Abstract
Carbon exchange between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere is one of the key processes that need to be assessed in the context of the Kyoto Protocol1. Several studies suggest that the terrestrial biosphere is gaining carbon2,3,4,5,6,7,8, but these estimates are obtained primarily by indirect methods, and the factors that control terrestrial carbon exchange, its magnitude and primary locations, are under debate. Here we present data of net ecosystem carbon exchange, collected between 1996 and 1998 from 15 European forests, which confirm that many European forest ecosystems act as carbon sinks. The annual carbon balances range from an uptake of 6.6 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year to a release of nearly 1 t C ha-1 yr-1, with a large variability between forests. The data show a significant increase of carbon uptake with decreasing latitude, whereas the gross primary production seems to be largely independent of latitude. Our observations indicate that, in general, ecosystem respiration determines net ecosystem carbon exchange. Also, for an accurate assessment of the carbon balance in a particular forest ecosystem, remote sensing of the normalized difference vegetation index or estimates based on forest inventories may not be sufficient.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
IGBP Terrestrial carbon working group. The terrestrial carbon cycle: implications for the Kyoto protocol. Science 280, 1393â1394 ( 1998).
Dixon,R. K. et al. Carbon pools and flux of global forest ecosystems. Science 263, 185â190 ( 1994).
Nabuurs,G. J., Pavinen,R., Sikkema,R. & Mohren,G. M. J. The role of European forests in the global carbon cycle â a review. Biomass Bioenergy 13, 345â358 (1997).
Kauppi,P. E., Mielikäinen,K. & Kuusela, K. Biomass and carbon budget of European forests, 1971 to 1990. Science 256, 70â 74 (1992).
Ciais,P., Tans,P. P., Trolier,M., White,J. W. C. & Francey, R. J. A large northern hemisphere terrestrial CO2 sink indicated by 13C/12C ratio of atmospheric CO2. Science 269, 1098â 1102 (1995).
Denning,A. S., Fung,I. Y. & Randall, D. Latitudinal gradient of atmospheric CO2 due to seasonal exchange with the land biota. Nature 376 , 240â243 (1995).
Fan,S. et al. A large terrestrial carbon sink in North America implied by atmospheric and oceanic carbon dioxide data and models. Science 282, 442â446 (1998).
Myneni,R. B., Keeling,C. D., Tucker,C. J., Asrar,G. & Nemani,R. R. Increased plant growth in the northern high latitudes from 1981 to 1991. Nature 386, 698â702 (1997).
Lindroth,A., Grelle,A. & Morén, A.-S. Long-term measurements of boreal forest carbon balance reveal large temperature sensitivity. Glob. Change Biol. 4, 443â450 (1998).
Goulden,M. L. et al. Sensitivity of boreal forest carbon balance to soil thaw. Science 279, 214â217 (1998).
Oechel,W. C. et al. Recent change of arctic tundra ecosystems from a net carbon dioxide sink to a source. Nature 361, 520 â523 (1993).
Schlesinger,W. H. in Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change 161â 165 (Academic, San Diego, 1997).
Baldocchi,D. D., Hicks,B. B. & Meyers, T. P. Measuring biosphere-atmosphere exchanges of biologically related gases with micrometeorological methods. Ecology 69, 1331â1340 (1988).
Baldocchi,D. D., Valentini,R., Running,S., Oechel,W. C. & Dahlman, R. Strategies for measuring and modelling carbon dioxide and water vapour fluxes over terrestrial ecosystems. Glob. Change Biol. 2, 159â167 ( 1996).
Aubinet,M. et al. Estimates of the annual net carbon and water exchange of forests: the EUROFLUX methodology. Adv. Ecol. Res. 30, 113â175 (2000).
Running,S. A blueprint for improved global change monitoring of the terrestrial biosphere. Earth Obs. 10, 8â12 (1998).
Schulze,E. D. & Heimann,M. in Asian Change in the Context of Global Change (eds Galloway, J. & Melillo, J.) 145â 161 (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1998).
Goulden,M. L., Munger,J. W., Fan,S. -M., Daube,B. C. & Wosfy,W. C. Measurements of carbon sequestration by long-term eddy covariance: methods and critical evaluation of accuracy. Glob. Change Biol. 2, 169â181 (1996).
Chen,W. J. et al. Effects of climatic variability on the annual carbon sequestration by a boreal aspen forest. Glob. Change Biol. 1, 41â53 (1999).
Moncrieff,J. B., Malhi,Y. & Leuning,R. The propagation of errors in long-term measurements of land atmosphere fluxes of carbon and water. Glob. Change Biol 2, 231â240 (1996).
Anderson,J. M. Responses of soils to climate change. Adv. Ecol. Res. 22, 163â210 (1992).
Vogt,K. A. in Soil Management and Greenhouse Effect (eds Lal, R., Kimble, J., Levine, E. & Stewart, B. A.) 159â178 (CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1995)
Kirschbaum,M. U. The temperature dependence of soil organic matter decomposition, and the effect of global warming on soil organic C storage. Soil Biol. Biochem. 6, 753â760 ( 1995).
Chapman,W. L. & Walsh,J. E. Recent variations of sea ice and air temperatures in high latitudes. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc. 74, 33â47 (1993).
Schlenter,R. E. & Van Cleve,K. Relationship between CO2 evolution from soil, substrate temperature, and substrate moisture in four mature forest types in interior Alaska. Can. J. Forest Res. 15, 97â106 ( 1985).
Hanson,P. J., Wullschleger,S. D., Bohlmann, S. A. & Todd,D. E. Seasonal and topographic patterns of forest floor CO2 efflux from an upland oak forest. Tree Physiol. 13, 1â15 (1993).
Burton,A. J., Pregitzer,K. S., Zogg,G. P., & Zak,D. R. Drought reduces root respiration in sugar maple forests. Ecol. Applic. 8, 771â778 ( 1998).
SAS/STAT® User's Guide Version 6, 4th edn, Vol. 2, (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, North Carolina, 1989).
Acknowledgements
The work has been done during the three-year duration of the EUROFLUX project, funded by the European Union. Further funding was provided by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Nature Management (site 6); the Academy of Finland (site 21); the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Italy (site 4); and the Georg-August Universität, Göttingen, Germany (site 13). A large number of technicians, graduate and doctoral students are acknowledged for help in site management, data collection and elaboration.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Supplementary information
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Valentini, R., Matteucci, G., Dolman, A. et al. Respiration as the main determinant of carbon balance in European forests . Nature 404, 861â865 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35009084
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35009084
This article is cited by
-
Winter warming response of gas-exchange and growth of Abies alba and Picea abies seedlings
Trees (2024)
-
Evidence for widespread thermal optimality of ecosystem respiration
Nature Ecology & Evolution (2023)
-
Oxalate oxidase transgene expression in American chestnut leaves has little effect on photosynthetic or respiratory physiology
New Forests (2023)
-
CO2, N2O and CH4 Emissions and C Storage in Eucalyptus Forests with Different Management Practices of Harvest Residues
BioEnergy Research (2023)
-
Carbon sink and source function of Eastern Himalayan forests: implications of change in climate and biotic variables
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (2023)