CLIMATE CHANGE AND TURF


By Jerry L. Hatfield, laboratory director of the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment


Tere has been and continues to be a large amount of discussion on the impact of climate change on agricultural systems. Every four years, there is the release of the National Climate Assessment that is a product of the United Stated Global Change Research Program (https:// www.globalchange.gov). Tis report provides a summary of the current assessment of the climate and the potential impacts on various sectors of the U.S. economy. On a worldwide basis, there is a companion effort by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a series of reports (https://www.ipcc.ch) available for detailed views on trends and projections around the world.


While there is a great deal of attention given to the agriculture and ecosystem sectors, there is no specific assessment of the climate and weather impact on the turfgrass industry and uses of turfgrass. It is the intent of this article and subsequent articles in this series to discuss this topic in order to help the turfgrass industry be prepared for the emerging challenges created by the trends in climate and the increasing variability in weather during the growing season.


In this article, there is a general overview of climate change while the three subsequent articles to follow will address: the changing temperature and implications for growth of turfgrass and pests; the changing precipitation patterns and the implications for water management; and the value of turfgrass systems in mitigating microclimates in urban areas.


To fully capture discussions around this topic, it is first important to separate between climate and weather. In one sense, climate is where plants can be potentially grown because that represents the ability of the long-term averages to support a given plant; while weather provides a perspective on the productivity within a growing season. For example, climate differences create the boundary between cool-season and warm-season grasses while weather affects the productivity of those grasses and the presence of disease or insects. Being prepared for these changes in climate and weather can help all sectors of the turfgrass industry adapt and develop strategies to offset these impacts. One of the primary goals of the turfgrass industry should be to explore effective adaptation strategies to offset these variations.


Our climate is composed of many different components. Tey include carbon dioxide in the air, ozone in our air, temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation.


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Each of these components has an impact on turfgrass production and the insects, diseases, and weeds that affect turfgrass growth which require management intervention. Understanding these impacts will provide insights in future adaptation strategies applicable to the turfgrass industry. Te goal is not to be prescriptive but rather create a dialog to help foster an understanding of the potential solutions and come up with innovative practices to cope with these changes. One of the conclusions we reached in the 2014 National Climate Assessment for agriculture was that we could cope with climate change with our adaptation strategies until 2050. Beyond that, we will have to develop more innovative practices to cope with the increasing temperatures and variability in precipitation that is expected in future years.


My goal in this article is not to debate the climate change issue but rather to provide a synopsis of the facts on what is occurring and how we have to deal with these changes through proactive discussions about the impacts of these changes. My interest in this topic was peaked after the 2017 International Turfgrass Research Conference when I prepared a talk on “Turfgrass and Climate Change” (Agronomy Journal 109:1708-1718, doi:10.2134/ agronj2016.10.0626). Turfgrasses are a vital part of our ecosystems and enhancing their viability helps improve our lives. As we explore three specific components of the climate, we can begin to understand what is changing. Te examples provided are from reports focused on the United States; however, these apply throughout the world.


Carbon Dioxide


Carbon dioxide has been steadily increasing since the 1960s at about 0.6 ppm per year. However, in the recent decade, the rate of increase has been closer to 2.3 ppm per year, and we currently have an atmospheric concentration of 405 ppm. Figure 1 illustrates the changes in CO2 (CH4


, methane ), nitrous oxide (N2 O) and hydrocarbons since 1980.


On a worldwide basis, there was a rapid rise in CO2, CH4 and N2O beginning in the early 1900s. Across the globe,


Te source of CO2 is respiration from living systems or


decomposition of plant material. Methane comes from swamps and wetlands, ruminant animals, municipal landfills, and rice production. Te primary source of N2


O is nitrogen


fertilizer. Agriculture accounts for only about 8.5 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions. Chlorofluorocarbons or carbon-based refrigerants (CFC in Figure 1) have shown a leveling off because of the restrictions in their use and development of alternate methods.


TPI Turf News July/August 2019 ,


the increase in greenhouse gases has been relatively uniform because of the mixing of the atmosphere.


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