Articles | Volume 23, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-2261-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-2261-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
08 Apr 2026
Research article |
| 08 Apr 2026
| 08 Apr 2026
Enhanced weathering leads to substantial C accrual on crop macrocosms
Francois Rineau
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Environmental Biology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
Alexander H. Frank
Center of Stable Isotope Research in Ecology and Biogeochemistry (BayCenSI), BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95445 Bayreuth, Germany
Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Zur alten Fischerhütte 2, 16775 Stechlin, Germany
Jannis Groh
Department of Soil Science and Soil Ecology, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Agrosphere Institute (IBG-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), Jülich, Germany
Isotope Biogeochemistry and Gas Fluxes, Research Area 1 “Landscape Functioning”, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
Kristof Grosjean
Environmental Biology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
Arnaud Legout
INRAE, BEF, 54000 Nancy, France
Daniil I. Kolokolov
Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, Novosibirsk, Ac. Lavrentiev av. 5, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
Michel Mench
Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, Biogeco, Bat B2, Allée G. St-Hilaire, 33615 Pessac CEDEX, France
Maria Moreno-Druet
Environmental Biology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
Benoît Pollier
INRAE, BEF, 54000 Nancy, France
Virmantas Povilaitis
Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Kėdainiai, Lithuania
Johanna Pausch
Agroecology, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95445 Bayreuth, Germany
Thomas Puetz
Agrosphere Institute (IBG-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), Jülich, Germany
Tjalling Rooks
Environmental Biology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
Peter Schröder
Helmholtz Center Munich, Research Unit Environmental Simulation, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
Wieslaw Szulc
Institute of Agriculture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Beata Rutkowska
Institute of Agriculture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Xander Swinnen
Environmental Biology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
Sofie Thijs
Environmental Biology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
Harry Vereecken
Agrosphere Institute (IBG-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), Jülich, Germany
Janna V. Veselovskaya
Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, Novosibirsk, Ac. Lavrentiev av. 5, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
Mwahija Zubery
Environmental Biology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
Renaldas Žydelis
Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Kėdainiai, Lithuania
Evelin Loit
Estonian Univ Life Sci, Inst Agr & Environm Sci, Tartu, Estonia
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Nunzio Romano, Harry Vereecken, Heye R. Bogena, Giorgio Cassiani, Matteo Censini, Giovanna Armiento, Marco Proposito, Lorenzo De Silvestri, Eyal Ben Dor, Nicolas Francos, Christian Massari, János Mészáros, Tünde Takáts, Caterina Mazzitelli, Benedetto Sica, Ugo Lazzaro, and Paolo Nasta
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-725, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-725, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
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Understanding how climate and land-use change affect water resources requires observations that connect processes from soils and vegetation to groundwater and streams. The Alento dataset is presented that integrates environmental monitoring with targeted field observations across multiple Critical Zone components and scales. The dataset offers a distinctive resource for studying water storage and movement, evaluating environmental models, and improving understanding of water-limited regions.
Jordan Steven Bates, Carsten Montzka, Rajina Bajracharya, Harry Vereecken, and François Jonard
Biogeosciences, 23, 6179–6210, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-6179-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-6179-2026, 2026
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This study compared drone-based laser, multispectral, and thermal sensors for estimating winter wheat biomass. Combining laser-derived crop structure and signal intensity improved predictions compared with crop height or multispectral data alone, while combining multispectral and thermal data with laser-derived features provided additional information during particular growth stages. The results highlight the potential of underutilized laser-derived features for crop biomass monitoring.
Matthias Cuntz, Stephan Thober, Anne Verhoef, Yijian Zeng, Aaron Boone, Agnès Ducharne, Sujan Koirala, David M. Lawrence, Philipp de Vrese, Carsten Montzka, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Harry Vereecken, Dani Or, Salma Tafasca, Naoki Mizukami, Rich Ellis, Patrick C. McGuire, and Lukas Gudmundsson
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4223, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4223, 2026
Preprint archived
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Land surface models (LSMs) are essential tools to analyze future climate change. Here we pushed state-of-the-art LSMs out of their comfort zone revealing hidden connections between processes encoded into the models. The LSMs reacted differently due to complex, sometimes counter-intuitive interactions of different water fluxes. We identified surface runoff and soil evaporation as the two main reasons behind model differences, which should be improved by using more mechanistic descriptions.
