with two distinct albedos. Results from the measurement campaign indicate that the air temperature measured by the non-ventilated sensor is elevated by up to 2.8 °C at high albedo and up to 1.9 °C at a low albedo facade, compared to measurements with the ventilated radiation shield. An in-depth analysis of means, standard deviations, and 95% fractiles highlights the strong dependency of the non-ventilated sensor error on wind velocity. This research underscores the importance of employing ventilated radiation shields for accurate microclimate measurements, particularly in scenarios involving high solar radiation, contributing valuable insights for researchers and practitioners engaged in microclimate simulation validation processes.

Investigation of Outdoor Thermal Comfort for Campus Pedestrian Walkways in Thailand

Thermal comfort is an important subject to evaluate the quality of outdoor environments. This study investigated outdoor thermal conditions and the thermal comfort perception of pedestrians using walkways within a university campus in Thailand, located in the hot and humid tropical region. In this field study, microclimate measurements were conducted to assess the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) of walkways, and on-site questionnaire surveys (n = 400) were used to evaluate the thermal sensation votes of pedestrians in different walkway conditions. The results revealed that the neutral PET was 25.2 °C and its acceptable range was 24.6–32.0 °C. Most pedestrians accept the thermal conditions of all walkway types but at different levels of acceptability, albeit in a slightly warm sensation. Among different walkway types, the cantilever-covered walkway with sparse trees yields the closest PET to the neutral PET. The most comfortable and favorable walkway is that with a lower air temperature, less sunlight, and higher wind ventilation. The studies on the outdoor thermal comfort of pedestrian walkways could benefit urban planners and engineers in designing physical and environmental conditions of walkways as well as promoting non-motorized transport and green university campuses.

Assessing and enhancing the applicability of standard effective temperature in outdoor thermal sensation prediction for continental climates

Accurate thermal sensation prediction is crucial for assessing outdoor thermal environments. This study aims to enhance the applicability of the standard effective temperature (SET*) in continental climates for a more comprehensive evaluation of outdoor thermal comfort. Taking Zhengzhou, China as an exemplar, a comprehensive 12-day survey involving questionnaire surveys and microclimatic measurements was conducted in residential communities during the summer, autumn, and winter seasons. Based on this, the relationship between the SET* and thermal sensation was explored. Furthermore, the SET*-original thermal sensation scale was modified using linear and probit regression, and the accuracy of modified scale was assessed using predicted accuracy percentage (PAP) and mean absolute error (MAE). The results indicated that the SET*-original scale performs poorly in predicting thermal sensation in continental climates (P = 27.3 %, MAE = 1.24). The modified scale using probit regression model was better suited for continental climates (P = 39.5 %, MAE = 0.87). It outperformed the modified scale obtained through a linear regression model, with PAP increasing by 5.9 % and MAE decreasing by 0.04. The SET*-modified scale extended thresholds at the colder end and significantly enhanced predictive accuracy for colder conditions, making it more suitable for predicting thermal perception in continental climates.

Thermal assessments at local and micro scales during hot summer days: a case study of Belgrade (Serbia)

Increasing thermal risk in cities is endangering the health and well-being of urban population and is driven by climate change and intensive urbanization. Therefore, if we plan to enlarge the capacities of cities to be more climate resilient in the 21st century, more detailed monitoring of urban climate on local and micro scales is needed. For this research we performed two microclimate measurement campaigns in urban area of Belgrade, during hot summer days in 2021. In total, five measurement sites were chosen in different urban designs and different local climate zones (LCZs). For thermal monitoring (air temperature – Ta and globe temperature – Tg) the Kestrel heat stress tracker sensor with 1-min measurement resolution was used, but we used 10-min average values. Obtained results showed distinct thermal differences (up to 7 °C on average) between densely built-up areas and green areas. Differences between built-up LCZs are lower with values from 2 to 4 °C. Important part of this research was microclimate monitoring on sites within the same LCZ (intra-LCZ variability). Results showed that shadows and short- and longwave radiation play a paramount role in thermal variability. Direct and reflected radiations on one measurement site increased Ta up to 6 °C and Tg up to 12 °C when compared to other measurement site (in a similar urban design), which was in the shadow.

The Effects of Green Open Spaces on Microclimate and Thermal Comfort in Three Integrated Campus in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

This study aims to assess the effect of green open space (GOS) on the microclimate and thermal comfort in three integrated campuses namely Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY), and Universitas Pembangunan Nasional (UPN) Veteran. In order to achieve the research objective, three main steps were conducted. First, we mapped the GOS area and density of the three integrated campuses using a high-resolution satellite imagery. Second, three microclimate parameters such as air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed were measured to each detected green spaces in the morning (08:00 am), at noon (01:00 pm), and afternoon (5:00 pm). Subsequently, the results of microclimate measurements were used to calculate the level of thermal comfort using Thermal Humidity Index (THI) method. Third, we carried out statistical analysis to investigate the correlation between the distribution and the density of GOS and the microclimate conditions. The results showed that a negative (-) correlation occurred between the pattern and density of GOS with temperature and wind speed indicating that clustered GOS significantly reduces the air temperature as well as the wind speed. On the contrary, the relative humidity has been increased. UPN campus has the highest temperature and wind speed and the lowest humidity among other campuses. According to the results of THI, a 100% of the UPN areas are uncomfortable, while at UGM and UMY 42,08% and 11,28% of their area are uncomfortable, respectively. This study found that the existence of GOS has an effect on microclimate depending on pattern and density.

