Cornell Climate Change

Program or topic

Adaptive nitrogen management for reduced nitrous oxide losses

Department(s) or unit(s)

Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences

Contact information

Harold Van Es

Professor, Crop and Soil Sciences

hmv1@cornell.edu

Bradfield Hall, Room 1005

(607)255-5629

Program Goals

This research-extension program aims to use of computational tools to help farmers reduce nitrogen input to crops, especially maize.  Lower nitrogen fertilizer use reduces nitrous oxide losses and the associated global warming impact.

Brief Description

Field and lab experimentation are combined with modeling and software development to help improve N management and limit nitrous oxide losses.  The web-enabled Adapt-N software tool uses real-time weather information with a dynamic simulation model to help farmers improve their N management and reduce losses.  This is a win-win approach where farmers reduce their input costs for fertilizer, while the environmental impacts – especially nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide losses – can be reduced.  Since N fertilization of maize in the US accounts for about 3-4% of total greenhouse gas losses, the potential positive effects are considerable.

For more information

Web Links:

Harold VanEs’ Homepage

Adapt-N: Nitrogen Management In Corn

Key Publications:

• Moebius-Clune, B.N., van Es, H.M., Idowu, O.J., Schindelbeck, R.R., Kimetu, J.M., Ngoze, S., Lehmann, J., Kinyangi, J.M., 2011. Long-term Soil Quality Degradation along a Cultivation Chronosequence in Western Kenya. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 141:86-99.
• Bilgili, A.V., F. Akbas, and H.M. van Es. 2011. Combined Use of Hyperspectral VNIR Spectroscopy and Kriging Methods to Predict Soil Variables Spatially. Precision Agriculture 12:395–420.
• Graham, C.J., H.M. van Es, J.J. Melkonian, and D.A. Laird. 2010. Improved nitrogen and energy use efficiency using NIR estimated soil organic carbon and N simulation modeling. In: D.A. Clay and J. Shanahan. GIS Applications in Agriculture – Nutrient Management for Improved Energy Efficiency. pp 301-325, Taylor and Francis, LLC.

Program or topic

Carbon cap-and-trade policy costs and benefits, particularly in relation to agriculture, forestry, and other land uses.

Department(s) or unit(s)

Applied Economics and Management

Contact information

Antonio Bento
Associate Professor
amb396@cornell.edu

Program goals

Economic analyses relevant to carbon cap-and-trade policies, particularly in the agriculture and forestry sectors. One aspect has been developing an integrated framework to examine the economic costs, land use impacts, and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from alternative biofuels policies under the 2007 Energy Bill.

Brief Description

Our biofuels project examines the effects of three policies: (a) gradual increases in the federal mandates for corn-based ethanol and cellulosic biofuels; (b) the volumetric tax credit to encourage the production of ethanol; and (c) subsidies to promote a faster adoption of more efficient and cleaner biofuel technologies.

By capturing the interactions between the relevant agents in the economy (households, landowners, ethanol producers, regular gasoline refiners, and food producers), our framework will be the first to provide a complete picture of the potential impacts of biofuel policies and allow us to estimate the overall costs and to describe distributional impacts of these three policies to the different agents in the economy.

This framework will also be useful to compute the overall greenhouse gas emissions resulting from biofuels policies. Comparisons between standard greenhouse gas estimates based on life-cycle models, which don’t account for land use adjustments resulting from biofuels policies, will be compared against our results.

For more information

• Antonio Bento’s profile page
• Vivo impact statement
• Video: The Heat Is On: Biofuels and Climate Change

Program or topic

Riverine nitrogen dynamics (Howarth/Marino Lab)

Department(s) or unit(s)

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Contact information

• Robert W. Howarth
  David R. Atkinson Professor of Ecology & Environmental Biology
  rwh2@cornell.edu
• Roxanne Marino
  Senior Research Associate
  rmm3@cornell.edu

Program goals

Determine how climatic variation and change affects coastal nitrogen pollution.

