Slow in, Rapid out―Carbon Flux Studies and Kyoto Targets

摘要

Terrestrial biomass and soil humus store about three times as much carbon as is contained in the carbon dioxide (CO_2) in Earth's atmosphere. Some of this stored carbon is highly dynamic: Terrestrial biota recycle the equivalent of the atmosphere's carbon content about once every 15 years. Forests play a particularly important role, because almost 90% of all biomass carbon is stored in trees, and 50% of the terrestrial organic carbon is stored in forests (7). A net release or uptake (sequestration) of carbon by forests could have a large impact on the atmosphere's CO_2 concentration (2).