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Climate indices strongly influence old-growth forest carbon exchange

Journal Article · · Environmental Research Letters
 [1];  [2]
  1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  2. Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)
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We present a decade and a half (1998–2013) of carbon dioxide fluxes from an old-growth stand in the American Pacific Northwest to identify ecosystem-level responses to Pacific teleconnection patterns, including the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This study provides the longest, continuous record of old-growth eddy flux data to date from one of the longest running Fluxnet stations in the world. From 1998 to 2013, average annual net ecosystem exchange (FNEE) at Wind River AmeriFlux was –32 ± 84 g C m–2 yr–1 indicating that the late seral forest is on average a small net sink of atmospheric carbon. However, interannual variability is high (>300 g C m–2 yr–1) and shows that the stand switches from net carbon sink to source in response to climate drivers associated with ENSO. The old-growth forest is a much stronger sink during La Niña years (mean FNEE = –90 g C m–2 yr–1) than during El Niño when the stand turns carbon neutral or into a small net carbon source (mean FNEE = +17 g C m–2 yr–1). Forest inventory data dating back to the 1930s show a similar correlation with the lower frequency Pacific North American (PNA) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) whereby higher aboveground net primary productivity (FANPP) is associated with cool phases of both the PNA and PDO. Furthermore, these measurements add evidence that carbon exchange in old-growth stands may be more sensitive to climate variability across shorter time scales than once thought.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1253689
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL--682337
Journal Information:
Environmental Research Letters, Journal Name: Environmental Research Letters Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 11; ISSN 1748-9326
Publisher:
IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Cited By (7)

Forest productivity in southwestern Europe is controlled by coupled North Atlantic and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillations journal December 2017
Effects of modes of climate variability on wave power during boreal summer in the western North Pacific journal March 2020
Linking tree physiological constraints with predictions of carbon and water fluxes at an old‐growth coniferous forest journal April 2019
Thermal imaging in plant and ecosystem ecology: applications and challenges journal June 2019
Characteristics of Old-Growth and Secondary Forests in Relation to Age and Typhoon Disturbance journal March 2018
Large Uptake of Atmospheric OCS Observed at a Moist Old Growth Forest: Controls and Implications for Carbon Cycle Applications journal November 2018
Trends and controls on water-use efficiency of an old-growth coniferous forest in the Pacific Northwest journal July 2019

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES