Linking carbon and water fluxes in trees to the soil and atmosphere using in-situ NMR and ecohydrological sensor cluster (A02)

• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems ; Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management ; Measurement Systems ; Microsystems
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 459819582

A2.1 Ecohydrological fluxes and processes within a mixed forest ecosystem We will address ecohydrological fluxes and processes in heterogeneous forest patches investigating dynamics and spatial patterns in root water uptake, tree sap flow and phloem carbon isotopes, its feedbacks on spatio-temporal soil moisture variability and heterogeneity, and how this, in turn, affects tree water use efficiency and phloem sugar transport. We aim to trace water and carbon fluxes in trees and sharpen our picture of biotic controls.A2.2 In situ flow-MRI and NMR to measure water and phloem sap flowWe will develop a fully novel methodology through compact Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) / Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) sensors based on permanent magnets attached to small sized branches. They will allow for in situ imaging of the H2O fluxes without interfering with the branch, and NMR analysis of xylem and phloem sap flows. Continuous in situ phloem sap NMR measurements will allow a new dimension of quantifying integrated carbon transport in trees.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1537: ECOSENSE – Multiscale quantification of spatio-temporal dynamics of ecosys-tem processes by smart autonomous sensor networks
• Applicant Institution: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
• Project Heads: Dr.-Ing. Mazin Jouda, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Jan Gerrit Korvink; Professor Dr. Markus Weiler; Professorin Dr. Christiane Werner