Urban forest microclimates across temperate Europe are shaped by deep edge effects and forest structure

The urban heat island (UHI) causes strong warming of cities and their urban forests worldwide. Especially urban forest edges are strongly exposed to the UHI effect, which could impact urban forest biodiversity and functioning. However, it is not known to what extent the UHI effect alters edge-to-interior microclimatic gradients within urban forests and whether this depends on the forests’ structure.Here we quantified gradients of air temperature, relative air humidity and vapour pressure deficits (VPD) along urban forest edge-to-interior transects with contrasting stand structures in six major cities across Europe. We performed continuous hourly microclimate measurements for two consecutive years and analysed the magnitude and depth of edge effects, as well as forest structural drivers of microclimatic variation.Compared to edge studies in rural temperate forests, we found that edge effects reached deeper into urban forests, at least up to 50 m. Throughout the year, urban forest edges were warmer and drier compared to forest interiors, with the largest differences occurring during summer and daytime. Not only maximum, but also mean and minimum temperatures were higher at the urban forest edge up to large edge distances (at least 85 m). Denser forests with a higher plant area index buffered high air temperatures and VPDs from spring to autumn.We conclude that urban forest edges are unique ecotones with specific microclimates shaped by the UHI effect. Both forest edges and interiors showed increased buffering capacities with higher forest canopy density. We advocate for the conservation and expansion of urban forests which can buffer increasingly frequent and intense climate extremes. To this end, urban forest managers are encouraged to aim for multi-layered dense forest canopies and consider edge buffer zones of at least 50 m wide.

Ericoid shrub encroachment shifts aboveground-belowground linkages in three peatlands across Europe and Western Siberia.

In northern peatlands, reduction of Sphagnum dominance in favour of vascular vegetation is likely to influence biogeochemical processes. Such vegetation changes occur as the water table lowers and temperatures rise. To test which of these factors has a significant influence on peatland vegetation, we conducted a 3-year manipulative field experiment in Linje mire (northern Poland). We manipulated the peatland water table level (wet, intermediate and dry; on average the depth of the water table was 17.4, 21.2 and 25.3 cm respectively), and we used open-top chambers (OTCs) to create warmer conditions (on average increase of 1.2°C in OTC plots compared to control plots). Peat drying through water table lowering at this local scale had a larger effect than OTC warming treatment per see on Sphagnum mosses and vascular plants. In particular, ericoid shrubs increased with a lower water table level, while Sphagnum decreased. Microclimatic measurements at the plot scale indicated that both water-level and temperature, represented by heating degree days (HDDs), can have significant effects on the vegetation. In a large-scale complementary vegetation gradient survey replicated in three peatlands positioned along a transitional oceanic-continental and temperate-boreal (subarctic) gradient (France-Poland-Western Siberia), an increase in ericoid shrubs was marked by an increase in phenols in peat pore water, resulting from higher phenol concentrations in vascular plant biomass. Our results suggest a shift in functioning from a mineral-N-driven to a fungi-mediated organic-N nutrient acquisition with shrub encroachment. Both ericoid shrub encroachment and higher mean annual temperature in the three sites triggered greater vascular plant biomass and consequently the dominance of decomposers (especially fungi), which led to a feeding community dominated by nematodes. This contributed to lower enzymatic multifunctionality. Our findings illustrate mechanisms by which plants influence ecosystem responses to climate change, through their effect on microbial trophic interactions.

MyClim: Microclimate data handling and standardised analyses in R

Abstract Microclimates have been recognised as one of the key drivers in global change biology. Durable microclimate loggers, detailed in‐situ measurements and sophisticated modelling tools are increasingly available, but a lack of standardised workflows for microclimate data handling hinders synthesis across the studies and thus progress in the global change biology. To overcome these limitations, we developed an R package myClim for microclimate data processing, storage and analyses. The myClim package supports complete workflow for microclimate data handling, including reading raw logger data files, their preprocessing and cleaning, time‐series' aggregation, calculation of ecologically relevant microclimatic variables, data export and storage. The myClim package stores data in a size‐efficient, hierarchical structure which respects the hierarchy of field microclimate measurement (locality &gt; loggers &gt; sensors). For imported microclimatic data, myClim provides an informative summary and automatically detects and corrects common issues like duplicated and wrongly ordered measurements. The myClim package also provides advanced functions for microclimate data aggregation to various timescales (e.g. days, months, years or growing seasons) as well as tools for sensor calibration, data conversion and joining of multiple microclimatic time series. The myClim package provides advanced functions for standardised calculation of ecologically relevant microclimatic variables like freezing and growing degree days, snow cover period, soil volumetric water content and atmospheric vapour pressure deficit. Calculated microclimatic variables are stored efficiently in myClim data format and can be easily exported to long or wide tables for further analyses and visualisations. Adopting myClim can facilitate large‐scale syntheses, boost data sharing and increase the comparability and reproducibility of microclimatic studies. The stable version of myClim is available on CRAN (https://cran.r‐project.org/web/packages/myClim) and the development version is available on GitHub (https://github.com/ibot‐geoecology/myClim).

