University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) - Research portal
Gewählte Master / Diploma Thesis:
Albert Elias Øhrman Wellendorf
(2022):
Assessment of cropping risks in Austria under climate change.
Master / Diploma Thesis - Institut für Meteorologie und Klimatologie,
BOKU-Universität für Bodenkultur,
pp 85 (exclusive reference list and appendix).
UB BOKU
obvsg
FullText
- Abstract:
- Among socio-economic and other factors, especially the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events can lead to increasing food risks. However, these impacts are uncertain and depend on regional factors, choice of crop and various adaptation options. The aim of the present study was to assess how the impact of climate change, expressed in the form of cropping risks, can differ for three Austrian study sites, characterized by different climates, such as the effects on local yields and yield variability. Furthermore, another aim was to assess the effect of irrigation as an important adaptation option, i.e. to differentiate between rainfed and irrigated agriculture and winter and summer crops, respectively. Agrometeorological indices, which represent key cropping risks for the three study sites as well as a crop model (AquaCrop) were applied to assess and correlate the potential impacts at each site and under different conditions (including two climate scenarios). It is shown that semi-arid areas such as Poysdorf are expected to experience more rainfed crop failures under the future climate scnearios applied and will benefit preferably from irrigation and water saving strategies. The warm-humid case study areas areas like Bad Gleichenberg in our case, can expect to be less impacted by rainfed crop failures in the future due to drought but be affected by other cropping risks and extreme events (for instance from heavy or to high precipitation which can make adaptation more complex). Humid areas can also experience less field working days, which makes timing for field operations (by machinery) more difficult in the future. The achieved results are more optimistic than earlier studies in the area, based on other global circulation models, whereas our scenarios show more precipitation especially in early summer for Central Europe. This highlights the need to use more precise data bases in future adaptation studies at the local level.
- Beurteilende*r: Eitzinger Josef