Assessing the Impact of the Russian Invasion on Crop Production in Ukraine with Open Satellite Data
As a result of the large-scale Russian invasion, a significant amount of fertile farmland has fallen in Ukraine, particularly along the front line. We use Sentinel-2 satellite imagery to estimate the extent of abandoned cropland on both sides of the front line. The data shows that at least 14,000 km2 of former cultivated land along the front remained uncultivated as a result of the war. Of these, 8,000 km2 are in areas controlled by Ukraine. It will take considerable effort and a lot of time to make these agricultural areas usable again, which have been severely affected by countless mines, unexploded explosive devices and artillery craters.
Access the report (in German) via the following link:
SWECA: High-resolution daily Snow Water Equivalent estimates for Mountainous Central Asia (1979–2016)
The dataset provides daily estimates of snow water equivalent (SWE) for Central Asia, at a spatial resolution of 1km, covering the period from 1979 to 2016. The dataset was generated within the SWECA project, supported by GEO Mountains under the Adaptation at Altitude Program (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Project Number: 7F-10208.01.02). The dataset encompasses the Central Asian region within the bounding coordinates 61W, 81E, 44N, 34S, which covers the Tian-Shan and Pamir mountains, a larger extent of the Hindu Kush mountains, and the northern part of the Karakoram mountains.
Data is accessible on https://zenodo.org/records/10459973
Umirbekov, A., & Müller, D. (2024). SWECA: High-resolution daily Snow Water Equivalent estimates for Mountainous Central Asia (1979–2016) (1.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10459973
10 Must Knows from Biodiversity Science
In the 10 Must Knows from Biodiversity Science 45 scientists present facts about biodiversity in a well-founded and generally intelligible way. They analyze the complex systems of the earth by highlighting ten key areas, each of which, in turn, is inextricably linked to all the others. And they show ways to stop the continued loss of species diversity and ecosystems, and to promote biodiversity. The underlying aim is to provide policy-makers and society with scientifically validated assessments of the latest knowledge to facilitate improved policy decisions and action at local, regional, national and global levels, in order to conserve the diversity of life – biodiversity.
Access the report on https://zenodo.org/records/6257527
Thonicke, K., E. Rahner, A. Arneth, A. Bonn, N. Borchard, A. Chaudhary, M. Darbi, T. Dutta, U. Eberle, N. Eisenhauer, N. Farwig, CG Flocco, J. Freitag, P. Grobe, R. Grosch, HP Grossart, A. Grosse, K. Grützmacher, N. Hagemann, B. Hansjürgens, A. Hartman Scholz, C. Hassenrück, C. Häuser, T. Hickler, F. Hölker, U. Jacob, S. Jähnig, K. Jürgens, S. Kramer-Schadt, C. Kretsch, C. Krug, JP Lindner, L. Loft, C. Mann, B. Matzdorf, M. Mehring, R. Meier, K . Meusemann, D. Müller, M. Nieberg, J. Overmann, RS Peters, L. Pörtner, P. Pradhan, A. Prochnow, V. Rduch, C. Reyer, C. Roos, C. Scherber, N. Scheunemann, S . Schroer, A. Schuck, GB Sioen, S. Sommer, N. Sommerwerk, F. Tanneberger, K. Tockner, H. van der Voort, T. Veenstra, P. Verburg, M. Voss, B. Warner, W. Wende & K. Wesche. 2024. 10 must-knows from biodiversity research 2024. Leibniz Research Network Biodiversity. 10.5281/zenodo.10794362
Greenhouse gas inventory for Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) for Kosovo
Daniel Müller and Florian Schierhorn, together with colleagues from the University of Pristina and the German Economic Team of Berlin Economics, conducted a greenhouse gas inventory for Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) for Kosovo, as part of Kosovo's National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP). The AFOLU-projections indicate that AFOLU can provide a sink of 407 Gg CO2eq by 2030 if existing policy plans are implemented. The sink can enhance to 1,045 Gg CO2eq with more ambitious policies, mainly thanks to reduced pressure and enhanced regrowth of forests. The AFOLU sector can therefore substantially contribute to Kosovo's emission reduction targets.
Climate analyses for agriculture in Armenia and Azerbaijan
On behalf of the German Sparkassenstiftung for International Cooperation, we conducted a study on historical and future climatic changes in Armenia and Azerbaijan and their impact on yields of selected crops. For this purpose, we analyzed yield statistics, climate models and phenological observations using machine learning methods.
The results show that climate and weather have already had a strong influence on local yield levels in recent decades, and that without agronomic adaptation measures, further production losses are likely in the future. The results and recommendations of the study will contribute to the development of a risk management tool to be applied in both countries as part of training concepts to inform smallholder farmers about the risks of climate change and to show them appropriate adaptation options.
The complete reports are available as PDFs below. We also summarized the results as interactive maps under the following links:
Country reports on GHG mitigation ad climate adaptation for focal countries of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL)
Dr. Florian Schierhorn and Prof. Daniel Müller provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge on the effects of climate-friendly production processes and climate adaptation measures. The focus of the literature review is on 13 priority regions of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).