Ruth Adamczewski, Anders Kaestner, Johanna Pausch, Maire Holz, and Mohsen Zarebanadkouki
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1740, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1740, 2026
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Maize plants use different root types to take up water, but their roles under varying soil conditions are not well understood. We used neutron radiography imaging combined with isotopic labelling to simulate root water uptake in sandy and loamy soils under wet and dry conditions. Crown roots absorbed about three times more water in sandy than in loamy soil, while seminal roots showed stable uptake. These results highlight how soil texture shapes root function.
Nedal Aqel, Jannis Groh, Lutz Weihermüller, Ralf Gründling, Andrea Carminati, and Peter Lehmann
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 2523–2542, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-2523-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-2523-2026, 2026
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This study investigates how soils respond to major climatic disturbances, such as the extreme drought in Germany in 2018. Using long-term lysimeter observations and an artificial intelligence model, we show that persistent shifts in soil water dynamics indicate changes in hydraulic properties that may affect soil health, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring under a changing climate.
Youri Rothfuss, Samuel Le Gall, Nicolas Brüggemann, Sharmin Jahan, Mathieu Javaux, Julian Klaus, Harry Vereecken, and Dagmar van Dusschoten
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1518, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1518, 2026
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How plants cope with water stress is relevant when studying plant water sources in soil. We associated two techniques for measuring the content in water stable isotopes in the stem of sunflower plants and for locating where they take up water in a non-destructive manner. We highlight the role of stem water as a source of water to transpiration flux.
Belén Martí, Jannis Groh, Guylaine Canut, and Aaron Boone
Geosci. Model Dev., 19, 1991–2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-1991-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-1991-2026, 2026
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The characterization of vegetation at two sites proved insufficient to adequately simulate the evapotranspiration. A dry surface layer was implemented in the land surface model SURFEX-ISBA (Externalized Surface-Interactions Soil-Biosphere-Atmosphere) v9.0. It is compared to simulations without a soil resistance. The application to an alfalfa site and a natural grass site in semiarid conditions results in an improvement in the estimation of the latent heat flux. The surface energy budget and the soil and vegetation characteristics are explored in detail.
Wenhong Wang, Shiao Feng, Yonggen Zhang, Zhongwang Wei, Jianzhi Dong, Lutz Weihermüller, Cong-Qiang Liu, and Harry Vereecken
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 1061–1088, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-1061-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-1061-2026, 2026
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Current soil moisture data often suffers from gaps or errors. We combined the long-term coverage of ERA5-Land with the high accuracy of SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) satellites to create a corrected global moisture dataset spanning 1950–2025. Validated against 3.8 million ground measurements, our product reduces errors by ~ 25 % in the modern period (2015–2020) and maintains ~ 20 % improvement historically (1960–2015). This reliable, daily 75-year record is essential for monitoring long-term climate trends and droughts.
Heye R. Bogena, Frank Herrmann, Andreas Lücke, Thomas Pütz, and Harry Vereecken
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 6965–6992, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6965-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6965-2025, 2025
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The Wüstebach catchment, which is part of the German TERENO (Terrestrial Environmental Observatories) network, was partially deforested in 2013 to promote natural forest regrowth. This data paper provides 16 years of hourly concentrations and fluxes of 11 solutes and runoff rates (2010–2024) from two runoff gauging stations, one affected by deforestation and one not, illustrating forest-management effects on solute transport processes at the catchment scale.
Joschka Neumann, Nicolas Brüggemann, Patrick Chaumet, Normen Hermes, Jan Huwer, Peter Kirchner, Werner Lesmeister, Wilhelm August Mertens, Thomas Pütz, Jörg Wolters, Harry Vereecken, and Ghaleb Natour
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 14, 353–377, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-14-353-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-14-353-2025, 2025
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Climate change in combination with a steadily growing world population and a simultaneous decrease in agricultural land is one of the greatest global challenges facing mankind. In this context, Forschungszentrum Jülich established an "agricultural simulator" (AgraSim), which enables research into the effects of climate change on agricultural ecosystems and the optimization of agricultural cultivation and management strategies with the aid of combined experimental and numerical simulation.
