Journal Articles

March 7, 2017

Valuing nature’s contributions to people: the IPBES approach

A new paper published in the journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, and led by Unai Pascual (Ikerbasque Research Professor at BC3) and member of the Multidisciplinary Expert Panel of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) synthesizes the vision by IPBES about the values of nature’s contributions to people (NCP) for a good quality of life.
February 28, 2017

BC3 Journal Article “Historical Energy Price Shocks and their Changing Effects on the Economy”

The purpose of this paper is to identify the changes in the impact of energy shocks on economic activity — with an interest in assessing if an economy's vulnerability and resilience to shocks improved with economic development. Using data on the United Kingdom over the last three hundred years, the paper identifies supply, aggregate demand and residual shocks to energy prices and estimates their changing influence on energy prices and GDP.
February 28, 2017

BC3 Journal Article “Strategies for greenhouse gas emissions mitigation in Mediterranean agriculture: A review”

An integrated assessment of the potential of different management practices for mitigating specific components of the total GHG budget (N2O and CH4 emissions and C sequestration) of Mediterranean agrosystems was performed in this study. Their suitability regarding both yield and environmental (e.g. nitrate leaching and ammonia volatilization) sustainability, and regional barriers and opportunities for their implementation were also considered.
February 28, 2017

BC3 Journal Article “The ACER pollen and charcoal database: a global resource to document vegetation and fire response to abrupt climate changes during the last glacial period”

Quaternary records provide an opportunity to examine the nature of the vegetation and fire responses to rapid past climate changes comparable in velocity and magnitude to those expected in the 21st-century. The best documented examples of rapid climate change in the past are the warming events associated with the Dansgaard–Oeschger (D–O) cycles during the last glacial period, which were sufficiently large to have had a potential feedback through changes in albedo and greenhouse gas emissions on climate.
February 27, 2017

BC3 Journal Article “Soil heterotrophic CO 2 emissions from tropical high-elevation ecosystems (Páramos) and their sensitivity to temperature and moisture fluctuations”

Increasing temperatures and changes in the intensity and frequency of precipitations may impact the ability of tropical high-elevation Andean ecosystems (Páramos) to store and retain carbon (C). We, therefore, examined how warming and fluctuations in soil moisture could influence soil CO2 emissions from heterotrophic respiration (RH, the result of microbial respiration), of two Páramos of contrasting climatic regimes within their area of distribution.
February 27, 2017

BC3 Journal Article “Orchard and horticulture systems in Spanish Mediterranean coastal areas: Is there a real possibility to contribute to C sequestration?”

Agriculture in the Mediterranean basin is currently contributing to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and in the future is expected to be strongly affected by climate change. Increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) via soil organic matter (SOM) improvement is widely regarded as a way to both mitigate and adapt to climate change. Using as a case study the Mediterranean coastal area in Spain, which is regarded as one of the most intensively managed areas in Europe for orchards and horticultural cropping, we analyzed the potential for climate change mitigation of introducing different practices that are expected to increase SOC.
February 20, 2017

BC3 Journal Article “Effects of wind damage on the optimal management of boreal forests under current and changing climatic conditions”

This study presents a new method for considering the risk of wind damage in forest planning and for predicting the amount of damage and its effects on timber production, economic profitability and carbon balance of forestry. The effects of wind damage on the optimal management of boreal forests under current and changing climatic conditions were analyzed by comparing four forest management plans. A reference plan maximized net present value (NPV) with even-flow harvesting constraints.
February 13, 2017

BC3 Journal Article “The value of agent-based modelling for assessing tourism–environment interactions in the Anthropocene”

Tourism is one of the prime manifestations of the ‘great acceleration of humankind’ since the Anthropocene started around 1950. The almost 50-fold increase in international tourism arrivals has substantial implications for environmental sustainability, but these have not yet been fully explored. This paper argues that a full exploration requires the study of tourism as a complex socio-ecological system. Such approach integrates environmental processes and stakeholder behaviour and puts feedbacks in the spotlight.
February 3, 2017

BC3 Journal Articles “A global review of past land use, climate, and active vs. passive restoration effects on forest recovery”

New BC3 Journal Article published: "Meli P., Holl K.D., Benayas J.M.R., Jones H.P., Jones P.C., Montoya D., Mateos D.M. 2017. A global review of past land use, climate, and active vs. passive restoration effects on forest recovery. PLoS One. e0171368."
January 30, 2017

BC3 Journal Article”Understanding risks in the light of uncertainty: low-probability, high-impact coastal events in cities”

A quantification of present and future mean annual losses due to extreme coastal events can be crucial for adequate decision making on adaptation to climate change in coastal areas around the globe. However, this approach is limited when uncertainty needs to be accounted for. In this paper, we assess coastal flood risk from sea-level rise and extreme events in 120 major cities around the world using an alternative stochastic approach that accounts for uncertainty.