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Oren, Ram

Publications and source records attributed to Oren, Ram.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Overlooked branch turnover creates a widespread bias in forest carbon accounting

Most measurements and models of forest carbon cycling neglect the carbon flux associated with the turnover of branch biomass, a physiological process quantified for other organs (fine roots, leaves, and stems). Synthesizing data from boreal, temperate, and tropical forests (184,815 trees), we found that including branch turnover increased empirical estimates of aboveground wood production by 16% (equivalent to 1.9 Pg Cy −1 globally), of similar magnitude to the observed global forest carbon sinks. In addition, reallocating carbon to branch turnover in model simulations reduced stem wood biomass, a long-lasting carbon storage, by 7 to 17%. This prevailing neglect of branch turnover suggests widespread biases in carbon flux estimates across global datasets and model simulations. Branch litterfall, sometimes used as a proxy for branch turnover, ignores carbon lost from attached dead branches, underestimating branch C turnover by 38% in a pine forest. Modifications to field measurement protocols and existing models are needed to allow a more realistic partitioning of wood production and forest carbon storage.

Lim, Hyungwoo↗
DOE OSTI2023

Duke Forest FACE (FACTS-I): Plant and Soil Response Data

This dataset describing the responses of plant and soil pools and fluxes to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration and increased nitrogen supply was collected from Duke Forest Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) – Forest-Atmosphere Carbon Transfer and Storage (FACTS-I) experiment from 1996 to 2012. The dataset includes data files for allometry (diameter at breast height, tree height, and height to live crown base), leaf area index, biomass (stem, branch, foliage, and root biomass, tree density, and basal area), net primary productivity (stem, branch, foliage, reproductive, and coarse root NPP), sap flux density, soil CO2 efflux, and stem temperature. Data files were formatted as .csv (Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet programs can be used to read the format) and file descriptions, including variable name, unit, and data range, can be found in ‘FileDescription_[data_name].txt’ files. The Duke FACE experiment was in a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantation established in 1983. Naturally regenerated broadleaved species including sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) and tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.), mostly in the overstory, and winged elm (Ulmus alata Michx.) and red maple (Acer rubrum L.) were common in the understory. The FACE experiment commenced with two plots (plots 7-8) in 1994 (Oren et al. 2001), with six additional plots (plots 1-6) coming online on 27 August 1996. CO2 enrichment was terminated on 31 October 2010 and post-enrichment data collection continued through 2012. Complete fertilization was applied annually to half of plots 7-8 from 1998 to 2004. The nutrient addition experiment expanded to half of plots 1-6 with a common protocol of N-fertilization in 2005 and continued until 2012. The levels of treatment in this dataset were expressed as ambient CO2 (AMB) or elevated CO2 (ELE) for CO2 treatment and control soil (CONT) or fertilized soil (FERT) for N treatment, respectively.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Contrasting responses of woody and grassland ecosystems to increased CO 2 as water supply varies

Experiments show that elevated atmospheric CO 2 (eCO 2 ) often enhances plant photosynthesis and productivity, yet this effect varies substantially and may be climate sensitive. Understanding if, where and how water supply regulates CO 2 enhancement is critical for projecting terrestrial responses to increasing atmospheric CO 2 and climate change. Here, using data from 14 long-term ecosystem-scale CO 2 experiments, we show that the eCO 2 enhancement of annual aboveground net primary productivity is sensitive to annual precipitation and that this sensitivity differs between woody and grassland ecosystems. During wetter years, CO 2 enhancement increases in woody ecosystems but declines in grass-dominated systems. Consistent with this difference, woody ecosystems can increase leaf area index in wetter years more effectively under eCO 2 than can grassland ecosystems. Overall, and across different precipitation regimes, woody systems had markedly stronger CO 2 enhancement (24%) than grasslands (13%). Finally, we developed an empirical relationship to quantify aboveground net primary productivity enhancement on the basis of changes in leaf area index, providing a new approach for evaluating eCO 2 impacts on the productivity of terrestrial ecosystems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Duke Forest FACE (FACTS-I): Meteorological and Soil Data