Assessment of Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Urban Public Space, during the Hottest Period in Annaba City, Algeria

In this study; the outdoor thermal comfort of the users of two urban plazas with different morphologies in Annaba city, Algeria, have been evaluated. First, field measurements of the microclimatic parameters took place; namely the air temperature and the relative humidity in the two urban plazas, during hot days. Then, these measurements were compared with the results of the numerical simulations carried out by ENVI-met software in order to validate the model. The outdoor thermal comfort was evaluated by microclimatic measurements as well as a questionnaire survey consisting of interviews during the measurement days. The main objective was to determine the neutral Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) and to examine the influence of urban microclimatic conditions on the subjective thermal perception of people, as well as to compare it with different indexes of thermal comfort. Hence, the aim was to compare the microclimatic parameters of the two plazas, with and without vegetation and to see their impact on the thermal comfort indices. The results show that there is a difference between the two morphologies. Moreover, vegetation and urban morphology influence the neutral values of the thermal comfort indices.

The understory microclimate in agroforestry now and in the future – a case study of Arabica coffee in its native range

Climate change is having a major impact on crop production and food security worldwide, and particularly so for smallholder farmers. As agroforestry is common with smallholder farmers, it is important to not only model the macroclimate, but also the microclimate that crops experience below the canopies. However, there are few high-resolution spatiotemporal climate projections for forest understories, because of constraints related to the lack of i) development of models for downscaling global climate projections, ii) high-resolution gridded datasets of environmental factors influencing microclimate, and iii) spatially replicated in-situ microclimate measurements. We focused on a landscape in southwestern Ethiopia where Arabica coffee originated, and, in the present day, is commonly grown as a shade crop. We first examined the relative contribution of in-situ field measurements vs. GIS-derived estimates of vegetation and topographic features in explaining in-situ microclimate. Second, we used a statistical downscaling approach to obtain past and future microclimate maps at 30-meter spatial resolution for the part of the landscape that is covered by trees. Predictive models using in-situ variables performed equal to models with GIS variables, indicating that remote sensing data might substitute for in-situ field measurements. Vegetation and topographic features were both important in explaining microclimatic variation. Our spatiotemporal projections of the microclimate indicate that coffee farming might have to relocate to higher altitudes due to increasing temperatures, that vegetation might buffer the macroclimate at middle altitudes to some extent, and that decreasing trends in relative humidity at the beginning of the wet season might become problematic for coffee production. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that we can rely on remote sensing data to create microclimate maps in landscapes where in-situ field measurements are challenging, and we suggest how these microclimate projections can be used as a tool to promote climate-resilient agriculture at the local and landscape levels.

Applied nucleation under high biodiversity silvopastoral system as an adaptive strategy against microclimate extremes in pasture areas.

This study aimed to assess the influence of the high biodiversity silvopastoral system (SPSnu) on the microclimate, pasture production, and pasture chemical composition. Microclimate variables and pasture production and chemical composition were measured in pared paddocks under SPSnu and treeless pasture (TLP) in a commercial farm during four seasons in Southern Brazil. SPSnu measurements were subdivided into two areas: around the nuclei (AN) and area inter-nuclei (IN). In the TLP paddocks, we plotted fictitious nuclei with the same areas and distributions of SPSnu, however without trees. For the microclimate measurements, these areas were noted when shaded or unshaded by the nuclei trees. In each season, the microclimate variables air temperature (AT, °C), relative humidity (RH, %), illuminance (Ilu, lux), wind speed (WS, m/s), and soil surface temperature (SST, °C) were measured. In addition, botanical composition (%), pasture production (kg/DM/ ha), and pasture chemical composition were evaluated. The SPSnu provided the lowest values of microclimate variables in all seasons (p < 0.05), except for the relative humidity. Winter had the highest thermal amplitude in the systems. The highest difference between SPSnu and TLP for AT (4.3°C) and SST (5.2°C) was measured during the hot seasons (spring and summer). In contrast, during cold seasons (autumn and winter) it observed highest thermal amplitude between SPSnu and TLP. Overall, the highest annual pasture production was observed in the SPSnu (p < 0.05). During the summer, the SPSnu areas showed the highest values of crude protein and dry matter (p < 0.05). During the winter, the TLP showed the lowest values (p < 0.05) of pasture production and dry matter. It was observed that SPSnu improved the microclimate at the pasture level, influencing pasture production and pasture chemical composition. The enhanced microclimate can partially mitigate some of the effects of climate change on pastoral agroecosystems, creating conditions for ecological rehabilitation of ecosystem processes and services. These conditions could be amplified to a biome level through a payment for ecosystem services program.