Brief Description

Nitrogen is the largest pollution problem in coastal waters of the United States with an estimated two-thirds of U.S. coastal rivers and bays moderately or severely degraded. Sources of N pollution include sewage discharges, runoff from agricultural fields and feed lots, and atmospheric deposition. However, the relative importance of individual sources is poorly known for many watersheds and a better assessment of sources and the climatic factors that influence the delivery of nitrogen to coastal ecosystems is essential for more cost-effective management of nitrogen pollution.

The Howarth/ Marino lab (EEB) is active in several projects, in collaboration with other labs participating in Cornell University’s Agricultural Ecology Program (AEP), the NOAA Coastal Hypoxia Program, and the Woods Hole SeaGrant Program, to better determine the sources of nutrient pollution (particularly nitrogen) to coastal waters, to determine how climatic variation and change affects the delivery of this pollution to the coast, and to provide practical approaches for managers to use to reduce the problem. We have used a variety of approaches including field work on atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and the development and refinement of the SCOPE/NANI and ReNuMa models

Our recent work indicates that watersheds in wetter environments export a significantly larger portion of the net anthropogenic nitrogen inputs to them (~35 percent to 40 percent, vs. 10 percent to 20 percent in more dry environments). We have projected that future climate change, which is likely to lead to more wet environments in the northeast U.S., may partially, or even totally undermine management efforts to reduce nitrogen pollution.

For more information

For more information, please visit the project pages:

• Regional Nutrient Management (ReNuMa)
• Agricultural Ecology Program (AEP)
• Coastal Hypoxia Research Program (CHRP)

Program or topic

Breeding and genomics for increased yield of shrub willow bioenergy crops

Department(s) or unit(s)

Dept. of Horticulture

Contact information

Larry Smart, Associate Professor
lbs33@cornell.edu

Program goals

Develop of new varieties of shrub willow for bioenergy crops that produce higher yields with low inputs on marginal agricultural land.

Brief Description

There are great opportunities to grow dedicated bioenergy crops on marginal or underutilized land in the Northeast and Midwest. Fast-growing shrub willow is one of the sustainable perennial crops that is very well suited for this purpose.

Willow stems are harvested every three years and the plants resprout after each cutback, making willow fields productive for more than 20 years. Woody biomass from willow can be used as a sustainable, locally-produced, carbon-neutral fuel for production of renewable heat, power, and biofuels.

My research program is focused on the development of new varieties of shrub willow that produce higher yields with low inputs on marginal agricultural land. We have bred and commercialized novel species hybrids with at least 20% greater yield and improved pest and disease resistance.

I am also leading a project to have the willow genome sequenced by the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Initiative, providing a database of genetic information to speed the breeding program and expand our understanding of woody plant biology.

For more information

Web links:

Larry Smart’s profile page

Double A Willow

Willowpedia

Publications:

• Smart, L.B. and Cameron, K.D. (2012) Shrub willow. In Kole, C., Joshi, C. P., and Shonnard, D. R. (eds.) Handbook of Bioenergy Crop Plants, Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton, FL. pp. 687-708. http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439816844
• Lee S.J., Warnick T.A., Pattathil S., Alvelo-Maurosa J.G., Serapiglia M.J., McCormick H., Brown V., Young N.F., Schnell D.J., Smart L.B., Hahn M.G., Pedersen J.F., Leschine S.B., Hazen S.P. (2012) Biological conversion assay using Clostridium phytofermentans to estimate plant feedstock quality. Biotech. Biofuels 5:1-14. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3348094/?tool=pubmed
• Puckett, E. E., Serapiglia, M. J., DeLeon, A. M., Long, S., Minocha, R., & Smart, L. B. (2012) Differential expression of genes encoding phosphate transporters contributes to arsenic tolerance and accumulation in shrub willow (Salix spp.). Environ. Exper. Bot. 75:248-257. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0098847211001717

Program name

Study of molecular mechanisms underlying temperature modulation of plant defense responses

Department(s) or unit(s)

Plant Biology

Contact information

Jian Hua, Associate Professor
jh299@cornell.edu

Program goals

Understand the molecular mechanisms by which temperature regulates plant defense responses

Brief description

Moderate temperature variations have large effects on various plant processes including defense responses. Often, an elevated growth temperature above the norm renders an otherwise resistant plant susceptible to pathogens.