This dataset, collected from Duke Forest Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) – Forest-Atmosphere Carbon Transfer and Storage (FACTS-I) experiment, includes variables describing the meteorological conditions above canopy, within canopy, and soil depending on the variable. The Duke FACE experiment was located in a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantation established in 1983. Naturally regenerated broadleaved species including sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) and tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.), mostly in the overstory, and winged elm (Ulmus alata Michx.) and red maple (Acer rubrum L.) were common in the understory. The FACE experiment commenced with two plots (plots 7-8) in 1994 (Oren et al. 2001), with six additional plots (plots 1-6) coming online on 27 August 1996. The CO2 enrichment was terminated on 31 October 2010 and post-enrichment data collection continued through 2012. Complete fertilization was applied annually to half of plots 7-8 from 1998 to 2004. The nutrient addition experiment expanded to half of plot 1-6 with a common protocol of N-fertilization in 2005. N-fertilization continued until 2012. The data range varied by sensor availability. A summary of information about variable name and data range can be found in the ‘FileDescription_[variable_name].txt’ files.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

The response of coarse root biomass to long-term CO 2 enrichment and nitrogen application in a maturing Pinus taeda stand with a large broadleaved component

Elevated atmospheric CO 2 (eCO 2 ) typically increases aboveground growth in both growth chamber and free-air carbon enrichment (FACE) studies. We report on the impacts of eCO 2 and nitrogen amendment on coarse root biomass and net primary productivity (NPP) at the Duke FACE study, where half of the eight plots in a 30-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda, L.) plantation, including competing naturally regenerated broadleaved species, were subjected to eCO 2 (ambient, aCO 2 plus 200 ppm) for 15–17 years, combined with annual nitrogen amendments (11.2 g N m -2 ) for 6 years. Allometric equations were developed following harvest to estimate coarse root (>2 mm diameter) biomass. Pine root biomass under eCO 2 increased 32%, 1.80 kg m -2 above the 5.66 kg m -2 observed in aCO 2 , largely accumulating in the top 30 cm of soil. In contrast, eCO2 increased broadleaved root biomass more than twofold (aCO 2 : 0.81, eCO 2 : 2.07 kg m -2 ), primarily accumulating in the 30–60 cm soil depth. Combined, pine and broadleaved root biomass increased 3.08 kg m -2 over aCO 2 of 6.46 kg m -2 , a 48% increase. Elevated CO 2 did not increase pine root:shoot ratio (average 0.24) but increased the ratio from 0.57 to 1.12 in broadleaved species. Averaged over the study (1997–2010), eCO 2 increased pine, broadleaved and total coarse root NPP by 49%, 373% and 86% respectively. Nitrogen amendment had smaller effects on any component, singly or interacting with eCO 2 . A sustained increase in root NPP under eCO 2 over the study period indicates that soil nutrients were sufficient to maintain root growth response to eCO 2 . These responses must be considered in computing coarse root carbon sequestration of the extensive southern pine and similar forests, and in modelling the responses of coarse root biomass of pine–broadleaved forests to CO 2 concentration over a range of soil N availability.

9 allometry↗
DOE OSTI2019

Decadal biomass increment in early secondary succession woody ecosystems is increased by CO 2 enrichment

Increasing atmospheric CO 2 stimulates photosynthesis which can increase net primary production (NPP), but at longer timescales may not necessarily increase plant biomass. Here we analyse the four decade-long CO 2 -enrichment experiments in woody ecosystems that measured total NPP and biomass. CO 2 enrichment increased biomass increment by 1.05 ± 0.26 kg C m –2 over a full decade, a 29.1 ± 11.7% stimulation of biomass gain in these early-secondary-succession temperate ecosystems. This response is predictable by combining the CO 2 response of NPP (0.16 ± 0.03 kg C m –2 y –1 ) and the CO 2 -independent, linear slope between biomass increment and cumulative NPP (0.55 ± 0.17). Furthermore an ensemble of terrestrial ecosystem models fail to predict both terms correctly. Allocation to wood was a driver of across-site, and across-model, response variability and together with CO 2 -independence of biomass retention highlights the value of understanding drivers of wood allocation under ambient conditions to correctly interpret and predict CO 2 responses.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Evapotranspiration and water yield of a pine-broadleaf forest are not altered by long-term atmospheric [CO 2 ] enrichment under native or enhanced soil fertility

Changes in evapotranspiration ( ET ) from terrestrial ecosystems affect their water yield (WY), with considerable ecological and economic consequences. Increases in surface runoff observed over the past century have been attributed to increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentrations resulting in reduced ET by terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we evaluate the water balance of a Pinus taeda (L.) forest with a broadleaf component that was exposed to atmospheric [CO 2 ] enrichment (ECO 2 ; +200 ppm) for over 17 years and fertilization for 6 years, monitored with hundreds of environmental and sap flux sensors on a half-hourly basis. These measurements were synthesized using a one-dimensional Richard's equation model to evaluate treatment differences in transpiration ( T ), evaporation ( E ), ET , and WY . Here, we found that ECO 2 did not create significant differences in stand T, ET , or WY under either native or enhanced soil fertility, despite a 20% and 13% increase in leaf area index, respectively. While T, ET , and WY responded to fertilization, this response was weak (<3% of mean annual precipitation). Likewise, while E responded to ECO 2 in the first 7 years of the study, this effect was of negligible magnitude (<1% mean annual precipitation). Given the global range of conifers similar to P. taeda , our results imply that recent observations of increased global streamflow cannot be attributed to decreases in ET across all ecosystems, demonstrating a great need for model–data synthesis activities to incorporate our current understanding of terrestrial vegetation in global water cycle models.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