Salar Saeed Dogar, Cosimo Brogi, Dave O'Leary, Ixchel M. Hernández-Ochoa, Marco Donat, Harry Vereecken, and Johan Alexander Huisman
SOIL, 11, 655–679, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-655-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-655-2025, 2025
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Farmers need precise information about their fields to use water, fertilizers, and other resources efficiently. This study combines underground soil data and satellite images to create detailed field maps using advanced machine learning. By testing different ways of processing data, we ensured a balanced and accurate approach. The results help farmers manage their land more effectively, leading to better harvests and more sustainable farming practices.
Jordan Bates, Carsten Montzka, Harry Vereecken, and François Jonard
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3919, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3919, 2025
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We used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with advanced cameras and laser scanning to measure crop water use and detect early signs of plant stress. By combining 3D views of crop structure with surface temperature and reflectance data, we improved estimates of water loss, especially in dense crops like wheat. This approach can help farmers use water more efficiently, respond quickly to stress, and support sustainable agriculture in a changing climate.
Manuela S. Kaufmann, Anja Klotzsche, Jan van der Kruk, Anke Langen, Harry Vereecken, and Lutz Weihermüller
SOIL, 11, 267–285, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-267-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-267-2025, 2025
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To use fertilizers more effectively, non-invasive geophysical methods can be used to understand nutrient distributions in the soil. We utilize, in a long-term field study, geophysical techniques to study soil properties and conditions under different fertilizer treatments. We compared the geophysical response with soil samples and soil sensor data. In particular, electromagnetic induction and electrical resistivity tomography were effective in monitoring changes in nitrate levels over time.
Bamidele Oloruntoba, Stefan Kollet, Carsten Montzka, Harry Vereecken, and Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 1659–1683, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1659-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1659-2025, 2025
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We studied how soil and weather data affect land model simulations over Africa. By combining soil data processed in different ways with weather data of varying time intervals, we found that weather inputs had a greater impact on water processes than soil data type. However, the way soil data were processed became crucial when paired with high-frequency weather inputs, showing that detailed weather data can improve local and regional predictions of how water moves and interacts with the land.
Paolo Nasta, Günter Blöschl, Heye R. Bogena, Steffen Zacharias, Roland Baatz, Gabriëlle De Lannoy, Karsten H. Jensen, Salvatore Manfreda, Laurent Pfister, Ana M. Tarquis, Ilja van Meerveld, Marc Voltz, Yijian Zeng, William Kustas, Xin Li, Harry Vereecken, and Nunzio Romano
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 465–483, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-465-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-465-2025, 2025
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The Unsolved Problems in Hydrology (UPH) initiative has emphasized the need to establish networks of multi-decadal hydrological observatories to tackle catchment-scale challenges on a global scale. This opinion paper provocatively discusses two endmembers of possible future hydrological observatory (HO) networks for a given hypothesized community budget: a comprehensive set of moderately instrumented observatories or, alternatively, a small number of highly instrumented supersites.
Christian Poppe Terán, Bibi S. Naz, Harry Vereecken, Roland Baatz, Rosie A. Fisher, and Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 287–317, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-287-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-287-2025, 2025
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Carbon and water exchanges between the atmosphere and the land surface contribute to water resource availability and climate change mitigation. Land surface models, like the Community Land Model version 5 (CLM5), simulate these. This study finds that CLM5 and other data sets underestimate the magnitudes of and variability in carbon and water exchanges for the most abundant plant functional types compared to observations. It provides essential insights for further research into these processes.
Annelie Ehrhardt, Jannis Groh, and Horst H. Gerke
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 313–334, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-313-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-313-2025, 2025
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Soil water storage (SWS) describes the amount of water in the root zone of plants accessible for crop growth. SWS underlies annual cycles with maximum values in winter and minimum values in summer. For a soil that was transferred from a drier to a more humid climate we found that the maximum peak of SWS occurs earlier every year. This can be explained by an earlier start of the vegetation period. It is a first indication that the ability of soils to store water is affected by different climate.
Ying Zhao, Mehdi Rahmati, Harry Vereecken, and Dani Or
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4059–4063, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4059-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4059-2024, 2024
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Gao et al. (2023) question the importance of soil in hydrology, sparking debate. We acknowledge some valid points but critique their broad, unsubstantiated views on soil's role. Our response highlights three key areas: (1) the false divide between ecosystem-centric and soil-centric approaches, (2) the vital yet varied impact of soil properties, and (3) the call for a scale-aware framework. We aim to unify these perspectives, enhancing hydrology's comprehensive understanding.