Our goal is to reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying the inhibition of defense responses by elevated temperature. Recent studies from our lab have identified disease resistance (R) proteins as a temperature-sensitive component in defense responses. That a higher temperature reduces the accumulation of the major type of R proteins in the nucleus might be a common basis for temperature sensitivity in defense responses.

We are utilizing molecular genetic approaches mostly in Arabidopsis thaliana to understand how defenses respond especially how R proteins are modulated by temperature. Results coming from this project will shed light on the molecular basis of adaptive responses to moderate temperature variations in plants as well as activation of R proteins, an essential step in disease resistance regulation. Knowledge gained from this study will potentially have applications in coping with temperature fluctuations and global climate changes through crop improvement by enhancing the capacities of plant defense responses in a wide range of temperatures.

For more information

Jian Hua’s website

Program or topic

Adapting to a Changing Climate

Department(s) or unit(s)

Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Contact information

Lee Tryhorn
Postdoctoral Associate
lmt72@cornell.edu

Brief Description

My research seeks to identify areas in New York State that are threatened by climate change and develop adaptation strategies to mitigate climate-related impacts. I utilize participatory research methods that embody a “bottom-up” approach that focuses on communities of place and attend particularly to issues of context (that is, the specific attributes, vulnerabilities, strategies and values of the community in question).

Developing a “one size fits all” climate change adaptation policy for an entire nation is an impossibly large and complex task. However, using the context of a community of place (e.g. a town) or a community of interest (e.g. an industry sector) can constrain the problem.

The gap between information that is needed to act locally and current globally generated knowledge about climate change is increasingly recognized as an important barrier to progress in adaptation. Despite this acknowledgment, there has been a lack of practical solutions and advice on adaptation for communities and decision-makers. This research attempts to address this gap between scientific information and policy and practice.

The ultimate goal is to enable decision-makers, such as community water supply managers and fruit crop farmers, to make more informed, robust decisions on adaptation in the face of large uncertainties. In the short term, this research aims to reduce the impact of extreme events and climate variability, and in the longer term, support and enhance policy-making.

Current projects include:

• ClimAID – New York State’s Climate Change Adaptation Assessment
• Linking Climate Science with Policy and Practice to fulfill the needs of Community Water Managers in the Northeastern United States
• Assessing Climate Change Risk to Fruit Crops in New York State

For more information

Lee Tryhorn
lmt72@cornell.edu

Program or topic

Cornell Initiative for Sustainable Bioenergy Crops (CISBC)

Department(s) or unit(s)

Dept. Plant Biology

Contact information

Dr. Jocelyn Rose
Director of the Cornell Initiative for Sustainable Bioenergy Crops (CISBC)
331 Emerson Hall
jr286@cornell.edu; 607-2554781

Program goals

The mission of the CISBC is to promote the development of effective long-term agroenergy cropping systems, which will require the collaboration of many plant science disciplines. These include, but are not limited to, breeding, physiology, pathology, genetics, biotechnology and ecology. In addition, this multidisciplinary consortium must engage with other fields of expertise, including process engineering and applied economics.

Brief description

A reduction in the dependence of society on fossil fuels is an increasingly urgent issue, and it seems certain that within a relatively short space of time, a portfolio of alternative renewable resources will play an important role in providing our energy needs. Bioenergy crops are considered an important part of this equation and a number of factors, including concerns about global climate change and energy security, have triggered political incentives to dramatically expand their use as sources of transportation fuel and industrial chemicals.

In the United States a number of ambitious targets have already been proposed, such as replacing 30% of the current petroleum with biomass-derived biofuels by 2030. To achieve such goals, or even to approach more modest targets, will require entirely new sustainable agroenergy systems, and these will inevitably present enormous technical and operational challenges, many of which are not yet appreciated.

Plant scientists thus have an immense task to make a significant contribution to this new bioenergy economy, whilst maintaining a reliable supply of food, feed and other plant derived materials to a growing population. Moreover, this must be formulated in a way that is sustainable and that has minimal environmental effects

Cornell University is poised to provide leadership in this complex multidisciplinary effort.