FACE-MDS Phase 2: Data from Six US-Located Elevated CO2 Experiments

This dataset contains measured ecosystem data from four Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) experiments–Duke, Oak Ridge (ORNL), and Rhinelander -- and one Open Top Chamber (OTC) experiment -- Kennedy Space Center (KSCO). The sites were located in the United States and contain data from 1996-2009. These sites were the study sites of the FACE Model Data Synthesis (FACE-MDS) project phase 2. The file naming convention can be found in the file 'facemds-file-table-sitedata.xml' and information about variable naming convention can be found in the file 'facemds-standard-name-table-modvars.xml'. We followed the ALMA v3 convention for meteorological variables and developed a hierarchical naming scheme for ecosystem variables. Additional info can be found in the protocols in the accompanying meteorological dataset (Walker et al. 2018: doi:10.15485/1480328). We replaced the original naming convention mentioned in the protocol with the one described in 'facemds-standard-name-table-modvars.xml'. The outputs of the FACE-MDS phase 2 are in Walker et al (2018: doi:10.15485/1480327). The dataset contains 18 data files that are available in comma-separate (*.csv), and 18 R Data Serialization (*.rds) format. 2 XML (*.xml) companion files and additional metadata are provided: 2 data dictionaries and a file-level metadata file in comma-separate (.csv) format and a user guide in PDF (*.pdf) format. This dataset was updated on 2019-06-28 to fix daily files at Duke and ORNL were incorrectly labelled and were standard error files instead of plot level data. Now corrected and all three (plot, mean, standard error) daily data files for both sites have been added. This dataset was updated on 2026-06-08 to add a user guide, data dictionary file, and a file-level metadata file. DUKE_ax_v2.csv was added to match the no data value format of other files in this dataset. DUKE_ax.csv is maintained as a data file. No previously released data values were changed.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

FACE-MDS Phase 2: Meteorological Data and Protocols

This dataset contains meteorological data, site parameterization data, and protocols for simulation of the five Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) experiments and one Open Top Chamber (OTC) experiment that were the study sites of the FACE Model Data Synthesis (FACE-MDS) project. This dataset should contain everything necessary to simulate these six CO2 enrichment experiments -- Duke, Kennedy Space Center, NDFF, ORNL, PHACE, and Rhinelander -- following the FACE-MDS simulation protocol. Data cover 1998-2008 (1998-01-01 to 2008-12-31). File naming convention can be found in the file 'facemds-file-table-metdata.xml' and information about variable naming convention can be found in the file 'facemds-standard-name-table-metvars.xml'. Where possible, Assistance for the Land-surface Modelling Activities (ALMA) v3 convention for meteorological variables naming ontology was followed. Additional info can be found in the user guide, protocol documents, and readmes in this dataset. The original naming convention mentioned in the protocol was replaced with the one described in 'facemds-standard-name-table-modvars.xml' in the accompanying dataset (doi:10.15485/1480327). The dataset contains 21 data files that are available in comma-separate (*.csv), plain text (*.txt), and NetCDF (*.nc) format. Nine companion files and additional metadata are provided: three data dictionaries and a file-level metadata file in comma separate (.csv) format and a user guide in PDF (*.pdf) format. This dataset was updated on 2026-06-02 to add a version of the data files in comma separate (.csv) format, a user guide, data dictionary files, and a file-level metadata file. No previously released data values were changed.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Annual climate variation modifies nitrogen induced carbon accumulation of Pinus sylvestris forests