Tobias Karl David Weber, Lutz Weihermüller, Attila Nemes, Michel Bechtold, Aurore Degré, Efstathios Diamantopoulos, Simone Fatichi, Vilim Filipović, Surya Gupta, Tobias L. Hohenbrink, Daniel R. Hirmas, Conrad Jackisch, Quirijn de Jong van Lier, John Koestel, Peter Lehmann, Toby R. Marthews, Budiman Minasny, Holger Pagel, Martine van der Ploeg, Shahab Aldin Shojaeezadeh, Simon Fiil Svane, Brigitta Szabó, Harry Vereecken, Anne Verhoef, Michael Young, Yijian Zeng, Yonggen Zhang, and Sara Bonetti
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 3391–3433, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3391-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3391-2024, 2024
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Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) are used to predict parameters of models describing the hydraulic properties of soils. The appropriateness of these predictions critically relies on the nature of the datasets for training the PTFs and the physical comprehensiveness of the models. This roadmap paper is addressed to PTF developers and users and critically reflects the utility and future of PTFs. To this end, we present a manifesto aiming at a paradigm shift in PTF research.
Sinikka J. Paulus, Rene Orth, Sung-Ching Lee, Anke Hildebrandt, Martin Jung, Jacob A. Nelson, Tarek Sebastian El-Madany, Arnaud Carrara, Gerardo Moreno, Matthias Mauder, Jannis Groh, Alexander Graf, Markus Reichstein, and Mirco Migliavacca
Biogeosciences, 21, 2051–2085, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2051-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2051-2024, 2024
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Porous materials are known to reversibly trap water from the air, even at low humidity. However, this behavior is poorly understood for soils. In this analysis, we test whether eddy covariance is able to measure the so-called adsorption of atmospheric water vapor by soils. We find that this flux occurs frequently during dry nights in a Mediterranean ecosystem, while EC detects downwardly directed vapor fluxes. These results can help to map moisture uptake globally.
Lukas Strebel, Heye Bogena, Harry Vereecken, Mie Andreasen, Sergio Aranda-Barranco, and Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 1001–1026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1001-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1001-2024, 2024
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We present results from using soil water content measurements from 13 European forest sites in a state-of-the-art land surface model. We use data assimilation to perform a combination of observed and modeled soil water content and show the improvements in the representation of soil water content. However, we also look at the impact on evapotranspiration and see no corresponding improvements.
Denise Degen, Daniel Caviedes Voullième, Susanne Buiter, Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen, Harry Vereecken, Ana González-Nicolás, and Florian Wellmann
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 7375–7409, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-7375-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-7375-2023, 2023
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In geosciences, we often use simulations based on physical laws. These simulations can be computationally expensive, which is a problem if simulations must be performed many times (e.g., to add error bounds). We show how a novel machine learning method helps to reduce simulation time. In comparison to other approaches, which typically only look at the output of a simulation, the method considers physical laws in the simulation itself. The method provides reliable results faster than standard.
Tobias Schnepper, Jannis Groh, Horst H. Gerke, Barbara Reichert, and Thomas Pütz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 3265–3292, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3265-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3265-2023, 2023
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We compared hourly data from precipitation gauges with lysimeter reference data at three sites under different climatic conditions. Our results show that precipitation gauges recorded 33–96 % of the reference precipitation data for the period under consideration (2015–2018). Correction algorithms increased the registered precipitation by 9–14 %. It follows that when using point precipitation data, regardless of the precipitation measurement method used, relevant uncertainties must be considered.
Theresa Boas, Heye Reemt Bogena, Dongryeol Ryu, Harry Vereecken, Andrew Western, and Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 3143–3167, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3143-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3143-2023, 2023
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In our study, we tested the utility and skill of a state-of-the-art forecasting product for the prediction of regional crop productivity using a land surface model. Our results illustrate the potential value and skill of combining seasonal forecasts with modelling applications to generate variables of interest for stakeholders, such as annual crop yield for specific cash crops and regions. In addition, this study provides useful insights for future technical model evaluations and improvements.
