The GLANCE (AGricultural Land AbandoNment and ClimatE change) project explores the socio-ecohydrological connections between people, water, and forests in the Mediterranean region. It examines how agricultural land abandonment and climate change have influenced forest carbon dynamics, as well as water and energy cycles. By leveraging satellite-derived climate data records from the ESA Climate Change Initiative (ESA CCI), the project aims to uncover these impacts.

The main objective of GLANCE is to use satellite-based Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) from the ESA CCI to assess the effects of climate change and land abandonment on Mediterranean forest expansion, carbon fluxes, and hydrological processes. The three key research questions of the project are:

  • How much, where, and what types of Mediterranean forests have expanded over the past decades?
  • What are the impacts of forest expansion—driven by land abandonment and climate change—on water, energy, and carbon cycles, particularly during major drought events?
  • How sensitive are key hydrological and ecological variables (such as runoff, groundwater recharge, evaporation, net and gross primary productivity, and water use efficiency) to changes in forest cover resulting from land abandonment and climate change?
Schematic overview of the GLANCE project

Funding

European Space Agency (ESA)

Project duration

October 2024 – October 2027

Partners

CNR, CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE (CNR-IRPI) (IT), opens an external URL in a new window
POLITECNICO DI MILANO (POLIMI) (IT), opens an external URL in a new window
Ghent University (UGhent) (BE), opens an external URL in a new window
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC -IPE), Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (ES), opens an external URL in a new window

CLIMERS role

  1. Fit-for-purpose analysis:
    Evaluation of the consistency and quality of the datasets used for studying the carbon cycle, precipitation, snow, groundwater recharge, runoff, energy cycle, evaporation, and forest cover changes.
  2. Generation of a new Gross Primary Production (GPP) dataset:
    Development of a new GPP dataset spanning at least 30 years for the Mediterranean region, utilizing an improved version of the VODCA2GPP model designed for this project.
  3. Uncertainty analysis and validation of the new GPP dataset:
    Using (i) collected benchmark data from the GLANCE database, (ii) error propagation techniques (e.g., Montecarlo approaches), Triple Collocation techniques and iii) cross- comparison among the existing observational products and reanalyses.
  4. Analysis of GPP evolution:
    Investigate the evolution of GPP in relation to forest cover changes, climatic conditions, and other socio-ecohydrological factors.

CLIMERS staff involved

Wouter Dorigo, opens an external URL in a new window
Pierre Laluet, opens an external URL in a new window
Ruxandra Zotta, opens an external URL in a new window
Moritz Müller, opens an external URL in a new window