Chuixiang Yi et al., Environ. Res. Lett., 5 (July-Sept. 2010), Climate control of terrestrial carbon exchange across biomes and continents

Environonmental Research Letters, 5 (July-September 2010) 034007; doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/5/3/034007

Climate control of terrestrial carbon exchange across biomes and continents

Chuixiang Yi and 149 other authors

Abstract

Understanding the relationships between climate and carbon exchange by terrestrial ecosystems is critical to predict future levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide because of the potential accelerating effects of positive climate–carbon cycle feedbacks. However, directly observed relationships between climate and terrestrial CO₂ exchange with the atmosphere across biomes and continents are lacking. Here we present data describing the relationships between net ecosystem exchange of carbon (NEE) and climate factors as measured using the eddy covariance method at 125 unique sites in various ecosystems over six continents with a total of 559 site-years. We find that NEE observed at eddy covariance sites is: (1) a strong function of mean annual temperature at mid- and high-latitudes, (2) a strong function of dryness at mid- and low-latitudes, and (3) a function of both temperature and dryness around the mid-latitudinal belt (45° N). The sensitivity of NEE to mean annual temperature breaks down at  ~  16 °C (a threshold value of mean annual temperature), above which no further increase of CO₂ uptake with temperature was observed and dryness influence overrules temperature influence.

Full paper available at link below.

Link:  http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/5/3/034007/fulltext