scholarly journals Ecosystem carbon transit versus turnover times in response to climate warming and rising atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentration

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingjie Lu ◽  
Ying-Ping Wang ◽  
Yiqi Luo ◽  
Lifen Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Transit Time ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Age Structure ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Turnover Time ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon ◽  
Subsequent Decrease ◽  
Modeling Analysis ◽  
Diagnostic Time

Abstract. Ecosystem carbon (C) transit time is a critical diagnostic parameter to characterize land C sequestration. This parameter has different variants in literatures, including a commonly used turnover time. However, neither of them has been carefully examined under transient C dynamics in response to climate change. In this study, we estimated both C turnover time as defined by the conventional stock-over-flux (i.e., Olson method) and mean C transit time as defined by the mean age of C mass leaving the system (i.e., Rasmussen method). We incorporated them into Community Atmosphere-Biosphere-Land Exchange model (CABLE) to estimate C turnover time and transit time, respectively, in response to climate warming and rising atmospheric [CO2]. Modeling analysis showed that both C turnover time and transit time increased with climate warming but decreased with rising atmospheric [CO2]. The increase of C turnover time with warming was estimated to be 2.4 years with Olson method whereas the transit time increased by 11.8 years with Rasmussen method. The decrease with rising atmospheric [CO2] was estimated to be 3.8 years with Olson method and 5.5 years with Rasmussen method. Our analysis based on Rasmussen method showed that 65 % of the increase in global mean C transit time with climate warming results from the depletion of fast-turnover C pool. The remaining 35 % increase results from accompanied changes in compartment C age structures. Similarly, the decrease in mean C transit time with rising atmospheric [CO2] results approximately equally from replenishment of C into fast-turnover C pool and subsequent decrease in compartment C age structure. Greatly different from the Rasmussen method, the Olsen method, which does not account for changes in either C age structure or composition of respired C, underestimated impacts of either warming or rising atmospheric [CO2] on C diagnostic time and potentially lead to biases in estimating land C sequestration.

scholarly journals Ecosystem carbon transit versus turnover times in response to climate warming and rising atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentration

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (21) ◽  
pp. 6559-6572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingjie Lu ◽  
Ying-Ping Wang ◽  
Yiqi Luo ◽  
Lifen Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Transit Time ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Age Structure ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Turnover Time ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon ◽  
Subsequent Decrease ◽  
Diagnostic Time

Abstract. Ecosystem carbon (C) transit time is a critical diagnostic parameter to characterize land C sequestration. This parameter has different variants in the literature, including a commonly used turnover time. However, we know little about how different transit time and turnover time are in representing carbon cycling through multiple compartments under a non-steady state. In this study, we estimate both C turnover time as defined by the conventional stock over flux and mean C transit time as defined by the mean age of C mass leaving the system. We incorporate them into the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE) model to estimate C turnover time and transit time in response to climate warming and rising atmospheric [CO2]. Modelling analysis shows that both C turnover time and transit time increase with climate warming but decrease with rising atmospheric [CO2]. Warming increases C turnover time by 2.4 years and transit time by 11.8 years in 2100 relative to that at steady state in 1901. During the same period, rising atmospheric [CO2] decreases C turnover time by 3.8 years and transit time by 5.5 years. Our analysis shows that 65 % of the increase in global mean C transit time with climate warming results from the depletion of fast-turnover C pool. The remaining 35 % increase results from accompanied changes in compartment C age structures. Similarly, the decrease in mean C transit time with rising atmospheric [CO2] results approximately equally from replenishment of C into fast-turnover C pool and subsequent decrease in compartment C age structure. Greatly different from the transit time, the turnover time, which does not account for changes in either C age structure or composition of respired C, underestimated impacts of warming and rising atmospheric [CO2] on C diagnostic time and potentially led to deviations in estimating land C sequestration in multi-compartmental ecosystems.

scholarly journals Observation Based Budget and Lifetime of Excess Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen E. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Compartment Model ◽  
Turnover Time ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Terrestrial Biosphere ◽  
Subsequent Decrease ◽  
Tightly Coupled

