At the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, we have been investigating for just over 10 years how a future climate will affect the grassland ecosystem and its management. Based on climate researchers' predictions, we simulate the most important climate factors in a very complex and globally unique field experiment and meticulously observe how the plants, soil moisture content, and gas exchange between soil and plants react.

We have equipped 54 experimental plots with a heating and fumigation system that allows us to increase the temperature using infrared emitters. Simultaneously, we can alter the greenhouse gas concentration in the near-surface atmosphere by fumigating the plots with carbon dioxide-enriched air. Since droughts are very likely to occur more frequently in the future, this system also allows us to block rain from reaching the plots for a specific period using rain canopies, thus simulating dryness and drought. This field simulation is accompanied by a series of regular measurements and observations that precisely record the influence of future climate on various aspects of the grassland ecosystem.

A new podcast series has recently gone online, in which our researchers discuss the challenges, adaptation options, and opportunities arising from climate change. Here's the link: Podcast series: Climate Change - Adaptation Strategies (raumberg-gumpenstein.at)