Statistical upscaling of ecosystem CO 2 fluxes across the terrestrial tundra and boreal domain: Regional patterns and uncertainties
- Department of Geosciences and Geography Faculty of Science University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland, Woodwell Climate Research Center Falmouth MA USA
- Department of Geosciences and Geography Faculty of Science University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland, Weather and Climate Change Impact Research Finnish Meteorological Institute Helsinki Finland
- Woodwell Climate Research Center Falmouth MA USA
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science Lund University Lund Sweden, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management Copenhagen University Copenhagen Denmark
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Potsdam Germany
- Natural Resources Institute Finland Helsinki Finland
- University of Texas at El Paso El Paso TX USA
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society Department of Biological Sciences Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ USA
- Atmosperic Turbulence and Diffusion Division of NOAA's Air Resources Laboratory Oak Ridge TN USA
- San Diego State University San Diego CA USA, University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
- San Diego State University San Diego CA USA, University of Exeter Exeter UK
- Research Institute for Global Change Japan Agency for Marine‐Earth Science and Technology Yokoama Japan
- Carleton University Ottawa ON Canada
- Dept. Biogeochemical Signals Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena Germany
- Department of Environmental Science Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan
- School of the Environment Trent University Peterborough ON Canada
- Institute of Arctic Biology University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks AK USA
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam the Netherlands
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland, Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences University of Eastern Finland Kuopio Finland
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences University of Eastern Finland Kuopio Finland
- Center for Permafrost Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences University of Eastern Finland Kuopio Finland, Département de géographie Université de Montréal Montréal QC Canada
- Département de géographie Université de Montréal Montréal QC Canada
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science Lund University Lund Sweden, Centre for Biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene Department of Geosciences University of Oslo Oslo Norway
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences Osaka Prefecture University Sakai Japan
- Agronomy Department University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
- Department of Biological Sciences Florida International University Miami FL USA
- Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley Berkeley CA USA
- Division of Atmospheric Sciences Korea Polar Research Institute Incheon Republic of Korea
- Department of Earth Sciences Free University Amsterdam Amsterdam the Netherlands
- Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics Faculty of Science University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Institute of Life Science and Natural Resources Korea University Seoul Republic of Korea
- CREAF Catalonia Spain, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Catalonia Spain
- Department of Environment and Minerals Greenland Institute of Natural Resources Nuuk Greenland, Department of Bioscience Arctic Research Center Aarhus University Roskilde Denmark
- Department of Bioscience Arctic Research Center Aarhus University Roskilde Denmark
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif‐sur‐Yvette France, Division of Life Sciences Korea Polar Research Institute Incheon Republic of Korea
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam Germany
- Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN) University of Hamburg Hamburg Germany
- Department of Geosciences and Geography Faculty of Science University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
Abstract The regional variability in tundra and boreal carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) fluxes can be high, complicating efforts to quantify sink‐source patterns across the entire region. Statistical models are increasingly used to predict (i.e., upscale) CO 2 fluxes across large spatial domains, but the reliability of different modeling techniques, each with different specifications and assumptions, has not been assessed in detail. Here, we compile eddy covariance and chamber measurements of annual and growing season CO 2 fluxes of gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER), and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) during 1990–2015 from 148 terrestrial high‐latitude (i.e., tundra and boreal) sites to analyze the spatial patterns and drivers of CO 2 fluxes and test the accuracy and uncertainty of different statistical models. CO 2 fluxes were upscaled at relatively high spatial resolution (1 km 2 ) across the high‐latitude region using five commonly used statistical models and their ensemble, that is, the median of all five models, using climatic, vegetation, and soil predictors. We found the performance of machine learning and ensemble predictions to outperform traditional regression methods. We also found the predictive performance of NEE‐focused models to be low, relative to models predicting GPP and ER. Our data compilation and ensemble predictions showed that CO 2 sink strength was larger in the boreal biome (observed and predicted average annual NEE −46 and −29 g C m −2 yr −1 , respectively) compared to tundra (average annual NEE +10 and −2 g C m −2 yr −1 ). This pattern was associated with large spatial variability, reflecting local heterogeneity in soil organic carbon stocks, climate, and vegetation productivity. The terrestrial ecosystem CO 2 budget, estimated using the annual NEE ensemble prediction, suggests the high‐latitude region was on average an annual CO 2 sink during 1990–2015, although uncertainty remains high.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 1787716
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1814227
- Journal Information:
- Global Change Biology, Journal Name: Global Change Biology Vol. 27 Journal Issue: 17; ISSN 1354-1013
- Publisher:
- Wiley-BlackwellCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
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