Jordan Bates, Francois Jonard, Rajina Bajracharya, Harry Vereecken, and Carsten Montzka
AGILE GIScience Ser., 3, 23, https://doi.org/10.5194/agile-giss-3-23-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/agile-giss-3-23-2022, 2022
Maik Heistermann, Heye Bogena, Till Francke, Andreas Güntner, Jannis Jakobi, Daniel Rasche, Martin Schrön, Veronika Döpper, Benjamin Fersch, Jannis Groh, Amol Patil, Thomas Pütz, Marvin Reich, Steffen Zacharias, Carmen Zengerle, and Sascha Oswald
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 2501–2519, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2501-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2501-2022, 2022
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This paper presents a dense network of cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) to measure spatio-temporal soil moisture patterns during a 2-month campaign in the Wüstebach headwater catchment in Germany. Stationary, mobile, and airborne CRNS technology monitored the root-zone water dynamics as well as spatial heterogeneity in the 0.4 km2 area. The 15 CRNS stations were supported by a hydrogravimeter, biomass sampling, and a wireless soil sensor network to facilitate holistic hydrological analysis.
Wei Qu, Heye Bogena, Christoph Schüth, Harry Vereecken, Zongmei Li, and Stephan Schulz
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2022-131, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2022-131, 2022
Publication in GMD not foreseen
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We applied the global sensitivity analysis LH-OAT to the integrated hydrology model ParFlow-CLM to investigate the sensitivity of the 12 parameters for different scenarios. And we found that the general patterns of the parameter sensitivities were consistent, however, for some parameters a significantly larger span of the sensitivities was observed, especially for the higher slope and in subarctic climatic scenarios.
Nicholas Jarvis, Jannis Groh, Elisabet Lewan, Katharina H. E. Meurer, Walter Durka, Cornelia Baessler, Thomas Pütz, Elvin Rufullayev, and Harry Vereecken
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 2277–2299, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2277-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2277-2022, 2022
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We apply an eco-hydrological model to data on soil water balance and grassland growth obtained at two sites with contrasting climates. Our results show that the grassland in the drier climate had adapted by developing deeper roots, which maintained water supply to the plants in the face of severe drought. Our study emphasizes the importance of considering such plastic responses of plant traits to environmental stress in the modelling of soil water balance and plant growth under climate change.
Heye Reemt Bogena, Martin Schrön, Jannis Jakobi, Patrizia Ney, Steffen Zacharias, Mie Andreasen, Roland Baatz, David Boorman, Mustafa Berk Duygu, Miguel Angel Eguibar-Galán, Benjamin Fersch, Till Franke, Josie Geris, María González Sanchis, Yann Kerr, Tobias Korf, Zalalem Mengistu, Arnaud Mialon, Paolo Nasta, Jerzy Nitychoruk, Vassilios Pisinaras, Daniel Rasche, Rafael Rosolem, Hami Said, Paul Schattan, Marek Zreda, Stefan Achleitner, Eduardo Albentosa-Hernández, Zuhal Akyürek, Theresa Blume, Antonio del Campo, Davide Canone, Katya Dimitrova-Petrova, John G. Evans, Stefano Ferraris, Félix Frances, Davide Gisolo, Andreas Güntner, Frank Herrmann, Joost Iwema, Karsten H. Jensen, Harald Kunstmann, Antonio Lidón, Majken Caroline Looms, Sascha Oswald, Andreas Panagopoulos, Amol Patil, Daniel Power, Corinna Rebmann, Nunzio Romano, Lena Scheiffele, Sonia Seneviratne, Georg Weltin, and Harry Vereecken
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 1125–1151, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1125-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1125-2022, 2022
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Monitoring of increasingly frequent droughts is a prerequisite for climate adaptation strategies. This data paper presents long-term soil moisture measurements recorded by 66 cosmic-ray neutron sensors (CRNS) operated by 24 institutions and distributed across major climate zones in Europe. Data processing followed harmonized protocols and state-of-the-art methods to generate consistent and comparable soil moisture products and to facilitate continental-scale analysis of hydrological extremes.