• Cornell has world renowned breadth and excellence in plant sciences and related disciplines. The university’s diversity in applied and basic plant science research, linked to an extensive extension and outreach infrastructure, represents a powerful means to link cutting edge research with practical solutions in the field.
• As New York’s land-grant university, Cornell has a long-standing tradition of bringing applied and basic science to bear on problems of local, national and international development.
• Cornell is also one of few institutions in the world that is able to assemble so many physical and life scientists, engineers, and social scientists with the talent and motivation to create a sustainable, vital, bioenergy future.

Program or topic

Cow Power: Feasibility of Fuel Cells for Energy Conversion on the Dairy Farm

Department(s) or unit(s)

Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering

Contact information

Norm Scott
Professor, Biological and Environmental Engineering
(607)255-4473
nrs5@cornell.edu

Program goals

To study the potential for biogas energy conversion on dairy farms using fuel cell technology.

Brief Description

Cow Power addresses issues of sustainability by aiding in the development and implementation of agriculture-based fuel sources, while reducing the demand for petroleum-based fuels. The focus is geared toward understanding the feasibility of fuel cells in this environment in terms of technology, economics, and policy. We are assessing the technical feasibility of fuel cell technology for energy conversion of biogas to electricity and thermal energy (heating and cooling), and looking at the potential for fuel cell technology to work across a range of dairy farms from small (100) to large (5000 cows or more).

Since returning to the faculty in 1998, principal investigator Norm Scott has focused his research on sustainable development. This research is dedicated to the development of sustainable communities with emphasis on biologically derived fuels, renewable energy, recycling, managed ecosystems and industrial ecology. The concept of sustainable development is a driving force in creating a “vision” for change to integrate renewable energy and entrepreneurial enterprises to provide opportunities for agro-eco-industrial development of sustainable communities around the world and to develop eco-cities which can change dramatically the way we live in the future and potentially create carbon neutrality.

For more information

Websites:

• Cow Power
• Norm Scott’s Home Page

Key publications:

• Scott, N. R., et. al. 1997. Agricultural and biological systems. In Engineering Response to Global Climate Change: Planning a Research and Development Agenda, edited by Robert G. Watts. Lewis Publishers, 339-74
• Ma, J., N.R. Scott, S.D. DeGloria and A.J. Lembo. 2005. Siting analysis of farm-based centralized anaerobic digester systems for distributed generation using GIS. Biomass and Bioenergy. Volume 28, Issue 6, June, Pages 591-600.
• Scott, N. R. 2008. Nanobiotechnology, Renewable Energy, Sustainability, and the Future. Resources. Volume 15, No. 7. Pages 17-20
• Ma, J and N. R. Scott. 2009. Utilizing Organic Wastes as Renewable Energy Resources submitted to Biomas and bioenergy

Program or topic

Cornell Manure Management Program

Department(s) or unit(s)

• Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering
• Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

Contact information

Norm Scott
Professor, Biological and Environmental Engineering
(607)255-4473
nrs5@cornell.edu

Jean Bonhotal
Senior Extension Associate, Crop and Soil Sciences
(607) 255-8444
jb29@cornell.edu

Program goals

To communicate research findings to the agricultural sector regarding manure treatment and management technologies. This includes topics such as production of bio-energy and the reduction of environmental costs associated with waste disposal.

Brief Description

The Cornell Manure Management Program disseminates cutting edge information on manure treatment and management technologies, including composting, anaerobic digestion, biogas conversion, fuel cells, and more.

Since returning to the faculty in 1998, Norm Scott has focused his research on sustainable development. This research is dedicated to the development of sustainable communities with emphasis on biologically derived fuels, renewable energy, recycling, managed ecosystems and industrial ecology. The concept of sustainable development is a driving force in creating a “vision” for change to integrate renewable energy and entrepreneurial enterprises to provide opportunities for agro-eco-industrial development of sustainable communities around the world and to develop eco-cities which can change dramatically the way we live in the future and potentially create carbon neutrality.

The production and transportation of synthetic agricultural fertilizers contributes to the release of significant amounts of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Jean Bonhotal is helping relieve this environmental stress and providing farmers with sustainable fertilizer alternatives through the design and implementation of waste management programs throughout New York State.

