Gunnhild Søgaard
Head of Department/Head of Research
Biography
Doctoral degree from NMBU focused on climate adaptation in trees (2008) and has since 2009 worked on various climate-related projects at NIBIO. The projects have ranged from bioenergy to various projects related to climate responses in trees. Since 2012, the main focus has been on greenhouse gas accounting for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) and climate mitigation measures in forestry and other land use.
Has since 2012 led and been responsible for the group working on the national greenhouse gas inventory for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) under the UN Climate Convention in NIBIO. Has over the years led or contributed to work connected to the GHG inventory for the LULUCF sector in several different contexts, such as projections for the sector, methodology improvements, development of municipal GHG inventories, importance of the LULUCF sector in national policy, implications of European Green Deal, and more.
Has a professional background primarily in forestry and has worked extensively with climate mitigation measures in forestry. Has led the work with several assessment studies performed at NIBIO, e.g. knowledge base for Lavutslippssamfunnet 2050 and Klimakur2030.
Authors
Alice Budai Daniel Rasse Thomas Cottis Erik J. Joner Vegard Martinsen Adam O'Toole Hugh Riley Synnøve Rivedal Ievina Sturite Gunnhild Søgaard Simon Weldon Samson ØpstadAbstract
Carbon content is a key property of soils with importance for all ecosystem functions. Measures to increase soil carbon storage are suggested with the aim to compensate for agricultural emissions. In Norway, where soils have relatively high carbon content because of the cold climate, adapting management practices that prevent the loss of carbon to the atmosphere in response to climate change is also important. This work presents an overview of the potential for carbon sequestration in Norway from a wide range of agricultural management practices and provides recommendations based on certainty in the reported potential, availability of the technology, and likelihood for implementation by farmers. In light of the high priority assigned to increased food production and degree of self-sufficiency in Norway, the following measures were considered: (1) utilization of organic resources, (2) use of biochar, (3) crop diversification and the use of cover crops, (4) use of plants with larger and deeper root systems, (5) improved management of meadows, (6) adaptive grazing of productive grasslands (7) managing grazing in extensive grasslands, (8) altered tillage practices, and (9) inversion of cultivated peat with mineral soil. From the options assessed, the use of cover crops scored well on all criteria evaluated, with a higher sequestration potential than previously estimated (0.2 Mt CO2-equivalents annually). Biochar has the largest potential in Norway (0.9 Mt CO2-equivalents annually, corresponding to 20% of Norwegian agricultural emissions and 2% of total national emissions), but its readiness level is not yet achieved despite interest from industry to apply this technology at large scale. Extensive grazing and the use of deep-rooted plants also have the potential for increasing carbon storage, but there is uncertainty regarding their implementation and the quantification of effects from adapting these measures. Based on the complexities of implementation and the expected impacts within a Norwegian context, promising options with substantial payoff are few. This work sheds light on the knowledge gaps remaining before the presented measures can be implemented.
Abstract
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Authors
Gunnhild SøgaardAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Division of Forest and Forest Resources
DEAL - Governing under turbulence: The European Green Deal and implications for Norway
In DEAL, we want to find out whether the comprehensive strategy, the EU's Green Deal, is causing turbulence in the political processes taking place in the EU, and possibly how. We will also see if turbulence outside the EU affects decisions around the EU's Green Deal, as well as investigate how this affects both member states and non-member states.
Division of Forest and Forest Resources
Tier 3 modelling of carbon stock change in cropland mineral soil
The primary objective of the Tier 3 project is to enable the implementation of at Tier 3 methodology for carbon stock change in cropland mineral soil in the national GHG accounting under the UNFCCC. This includes both developing a Tier 3 methodology based on a modeling approach and verification of such an approach for use on the national level.
Division of Forest and Forest Resources
EU Climate Policy Implications for Land Use in Norway: Managing Trade-offs and Achieving Policy Coherence (ClimaLand)
The ClimaLand project will investigate trade-offs between policy goals, governance levels, and sector interests, and seek to identify how to design more coherent climate and land-use policies. An important objective is to investigate how conflicting policy goals can be handled and various considerations and land-use interests balanced.
Division of Forest and Forest Resources
Implications for Norwegian forestry of the EU 's Green Deal
The purpose of the project is to map, identify, and analyze implications for the forestry sector of the EU's Green Deal (European Green Deal, EGD), as well as to communicate this knowledge.