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Title: Influence of dynamic vegetation on carbon-nitrogen cycle feedback in the Community Land Model (CLM4)

Journal Article · · Environmental Research Letters
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Land carbon sensitivity to atmospheric CO2 concentration (βL) and climate warming (γL) is a crucial part of carbon-climate feedbacks in the earth system. Using the Community Land Model version 4 with a coupled carbon-nitrogen cycle, we examine whether the inclusion of a dynamic global vegetation model (CNDV) significantly changes the land carbon sensitivity from that obtained with prescribed vegetation cover (CN). For decadal timescale in the late twentieth century, βL is not substantially different between the two models but γL of CNDV is stronger (more negative) than that of CN. The main reason for the difference in γL is not the concurrent change in vegetation cover driving the carbon dynamics, but rather the smaller nitrogen constraint on plant growth in CNDV compared with CN, which arises from the deviation of CNDV's near-equilibrium vegetation distribution from CN’s prescribed, historical land cover. The smaller nitrogen constraint makes the enhanced nitrogen mineralization with warming less effective in stimulating plant productivity to counter moisture stress in a warmer climate, leading to a more negative γL. This represents a new indirect pathway that has not been identified for dynamic vegetation in the coupled carbon-nitrogen cycle to affect the terrestrial carbon-climate feedbacks in the earth system.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0006693; AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1337200
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1353351
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-115218
Journal Information:
Environmental Research Letters, Journal Name: Environmental Research Letters Vol. 11 Journal Issue: 12; ISSN 1748-9326
Publisher:
IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 8 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Glacial Inception in Marine Isotope Stage 19: An Orbital Analog for a Natural Holocene Climate journal July 2018
Quantifying the climate response to extreme land cover changes in Europe with a regional model journal June 2018

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Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
dynamic vegetation
carbon cycle
carbon-nitrogen cycle