Learning outcomes

By the end of this unit you should:

  • have gained an understanding of the debated and projected scenarios of climate change;

  • have gained an understanding from research of the impact of elevated CO2 on leaf and root growth;

  • have learned about the possible impact of elevated CO2 and high temperatures on field growth crops, e.g. spring wheat, in terms of above and below ground biomass;

  • be able to determine possible seasonal responses to the effect of elevated CO2 and temperature with reference to perennial ryegrass;

  • understand what impact episodes of high temperature and drought might have on crops under conditions of future climate change, with reference to seed yield in soybean;

  • have developed an understanding about which stages of crop development are particularly susceptible to climatic extremes and what scientists are doing to determine future responses.

1 The greenhouse effect and climatic extremes