Abstract. The global budgets of CO2 and of excess CO2 (i.e., above preindustrial) in the biogeosphere are examined by a top-down, observationally constrained approach. Global stocks in the atmosphere, mixed-layer and deep ocean, and labile and obdurate terrestrial biosphere, and fluxes between them are quantified; total uptake of carbon by the terrestrial biosphere is constrained by observations, but apportionment to the two terrestrial compartments is only weakly constrained, requiring examination of sensitivity to this apportionment. Because of near equilibrium between the atmosphere and the mixed-layer ocean and near steady state between the atmosphere and the labile biosphere, these three compartments are tightly coupled. For best-estimate present-day anthropogenic emissions the turnover time of excess carbon in these compartments to the deep ocean and obdurate biosphere is 67 to 158 years. Atmospheric CO2 over the Anthropocene is accurately represented by a five-compartment model with four independent parameters: two universal geophysical quantities and two, specific to CO2, treated as variable. The model also accurately represents atmospheric radiocarbon, particularly the large increase due to atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons and the subsequent decrease. The adjustment time of excess atmospheric CO2, evaluated from the rate of decrease following abrupt cessation of emissions, is 78 to 140 years, consistent with the turnover time, approaching a long-time floor of 15–20 % of the value at the time of cessation. The lifetime of excess CO2 found here, several-fold shorter than estimates from current carbon-cycle models, indicates that cessation of anthropogenic emissions atmospheric would result in substantial recovery of CO2 toward its preindustrial value in less than a century.

scholarly journals Determination of the carbon budget of a pasture: effect of system boundaries and flux uncertainties

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2959-2969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael Felber ◽  
Daniel Bretscher ◽  
Andreas Münger ◽  
Albrecht Neftel ◽  
Christof Ammann
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Budget ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Co2 Exchange ◽  
System Boundaries ◽  
Simultaneous Application ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon ◽  
Eddy Covariance Measurements

Abstract. Carbon (C) sequestration in the soil is considered as a potential important mechanism to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the agricultural sector. It can be quantified by the net ecosystem carbon budget (NECB) describing the change of soil C as the sum of all relevant import and export fluxes. NECB was investigated here in detail for an intensively grazed dairy pasture in Switzerland. Two budget approaches with different system boundaries were applied: NECBtot for system boundaries including the grazing cows and NECBpast for system boundaries excluding the cows. CO2 and CH4 exchange induced by soil/vegetation processes as well as direct emissions by the animals were derived from eddy covariance measurements. Other C fluxes were either measured (milk yield, concentrate feeding) or derived based on animal performance data (intake, excreta). For the investigated year, both approaches resulted in a small near-neutral C budget: NECBtot −27 ± 62 and NECBpast 23 ± 76 g C m−2 yr−1. The considerable uncertainties, depending on the approach, were mainly due to errors in the CO2 exchange or in the animal-related fluxes. The comparison of the NECB results with the annual exchange of other GHG revealed CH4 emissions from the cows to be the major contributor in terms of CO2 equivalents, but with much lower uncertainty compared to NECB. Although only 1 year of data limit the representativeness of the carbon budget results, they demonstrate the important contribution of the non-CO2 fluxes depending on the chosen system boundaries and the effect of their propagated uncertainty in an exemplary way. The simultaneous application and comparison of both NECB approaches provides a useful consistency check for the carbon budget determination and can help to identify and eliminate systematic errors.

Acclimation of photosynthesis, respiration and ecosystem carbon flux of a wetland on Chesapeake Bay, Maryland to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration

1995 ◽  
Vol 187 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bert G. Drake ◽  
Melanie S. Muehe ◽  
Gary Peresta ◽  
Miquel A. Gonz�lez-Meler ◽  
Roger Matamala
Keyword(s):  
Chesapeake Bay ◽  
Carbon Flux ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Elevated Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 Concentration ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon

scholarly journals Promotion of ecosystem carbon sequestration by invasive predators

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 479-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A Wardle ◽  
Peter J Bellingham ◽  
Tadashi Fukami ◽  
Christa P.H Mulder
Keyword(s):  
Global Change ◽  
Major Element ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Worldwide Distribution ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon ◽  
Invasive Predators ◽  
Below Ground

Despite recent interest in understanding the effects of human-induced global change on carbon (C) storage in terrestrial ecosystems, most studies have overlooked the influence of a major element of global change, namely biological invasions. We quantified ecosystem C storage, both above- and below-ground, on each of 18 islands off the coast of New Zealand. Some islands support high densities of nesting seabirds, while others have been invaded by predatory rats and host few seabirds. Our results show that, by preying upon seabirds, rats have indirectly enhanced C sequestration in live plant biomass by 104%, reduced C sequestration in non-living pools by 26% and increased total ecosystem C storage by 37%. Given the current worldwide distribution of rats and other invasive predatory mammals, and the consequent disappearance of seabird colonies, these predators may be important determinants of ecosystem C sequestration.

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