Carbon stocks in the main Georgian forest formations

摘要

During recent decades dramatic increases in concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO_2), methane (CH_4), nitric acid (N_2O), and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased global warming. This is resulting in such unfavorable processes meltingof polar ice in the northers and southern hemispheres and sea level rise. Among the greenhouse gases that contribute to the global warming, C02 is most important as it determines 60% of the above-mentioned processes. Since the times of the industrial revolution up to the modern age concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from 280 to 366 ppm. The increase of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has been caused by fastest growing industrial and mining activities, processing and burning of fossil fuels, decreasing area covered with forests, forest fires, among others. As a result, 6.6 x 1015 g. of С is added to atmosphere each year (Mann, 1986). Increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have led to increased efforts by scientists worldwide to study not only global but regional patterns of carbon storage and fluxes in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. In this paper we report the results of research conducted to estimate carbon storage inthe phytomass of the main forest types found in the Caucasus, specifically in Republic of Georgia.