We report results from long-term simulated external nitrogen (N) input experiments in three northern Pinus sylvestris forests, two of moderately high and one of moderately low productivity, assessing effects on annual net primary production (NPP) of woody mass and its interannual variation in response to variability in weather conditions. A sigmoidal response of wood NPP to external N inputs was observed in the both higher and lower productivity stands, reaching a maximum of ~65% enhancement regardless of the native site productivity, saturating at an external N input of 4–5 g N·m -2 ·yr -1 . The rate of increase in wood NPP and the N response efficiency (REN, increase in wood NPP per external N input) were maximized at an external N input of ~3 g N·m -2 ·yr -1 , regardless of site productivity. The maximum REN was greater in the higher productivity than the lower productivity stand (~20 vs. ~14 g C/g N). The N-induced enhancement of wood NPP and its REN were, however, markedly contingent on climatic variables. In both of the higher and lower productivity stands, wood NPP increased with growing season precipitation (P), but only up to ~400 mm. The sensitivity of the response to P increased with increasing external N inputs. Increasing growing season temperature (T) somewhat increased the N-induced drought effect, whereas decreasing T reduced the drought effect. These responses of wood NPP infused a large temporal variation to REN, making the use of a fixed value unadvisable. Based on these results, we suggest that regional climate conditions and future climate scenarios should be considered when modeling carbon sequestration in response to N deposition in boreal P. sylvestris, and possibly other forests.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Ecophysiological variation of transpiration of pine forests: synthesis of new and published results

Canopy transpiration (E C ) is a large fraction of evapotranspiration, integrating physical and biological processes within the energy, water, and carbon cycles of forests. Quantifying E C is of both scientific and practical importance, providing information relevant to questions ranging from energy partitioning to ecosystem services, such as primary productivity and water yield. We estimated E C of four pine stands differing in age and growing on sandy soils. The stands consisted of two wide-ranging conifer species: Pinus taeda and Pinus sylvestris, in temperate and boreal zones, respectively. Combining results from these and published studies on all soil types, we derived an approach to estimate daily EC of pine forests, representing a wide range of conditions from 35° S to 64° N latitude. During the growing season and under moist soils, maximum daily E C (E Cm ) at day-length normalized vapor pressure deficit of 1 kPa (E Cm-ref ) increased by 0.55 ± 0.02 (mean ± SE) mm/d for each unit increase of leaf area index (L) up to L = ~5, showing no sign of saturation within this range of quickly rising mutual shading. The initial rise of E Cm with atmospheric demand was linearly related to E Cm -ref. Both relations were unaffected by soil type. Consistent with theoretical prediction, daily EC was sensitive to decreasing soil moisture at an earlier point of relative extractable water in loamy than sandy soils. Our finding facilitates the estimation of daily EC of wide-ranging pine forests using remotely sensed L and meteorological data. We advocate an assembly of worldwide sap flux database for further evaluation of this approach.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Informing climate models with rapid chamber measurements of forest carbon uptake

Models predicting ecosystem carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) exchange under future climate change rely on relatively few real-world tests of their assumptions and outputs. Here, we demonstrate a rapid and cost-effective method to estimate CO 2 exchange from intact vegetation patches under varying atmospheric CO 2 concentrations.We find that net ecosystem CO 2 uptake (NEE) in a boreal forest rose linearly by 4.7 0.2% of the current ambient rate for every 10 ppm CO 2 increase, with no detectable influence of foliar biomass, season, or nitrogen (N) fertilization. The lack of any clear short-term NEE response to fertilization in such an N-limited system is inconsistent with the instantaneous downregulation of photosynthesis formalized in many global models. Incorporating an alternative mechanism with consider-able empirical support diversion of excess carbon to storage compounds into an existing earth system model brings the model output into closer agreement with our field measurements. A global simulation incorporating this modified model reduces a long-standing mismatch between the modeled and observed seasonal amplitude of atmospheric CO 2 . Wider application of this chamber approach would provide critical data needed to further improve modeled projections of biosphere atmosphere CO 2 exchange in a changing climate.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Quantifying the effect of nighttime interactions between roots and canopy physiology and their control of water and carbon cycling on feedbacks between soil moisture and terrestrial climatology under variable environmental conditions