Lukas Strebel, Heye R. Bogena, Harry Vereecken, and Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 395–411, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-395-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-395-2022, 2022
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We present the technical coupling between a land surface model (CLM5) and the Parallel Data Assimilation Framework (PDAF). This coupling enables measurement data to update simulated model states and parameters in a statistically optimal way. We demonstrate the viability of the model framework using an application in a forested catchment where the inclusion of soil water measurements significantly improved the simulation quality.
Veronika Forstner, Jannis Groh, Matevz Vremec, Markus Herndl, Harry Vereecken, Horst H. Gerke, Steffen Birk, and Thomas Pütz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 6087–6106, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6087-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6087-2021, 2021
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Lysimeter-based manipulative and observational experiments were used to identify responses of water fluxes and aboveground biomass (AGB) to climatic change in permanent grassland. Under energy-limited conditions, elevated temperature actual evapotranspiration (ETa) increased, while seepage, dew, and AGB decreased. Elevated CO2 mitigated the effect on ETa. Under water limitation, elevated temperature resulted in reduced ETa, and AGB was negatively correlated with an increasing aridity.
Yafei Huang, Jonas Weis, Harry Vereecken, and Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-569, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-569, 2021
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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Trends in agricultural droughts cannot be easily deduced from measurements. Here trends in agricultural droughts over 31 German and Dutch sites were calculated with model simulations and long-term observed meteorological data as input. We found that agricultural droughts are increasing although precipitation hardly decreases. The increase is driven by increase in evapotranspiration. The year 2018 was for half of the sites the year with the most extreme agricultural drought in the last 55 years.
Cited articles
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Amann, T., Hartmann, J., Struyf, E., de Oliveira Garcia, W., Fischer, E. K., Janssens, I., Meire, P., and Schoelynck, J.: Enhanced Weathering and related element fluxes – a cropland mesocosm approach, Biogeosciences, 17, 103–119, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-103-2020, 2020.
Amann, T., Hartmann, J., Hellmann, R., Pedrosa, E. T., and Malik, A.: Enhanced weathering potentials – the role of in situ CO2 and grain size distribution, Front. Clim., 4, 929268, https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.929268, 2022.
Beerling, D. J., Kantzas, E. P., Lomas, M. R., Wade, P., Eufrasio, R. M., Renforth, P., Sarkar, B., Andrews, M. G., James, R. H., Pearce, C. R., Mercure, J. F., Pollitt, H., Holden, P. B., Edwards, N. R., Khanna, M., Koh, L., Quegan, S., Pidgeon, N. F., Janssens, I. A., and Banwart, S. A.: Potential for large-scale CO2 removal via enhanced rock weathering with croplands, Nature, 583, 242–248, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2448-9, 2020.
Beerling, D. J., Leake, J. R., Long, S. P., Scholes, J. D., Ton, J., Nelson, P. N., Bird, M., Kantzas, E., Taylor, L. L., Sarkar, B., Kelland, M., Delucia, E., Kantola, I., Müller, C., Rau, G. H., and Hansen, J.: Climate, Food and Soil Security, Nat. Plants, 4, 138–147, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-018-0108-y, 2018.
Bradford, M. A., Kuebbing, S. E., Polussa, A., Sanderman, J., and Oldfield, E. E.: Upstream data need to prove soil carbon as a climate solution, Nat. Clim. Change, 15, 1013–1016, 2025.
Buss, W., Hasemer, H., Ferguson, S., and Borevitz, J.: Stabilisation of soil organic matter with rock dust partially counteracted by plants, Glob. Change Biol., 30, e17052, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17052, 2024.
Buss, W., Hasemer, H., Sokol, N. W., and Borevitz, J.: Applying minerals to soil to draw down atmospheric carbon dioxide through synergistic organic and inorganic pathways, Commun. Earth Environ., 5, 602, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01771-3, 2024.
Cipolla, G., Calabrese, S., Noto, L. V., and Porporato, A.: The role of hydrology on enhanced weathering for carbon sequestration II. From hydroclimatic scenarios to carbon-sequestration efficiencies, Adv. Water Resour., 154, 103949, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2021.103949, 2021.
Clobert, J., Chanzy, A., Galliard, J. L., Chabbi, A., Greiveldinger, L., Caquet, T., Loreau, M., and Mougin, C.: How to Integrate Experimental Research Approaches in Ecological and Environmental Studies: AnaEE France as an Example, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 6, 43, https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2018.00043, 2018.
