Climate Change Impacts on Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum by Himanshu Pathak

This book explores the interaction between climate change phenomena and the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum (SPAC), which inspects the crucial role of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in modifying the net ecosystem response towards the modified environment. Increasing concentration of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) from massive deforestation, fossil fuel burning and rapid industrialization in the post-nineteenth century have led to adverse changes in our global climate system. The book evaluates the net impact of climate change on soil, plants and the atmosphere individually and in totality. Among the topics it covers are the impact of climate change on soil environment which encompasses soil processes, nutrient cycling, soil carbon sequestration, soil biota response and soil health management. Also included are the impact on plants with respect to the dry matter assimilation pattern, modification in resource use efficiency, rhizosphere interactions, management of biotic and abiotic stress factors, and regulatory mechanisms of biotic stress factors in modifying the net agroecosystem response towards climate change. Moreover, potential genetic engineering options for establishing C4 or Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in C3 plants, heat–drought stress on pollen biology, breeding ideotype, ecological indicators and crop simulation modelling are considered. Lastly, the impact on the atmosphere takes into account greenhouse gas measurements, mitigation options, eddy covariance measurement of greenhouse gasses, satellite-based monitoring, ecosystem services, abiotic stress management options, air pollution and atmospheric modelling. This book is a valuable resource for researchers, students and policymakers in understanding climate change impacts on interaction processes among the atmosphere, soil and plants from the local to regional scales.