Methodology to Quantify the Carbon Cycle of Forest Biomes in the Former Soviet Union (Equilibrium Analysis).

摘要

Human activities have caused a measureable increase in the atmospheric concentration of CO2 which is predicted to cause the earth's temperatures to rise and accelerate rates of plant respiration and the decay of organic matter, disrupting the equilibrium of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Sequestration of carbon in boreal forests may represent one of the few realistic alternatives to ameliorate changes in atmospheric chemistry. The former Soviet Union (FSU) has the greatest expanse of boreal forests in the world. The role of FSU forests in the terrestrial carbon cycle is not fully recognized because their carbon budget has not yet been established. In order to assess the role of FSU forests in the global carbon cycle a methodology was created to establish the carbon budget of forest biomes in the FSU. The methodology allowed all the parameters of the forest biome carbon to be determined. Based on an equilibrium analysis of carbon cycle pools and fluxes, net primary productivity (NPP) was estimated at 4.4 + or - 1.5 GT C/yr, the vegetation carbon pool at 1103 + or - 17.2 GT, the litter carbon pool at 17.6 + or - 4.2 GT, and the total soil carbon pool at 319.1 + or - 29.3 GT.