Conant, R. T., Ryan, M. G., Ågren, G. I., Birge, H. E., Davidson, E. A., Eliasson, P. E., Evans, S. E., Frey, S. D., Giardina, C. P., Hopkins, F. M., Hyvönen, R., Kirschbaum, M. U. F., Lavallee, J. M., Leifeld, J., Parton, W. J., Megan Steinweg, J., Wallenstein, M. D., Martin Wetterstedt, J. Å., and Bradford, M. A.: Temperature and soil organic matter decomposition rates – synthesis of current knowledge and a way forward, Glob. Change Biol., 17, 3392–3404, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02496.x, 2011.
Coplen, T. B.: Guidelines and recommended terms for expression of stable-isotope-ratio and gas-ratio measurement results, Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom., 25, 2538–2560, https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.5129, 2011.
Cotrufo, M. F., Wallenstein, M. D., and Boot, C. M.: The Microbial Efficiency-Matrix Stabilization (MEMS) framework integrates plant litter decomposition with soil organic matter stabilization: do labile plant inputs form stable soil organic matter?, Glob. Change Biol., 19, 988–995, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12113, 2013.
Dietzen, C., Harrison, R., and Michelsen-Correa, S.: Effectiveness of enhanced mineral weathering as a carbon sequestration tool and alternative to agricultural lime: An incubation experiment, Int. J. Greenh. Gas Con., 74, 251–258, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2018.05.007, 2019.
Dietzen, C. and Rosing, M. T.: Quantification of CO2 uptake by enhanced weathering of silicate minerals applied to acidic soils, Int. J. Greenh. Gas Con., 125, 103872, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2023.103872, 2023.
Gao, K., Yu, Y. F., Xia, Z. T., and Wang, Y.: Response of height, dry matter accumulation and partitioning of oat (Avena sativa L.) to planting density and nitrogen in Horqin Sandy Land, Sci. Rep., 9, 7961, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44501-y, 2019.
Grolemund, G. and Wickham, H.: Dates and Times Made Easy with lubridate, J. Stat. Softw., 40, 1–25, https://www.jstatsoft.org/v40/i03/ (last access: April 2026), 2011.
Gunning, P. J., Hills, C. D., and Carey, P. J.: Accelerated carbonation treatment of industrial wastes, Waste Manage., 30, 1081–1090, 2010.
Guo, F., Wang, Y., Zhu, H., Zhang, C., Sun, H., Fang, Z., Yang, J., Zhang, L., Mu, Y., Man, Y. B., and Wu, F.: Crop productivity and soil inorganic carbon change mediated by enhanced rock weathering in farmland: A comparative field analysis of multi-agroclimatic regions in central China, Agr. Syst., 210, 103691, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103691, 2023.
Hannes, M., Wollschläger, U., Schrader, F., Durner, W., Gebler, S., Pütz, T., Fank, J., von Unold, G., and Vogel, H.-J.: A comprehensive filtering scheme for high-resolution estimation of the water balance components from high-precision lysimeters, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 3405–3418, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-3405-2015, 2015.
Janssens, I. A., Roobroeck, D., Sardans, J., Obersteiner, M., Penuelas, J., Richter, A., Smith, P., Verbruggen, E., and Vicca, S.: Negative erosion and negative emissions: Combining multiple land-based carbon dioxide removal techniques to rebuild fertile topsoils and enhance food production, Frontiers in Climate, 4, https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.928403, 2022.
Kelland, M. E., Wade, P. W., Lewis, A. L., Taylor, L. L., Sarkar, B., Andrews, M. G., Lomas, M. R., Cotton, T. E. A., Kemp, S. J., James, R. H., Pearce, C. R., Hartley, S. E., and Beerling, D. J.: Increased yield and CO2 sequestration potential with the C4 cereal Sorghum bicolor cultivated in basaltic rock dust-amended agricultural soil, Glob. Change Biol., 26, 3658–3676, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15089, 2020.
Kimball, B. A.: Crop responses to elevated CO2 and interactions with H2O, N, and temperature, Curr. Opin. Plant Biol., 31, 36–43, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2016.03.006, 2016.
Klemme, A., Rixen, T., Müller, M., Notholt, J., and Warneke, T.: Destabilization of carbon in tropical peatlands by enhanced weathering, Communications Earth and Environment, 3, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00544-0, 2022.