The primary objective of this project is to characterize and quantify how the temporal variability of hydraulic redistribution (HR) and its physiological regulation in unmanaged and complex forests is affecting current water and carbon exchange and predict how future climate scenarios will affect these relationships and potentially feed back to the climate. Specifically, a detailed study of ecosystem water uptake and carbon exchange in relation to root functioning was proposed in order to quantify the mechanisms controlling temporal variability of soil moisture dynamic and HR in three active AmeriFlux sites, and to use published data of two other inactive AmeriFlux sites. Furthermore, data collected by our research group at the Duke Free Air CO2 enrichment (FACE) site was also being utilized to further improve our ability to forecast future environmental impacts of elevated CO2 concentration on soil moisture dynamic and its effect on carbon sequestration and terrestrial climatology. The overarching objective being to forecast, using a soil:plant:atmosphere model coupled with a biosphere:atmosphere model, the impact of root functioning on land surface climatology. By comparing unmanaged sites to plantations, we also proposed to determine the effect of land use change on terrestrial carbon sequestration and climatology through its effect on soil moisture dynamic and HR. Our simulations of HR by roots indicated that in some systems HR is an important mechanism that buffers soil water deficit, affects energy and carbon cycling; thus having significant implications for seasonal climate. HR maintained roots alive and below 70% loss of conductivity and our simulations also showed that the increased vapor pressure deficit at night under future conditions was sufficient to drive significant nighttime transpiration at all sites, which reduced HR. This predicted reduction in HR under future climate conditions played an important regulatory role in land atmosphere interactions by affecting whole ecosystem carbon and water balance. Under future climatic scenarios, HR was reduced thus affecting negatively plant water use and carbon assimilation. The discrepancy between the predicted and actual surface warming and atmospheric water vapor caused by the persistence of evapotranspiration during the dry season, increasing energy transfer in the form of latent heat. Under those simulations, we also evaluated how the hydraulic properties of soil and xylem limited the rate of carbon uptake, and carbon net ecosystem exchange. The multilayered hydraulically driven soil vegetation atmosphere carbon and water transfer model was designed to represent processes common to vascular plants, so that ecosystem atmosphere exchange could be captured by the same processes at different sites. Those models shown to be well suited for investigating the impact of drought on forest ecosystems because of its explicit treatment of water transport to leaves. This modeling work also confirmed that unmanaged, mixed hardwood site are more resilient to climatic variations than an adjacent pine plantation, but that future climatic conditions will reverse this trends.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Duke FACE -- Forest-Atmosphere Carbon Transfer and Storage (FACTS I)

The Duke FACE experiment increases atmospheric [CO 2 ] to a height of 25 m in four 30-m diameter plots, each containing ~100 canopy trees and many sub-canopy individuals. The experiment was initiated in 1994 with CO 2 fumigation of the prototype plot, and reached full CO 2 -fumigation capacity in 1996 when three additional FACE plots came on line. All elevated plots enriched the atmospheric CO 2 concentration by 200 ppmv relative to paired, ambient-CO 2 plots. Formalizing the analysis of CO 2 x N interactions, in March of 2005 each of the six FACE plots established in 1996 was trenched in half, and one half plot fertilized with nitrogen (N) at a rate of 11 g m -2 yr -1 , following the approach established in 1998 in the prototype and its reference plot. The δ 13 C of the fumigated plots’ atmosphere was -42.6‰, and while the 15 N of the fertilizer did not affect the δ 15 N of tissues directly it greatly reduced the effect of a 15 N tracer study on tissue δ 15 N. The CO 2 enrichment was completed in early November, 2010. Prior to termination of fumigation, 1-8 branches from 4-5 Pinus taeda individuals in each half plot were harvested, as well as most Juniperus occidentalis and broadleaved individuals <2 cm in diameter (1.4 m aboveground), including vine and herbaceous individuals. Following the termination, all individuals <8 cm in diameter, followed by all remaining individuals were harvested in half of each plot (a quarter in each CO 2 X N treatment). In all, 189 m 3 of dry material and 826 m 3 of wet material, or a total of 1014 m 3 of material is stored in various suited settings. The project quantified the effect of CO 2 X N on carbon uptake, allocation to various pools, accumulation of carbon in these pools, the release of carbon to the atmosphere, and factors controlling these processes. The project also assessed the effect of CO 2 X N on the components of the water budget, and related processes, as well as on the amount and diversity of understory vegetation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Response to CO 2 enrichment of understory vegetation in the shade of forests

Abstract Responses of forest ecosystems to increased atmospheric CO 2 concentration have been studied in few free‐air CO 2 enrichment ( FACE ) experiments during last two decades. Most studies focused principally on the overstory trees with little attention given to understory vegetation. Despite its small contribution to total productivity of an ecosystem, understory vegetation plays an important role in predicting successional dynamics and future plant community composition. Thus, the response of understory vegetation in Pinus taeda plantation at the Duke Forest FACE site after 15–17 years of exposure to elevated CO 2 , 6–13 of which with nitrogen (N) amendment, was examined. Aboveground biomass and density of the understory decreased across all treatments with increasing overstory leaf area index ( LAI ). However, the CO 2 and N treatments had no effect on aboveground biomass, tree density, community composition, and the fraction of shade‐tolerant species. The increases of overstory LAI (~28%) under elevated CO 2 resulted in a reduction of light available to the understory (~18%) sufficient to nullify the expected growth‐enhancing effect of elevated CO 2 on understory vegetation.

Kim, Dohyoung↗