Increase in gross primary production of boreal forests balanced out by increase in ecosystem respiration
(2024) In Remote Sensing of Environment 313. p.114376-114376- Abstract
- Changes in the net carbon sink of boreal forests constitute a major source of uncertainty in the future global carbon budget and, hence, climate change projections. The annual net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) controlling the terrestrial carbon stock results from the small difference between respiratory CO2 release and the photosynthetic CO2 uptake by vegetation. The boreal forest, and the boreal biome in general, is regarded as a persistent and even increasing net carbon sink. However, decreases in photosynthetic CO2 uptake and/or concurrent increases in respiratory CO2 release under a changing climate may turn boreal forests from a net sink to a net source of CO2. Here, we assessed the interannual variability of the boreal... (More)
- Changes in the net carbon sink of boreal forests constitute a major source of uncertainty in the future global carbon budget and, hence, climate change projections. The annual net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) controlling the terrestrial carbon stock results from the small difference between respiratory CO2 release and the photosynthetic CO2 uptake by vegetation. The boreal forest, and the boreal biome in general, is regarded as a persistent and even increasing net carbon sink. However, decreases in photosynthetic CO2 uptake and/or concurrent increases in respiratory CO2 release under a changing climate may turn boreal forests from a net sink to a net source of CO2. Here, we assessed the interannual variability of the boreal forest net CO2 sink-source strength and its two component fluxes from 1981 to 2018. Our remote sensing approach - trained by net CO2 flux observations at eddy covariance sites across the circumpolar boreal forests - employs satellite-derived retrievals of snowmelt timing, landscape freeze-thaw status, and yearly maximum estimates of the normalized difference vegetation index as a proxy for peak vegetation productivity. Our results suggest that for the period 2000–2018, the mean annual evergreen boreal forest CO2 photosynthetic uptake (gross primary productivity) was 0.2 Pg C y−1 (0.1 Pg C y−1 for Eurasia and 0.1 Pg C y−1 for North America). In contrast to earlier studies results obtained here do not indicate a clear increasing trend in the circumpolar evergreen boreal forest CO2 sink. The increase in photosynthetic CO2 uptake is compensated by increasing respiratory releases with both component fluxes showing considerable interannual variabilities. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/3b181b07-3130-4249-9fad-aab72696eff9
- author
- Pulliainen, Jouni
; Aurela, Mika
; Aalto, Tuula
; Böttcher, Kristin
; Cohen, Juval
; Derksen, Chris
; Heimann, Martin
; Helbig, Manuel
; Kolari, Pasi
; Kontu, Anna
; Krasnova, Alisa
; Launiainen, Samuli
; Lemmetyinen, Juha
; Lindqvist, Hannakaisa
; Lindroth, Anders
LU
; Lohila, Annalea
; Luojus, Kari
; Mammarella, Ivan
; Markkanen, Tiina
; Nevala, Elma
; Noe, Steffen
; Peichl, Matthias
; Pumpanen, Jukka
; Rautiainen, Kimmo
; Salminen, Miia
; Sonnentag, Oliver
LU
; Takala, Matias
; Thum, Tea
; Vesala, Timo
and Vestin, Patrik
LU
(Less) - organization
- publishing date
- 2024-11-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Remote sensing of boreal forests, Remote sensing of cryosphere, Carbon balance, Eddy covariance, Passive microwave remote sensing, Carbon sink
- in
- Remote Sensing of Environment
- volume
- 313
- pages
- 114376 - 114376
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85201920227
- ISSN
- 0034-4257
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.rse.2024.114376
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 3b181b07-3130-4249-9fad-aab72696eff9
- date added to LUP
- 2024-08-29 16:03:35
- date last changed
- 2024-08-30 15:03:58
@article{3b181b07-3130-4249-9fad-aab72696eff9,
abstract = {{Changes in the net carbon sink of boreal forests constitute a major source of uncertainty in the future global carbon budget and, hence, climate change projections. The annual net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) controlling the terrestrial carbon stock results from the small difference between respiratory CO2 release and the photosynthetic CO2 uptake by vegetation. The boreal forest, and the boreal biome in general, is regarded as a persistent and even increasing net carbon sink. However, decreases in photosynthetic CO2 uptake and/or concurrent increases in respiratory CO2 release under a changing climate may turn boreal forests from a net sink to a net source of CO2. Here, we assessed the interannual variability of the boreal forest net CO2 sink-source strength and its two component fluxes from 1981 to 2018. Our remote sensing approach - trained by net CO2 flux observations at eddy covariance sites across the circumpolar boreal forests - employs satellite-derived retrievals of snowmelt timing, landscape freeze-thaw status, and yearly maximum estimates of the normalized difference vegetation index as a proxy for peak vegetation productivity. Our results suggest that for the period 2000–2018, the mean annual evergreen boreal forest CO2 photosynthetic uptake (gross primary productivity) was 0.2 Pg C y−1 (0.1 Pg C y−1 for Eurasia and 0.1 Pg C y−1 for North America). In contrast to earlier studies results obtained here do not indicate a clear increasing trend in the circumpolar evergreen boreal forest CO2 sink. The increase in photosynthetic CO2 uptake is compensated by increasing respiratory releases with both component fluxes showing considerable interannual variabilities.}},
author = {{Pulliainen, Jouni and Aurela, Mika and Aalto, Tuula and Böttcher, Kristin and Cohen, Juval and Derksen, Chris and Heimann, Martin and Helbig, Manuel and Kolari, Pasi and Kontu, Anna and Krasnova, Alisa and Launiainen, Samuli and Lemmetyinen, Juha and Lindqvist, Hannakaisa and Lindroth, Anders and Lohila, Annalea and Luojus, Kari and Mammarella, Ivan and Markkanen, Tiina and Nevala, Elma and Noe, Steffen and Peichl, Matthias and Pumpanen, Jukka and Rautiainen, Kimmo and Salminen, Miia and Sonnentag, Oliver and Takala, Matias and Thum, Tea and Vesala, Timo and Vestin, Patrik}},
issn = {{0034-4257}},
keywords = {{Remote sensing of boreal forests; Remote sensing of cryosphere; Carbon balance; Eddy covariance; Passive microwave remote sensing; Carbon sink}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{11}},
pages = {{114376--114376}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Remote Sensing of Environment}},
title = {{Increase in gross primary production of boreal forests balanced out by increase in ecosystem respiration}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2024.114376}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.rse.2024.114376}},
volume = {{313}},
year = {{2024}},
}