For more information

Websites:

• Cornell Manure Management Program
• Cow Power
• Norm Scott’s Home Page
• Jean Bonhotal’s Home Page

Key publications:

• Scott, N. R., et. al. 1997. Agricultural and biological systems. In Engineering Response to Global Climate Change: Planning a Research and Development Agenda, edited by Robert G. Watts. Lewis Publishers, 339-74
• Ma, J., N.R. Scott, S.D. DeGloria and A.J. Lembo. 2005. Siting analysis of farm-based centralized anaerobic digester systems for distributed generation using GIS. Biomass and Bioenergy. Volume 28, Issue 6, June, Pages 591-600.
• Scott, N. R. 2008. Nanobiotechnology, Renewable Energy, Sustainability, and the Future. Resources. Volume 15, No. 7. Pages 17-20
• Ma, J and N. R. Scott. 2009. Utilizing Organic Wastes as Renewable Energy Resources submitted to Biomas and bioenergy
• Bonhotal, J.F., Harrison, E.Z., Schwarz, M., Gruttadaurio, J. Petrovic, A. Martin. 2007. Using Manure-Based Composts in Turf Maintenance. Cornell Waste Management Institute. http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/turf.htm.
• Schwarz, M., Bassuk, N., Bonhotal, J., and Harrison, E.Z. 2007. Highly Compacted Soils Improved by Compost Use. BioCycle. 48(7):55-56.

Program or topic

Melkonian Program: Simulating soil nutrient dynamics

Department(s) or unit(s)

Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

Contact information

Jeffrey Melkonian
Senior Research Associate, Crop and Soil Science
(607)227-9172
jjm11@cornell.edu

Program goals

Application of simulation modeling to better understand how climate change will impact nutrient dynamics in agricultural systems.

Brief Description

Soil nitrogen (N) availability is one of the main factors limiting crop production in many agricultural systems. The application of N fertilizers (both mineral and organic) are critical to increase crop yields. However, these fertilizers are often used inefficiently and N losses associated with the use of these fertilizers have contributed to the deterioration of water quality worldwide. In addition, the possible impacts of climate change on N losses associated with agricultural production are not well understood. Dynamic simulation models of the soil/crop/atmosphere system are tools that can be used to assess N losses associated with crop production, identify possible management alternatives to improve N use efficiency in crop production and provide insight into the impact of future climate on agricultural N use and N losses. Melkonian is investigating the role of N and water in crop and soil systems by applying dynamic simulation modeling combined with field ex. Goals of Melkonian’s research include assessing the yield potential of different land use categories (e.g., current crop land, marginal or underused land) for crops, including bioenergy crops, testing alternative strategies for nutrient and water management in agriculture to reduce negative environmental impacts, using dynamic simulation modeling to investigate yield gaps in crop production and using dynamic simulation models of the soil/plant/atmosphere continuum to design more targeted and fruitful experimental strategies.

Such models are leading to the development of tools such as Adapt-N, which helps farmers determine the most efficient nitrogen fertilizer sidedress rate for corn. Developed in collaboration with the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, the Northeast Regional Climatic Center, and the Center for Advanced Computing, Adapt-N accounts for changes in soil N due to early season weather and adjusts the in-season N recommendations accordingly.

For more information

Websites:

• Jeffrey Melkonian’s Home Page
• Interactive Tool For Nitrogen Management
• Cornell Precision Agriculture
• Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment

Key publications:

• Melkonian, J., H.M. van Es, A. DeGaetano, J. Sogbedji, L. Joseph. 2007. Application of dynamic simulation modeling for nitrogen management in maize. Managing Crop Nitrogen for Weather (Proceedings of the 2006 SSSA Symposium “Integrating Weather Variability into Nitrogen Recommendations”). International Plant Nutrition Institute. (In publication)
• Melkonian, J., S. J. Riha, J. Robin and E. Levine. 2007. Comparisons of measured stream flow with drainage and runoff simulated by a soil-vegetation-atmosphere transport model parameterized with GLOBE student data. Journal of Hydrology. 333:214-225.