Isoprene emission from terrestrial ecosystems in response to global change: minding the gap between models and observations

Coupled surface-atmosphere models are being used with increased frequency to make predictions of tropospheric chemistry on a 'future' earth characterized by a warmer climate and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration. One of the key inputs to these models is the emission of isoprene from f...

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Published in:Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences physical, and engineering sciences, 2007-07, Vol.365 (1856), p.1677-1695
Main Authors: Monson, Russell K, Trahan, Nicole, Rosenstiel, Todd N, Veres, Patrick, Moore, David, Wilkinson, Michael, Norby, Richard J, Volder, Astrid, Tjoelker, Mark G, Briske, David D, Karnosky, David F, Fall, Ray
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
2-methyl-1
2-Methyl-1,3-Butadiene
3-butadiene
Air Pollution
Atmosphere
Atmospheric models
Atmospherics
Butadienes
Climate change
Climate models
Drought
Ecosystem
Global environmental change
Greenhouse Effect
Hemiterpenes
Hydrocarbon
Leaves
Models, Theoretical
Net Primary Productivity
Pentanes
Pollutant emissions
Precipitation
Temperature
Trees
United States
Volatile Organic Compound
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Summary:Coupled surface-atmosphere models are being used with increased frequency to make predictions of tropospheric chemistry on a 'future' earth characterized by a warmer climate and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration. One of the key inputs to these models is the emission of isoprene from forest ecosystems. Most models in current use rely on a scheme by which global change is coupled to changes in terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP) which, in turn, is coupled to changes in the magnitude of isoprene emissions. In this study, we conducted measurements of isoprene emissions at three prominent global change experiments in the United States. Our results showed that growth in an atmosphere of elevated CO2 inhibited the emission of isoprene at levels that completely compensate for possible increases in emission due to increases in aboveground NPP. Exposure to a prolonged drought caused leaves to increase their isoprene emissions despite reductions in photosynthesis, and presumably NPP. Thus, the current generation of models intended to predict the response of isoprene emission to future global change probably contain large errors. A framework is offered as a foundation for constructing new isoprene emission models based on the responses of leaf biochemistry to future climate change and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
ISSN:1364-503X
1471-2962
DOI:10.1098/rsta.2007.2038