Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Climate-fire interactions and Savanna ecosystems : A dynamic vegetation modeling study for the African Continent

Arneth, Almut LU ; Lehsten, Veiko LU ; Thonicke, Kirsten and Spessa, Allan (2010) p.463-478
Abstract

Savannas are inherently “disturbed” ecosystems, but the regularly recurring disruptions play such a fundamental ecological role (Scholes and Archer, 1997) that “episodic events” rather than “disturbance” may the more apt terminology. From an atmospheric perspective, fire is the most significant of these episodic events. Fires shape community species composition; tree to grass ratio and nutrient redistribution; and biosphere-atmosphere exchange of trace gases, aerosols, momentum, and energy. Savannas’ estimated mean NPP of 7.2 ± 2.0 t C ha-1 year-1 amounts to nearly two thirds of tropical forest NPP (Grace et al., 2006); but remarkably little is known about Savanna net carbon balance, especially for the African continent (Williams et... (More)

Savannas are inherently “disturbed” ecosystems, but the regularly recurring disruptions play such a fundamental ecological role (Scholes and Archer, 1997) that “episodic events” rather than “disturbance” may the more apt terminology. From an atmospheric perspective, fire is the most significant of these episodic events. Fires shape community species composition; tree to grass ratio and nutrient redistribution; and biosphere-atmosphere exchange of trace gases, aerosols, momentum, and energy. Savannas’ estimated mean NPP of 7.2 ± 2.0 t C ha-1 year-1 amounts to nearly two thirds of tropical forest NPP (Grace et al., 2006); but remarkably little is known about Savanna net carbon balance, especially for the African continent (Williams et al., 2007). In the absence of transient changes in the fire regime, such as could be introduced by climate change or fire-driven changes in land cover, Savanna fires do not affect average annual net carbon uptake much, as the carbon released.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Ecosystem Function in Savannas : Measurement and Modeling at Landscape to Global Scales - Measurement and Modeling at Landscape to Global Scales
pages
16 pages
publisher
CRC Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:77953602450
ISBN
9781439804711
9781439804704
DOI
10.1201/b10275
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
91ad9a3c-2c98-47ae-a339-1663522f03a3
date added to LUP
2019-03-06 14:50:39
date last changed
2025-01-09 03:34:15
@inbook{91ad9a3c-2c98-47ae-a339-1663522f03a3,
  abstract     = {{<p>Savannas are inherently “disturbed” ecosystems, but the regularly recurring disruptions play such a fundamental ecological role (Scholes and Archer, 1997) that “episodic events” rather than “disturbance” may the more apt terminology. From an atmospheric perspective, fire is the most significant of these episodic events. Fires shape community species composition; tree to grass ratio and nutrient redistribution; and biosphere-atmosphere exchange of trace gases, aerosols, momentum, and energy. Savannas’ estimated mean NPP of 7.2 ± 2.0 t C ha-1 year-1 amounts to nearly two thirds of tropical forest NPP (Grace et al., 2006); but remarkably little is known about Savanna net carbon balance, especially for the African continent (Williams et al., 2007). In the absence of transient changes in the fire regime, such as could be introduced by climate change or fire-driven changes in land cover, Savanna fires do not affect average annual net carbon uptake much, as the carbon released.</p>}},
  author       = {{Arneth, Almut and Lehsten, Veiko and Thonicke, Kirsten and Spessa, Allan}},
  booktitle    = {{Ecosystem Function in Savannas : Measurement and Modeling at Landscape to Global Scales}},
  isbn         = {{9781439804711}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  pages        = {{463--478}},
  publisher    = {{CRC Press}},
  title        = {{Climate-fire interactions and Savanna ecosystems : A dynamic vegetation modeling study for the African Continent}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/b10275}},
  doi          = {{10.1201/b10275}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}