Factors Controlling Long- and Short-Term Sequestration of Atmospheric CO2in a Mid-Latitude Forest

Net uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) measured by eddy covariance in a 60- to 80-year-old forest averaged 2.0 ± 0.4 megagrams of carbon per hectare per year during 1993 to 2000, with interannual variations exceeding 50%. Biometry indicated storage of 1.6 ± 0.4 megagrams of carbon per hectare per year o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2001-11, Vol.294 (5547), p.1688-1691
Main Authors: Barford, Carol C., Wofsy, Steven C., Goulden, Michael L., Munger, J. William, Pyle, Elizabeth Hammond, Urbanski, Shawn P., Hutyra, Lucy, Saleska, Scott R., Fitzjarrald, David, Moore, Kathleen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biometrics
Carbon dioxide
Carbon sequestration
Climate models
Coarse woody debris
Forest ecosystems
Forest soils
Mortality
Net ecosystem exchange
Trees
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Summary:Net uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) measured by eddy covariance in a 60- to 80-year-old forest averaged 2.0 ± 0.4 megagrams of carbon per hectare per year during 1993 to 2000, with interannual variations exceeding 50%. Biometry indicated storage of 1.6 ± 0.4 megagrams of carbon per hectare per year over 8 years, 60% in live biomass and the balance in coarse woody debris and soils, confirming eddy-covariance results. Weather and seasonal climate (e.g., variations in growing-season length or cloudiness) regulated seasonal and interannual fluctuations of carbon uptake. Legacies of prior disturbance and management, especially stand age and composition, controlled carbon uptake on the decadal time scale, implying that eastern forests could be managed for sequestration of carbon.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203