Li, J., Mavrodi, D. V., and Dong, Y.: Effect of rock dust-amended compost on the soil properties, soil microbial activity, and fruit production in an apple orchard from the Jiangsu province of China, Arch. Agron. Soil Sci., 67, 1313–1326, https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2020.1795136, 2020.
McKinney, C. R., McCrea, J. M., Epstein, S., Allen, H. A., and Urey, H. C.: Improvements in mass spectrometers for the measurement of small differences in isotope abundance ratios, Rev. Sci. Instrum., 21, 724–730, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1745698, 1950.
Minasny, B., Malone, B. P., McBratney, A. B., Angers, D. A., Arrouays, D., Chambers, A., Chaplot, V., Chen, Z. S., Cheng, K., Das, B. S., Field, D. J., Gimona, A., Hedley, C. B., Hong, S. Y., Mandal, B., Marchant, B. P., Martin, M., McConkey, B. G., Mulder, V. L., and Winowiecki, L.: Soil carbon 4 per mille, Geoderma, 292, 59–86, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2017.01.002, 2017.
Oksanen, J., Blanchet, F. G., Kindt, R., Legendre, P., Minchin, P. R., O'Hara, R. B., Simpson, G. L., Solymos, P., Henry, M., Stevens, H., and Wagner, H.: Vegan: Community Ecology Package, R package version 2.0-10, https://doi.org/10.32614/CRAN.package.vegan, 2013.
OSF: Enhanced weathering leads to substantial C accrual on crop macrocosms, OSF [code and data set], https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/AH75T, 2026.
Peters, A., Groh, J., Schrader, F., Durner, W., Vereecken, H., and Pütz, T.: Towards an unbiased filter routine to determine precipitation and evapotranspiration from high precision lysimeter measurements, J. Hydrol., 549, 731–740, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.04.015, 2017.
Pinheiro, J., Bates, D., and R Core Team: nlme: Linear and Nonlinear Mixed Effects Models, R package version 3.1-162, CRAN [code], https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=nlme (last access: 20 March 2026), 2023.
Ramos, C. G., Hower, J. C., Blanco, E., Oliveira, M. L. S., and Theodoro, S. H.: Possibilities of using silicate rock powder: An overview, Geosci. Front., 13, 101185, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2021.101185, 2022.
Renforth, P.: The negative emission potential of alkaline materials, Nat. Commun., 10, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09475-5, 2019.
Rijnders, J., Vicca, S., Struyf, E., Amann, T., Hartmann, J., Meire, P., Janssens, I., and Schoelynck, J.: The effects of dunite fertilization on growth and elemental composition of barley and wheat differ with dunite grain size and rainfall regimes, Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11, 1172621, https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1172621, 2023.
Rineau, F., Groh, J., Claes, J., Grosjean, K., Mench, M., Moreno-Druet, M., Povilaitis, V., Pütz, T., Szulc, W., Thijs, S., Vandenborght, J., Vangronsveld, J., Vereecken, H., Verhaege, K., Zydelis, R., and Loit, E.: Limited effects of crop foliar Si fertilization on a marginal soil under a future climate scenario, Heliyon, 10, e23882, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23882, 2024.
Rineau, F., Malina, R., Beenaerts, N., Arnauts, N., Bardgett, R. D., Berg, M. P., Boerema, A., Bruckers, L., Clerinx, J., Davin, E. L., De Boeck, H. J., De Dobbelaer, T., Dondini, M., De Laender, F., Ellers, J., Franken, O., Gilbert, L., Gudmundsson, L., Janssens, I. A., and Vangronsveld, J.: Towards more predictive and interdisciplinary climate change ecosystem experiments, Nat. Clim. Change, 9, 809–816, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0609-3, 2019.
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Short summary
Enhanced weathering can significantly slow climate change by capturing CO2 and converting it into stable bicarbonate. In study, this method removed up to 1.5 tons of carbon per hectare in a single growing season. We had however very little evidence of bicarbonate formation. Our findings show that enhanced weathering facilitated instead carbon accrual via not only carbonate precipitation but also enhanced biogeochemical activities promoting additional carbon storage.
Enhanced weathering can significantly slow climate change by capturing CO2 and converting it...
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