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Title: Statistical upscaling of ecosystem CO 2 fluxes across the terrestrial tundra and boreal domain: Regional patterns and uncertainties

Journal Article · · Global Change Biology
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15659· OSTI ID:1787716
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  1. Department of Geosciences and Geography Faculty of Science University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland, Woodwell Climate Research Center Falmouth MA USA
  2. Department of Geosciences and Geography Faculty of Science University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland, Weather and Climate Change Impact Research Finnish Meteorological Institute Helsinki Finland
  3. Woodwell Climate Research Center Falmouth MA USA
  4. Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science Lund University Lund Sweden, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management Copenhagen University Copenhagen Denmark
  5. Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research Potsdam Germany
  6. Natural Resources Institute Finland Helsinki Finland
  7. University of Texas at El Paso El Paso TX USA
  8. Center for Ecosystem Science and Society Department of Biological Sciences Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ USA
  9. Atmosperic Turbulence and Diffusion Division of NOAA's Air Resources Laboratory Oak Ridge TN USA
  10. San Diego State University San Diego CA USA, University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
  11. San Diego State University San Diego CA USA, University of Exeter Exeter UK
  12. Research Institute for Global Change Japan Agency for Marine‐Earth Science and Technology Yokoama Japan
  13. Carleton University Ottawa ON Canada
  14. Dept. Biogeochemical Signals Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena Germany
  15. Department of Environmental Science Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan
  16. School of the Environment Trent University Peterborough ON Canada
  17. Institute of Arctic Biology University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks AK USA
  18. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam the Netherlands
  19. Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland, Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences University of Eastern Finland Kuopio Finland
  20. Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences University of Eastern Finland Kuopio Finland
  21. Center for Permafrost Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
  22. Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences University of Eastern Finland Kuopio Finland, Département de géographie Université de Montréal Montréal QC Canada
  23. Département de géographie Université de Montréal Montréal QC Canada
  24. 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
  25. Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences Osaka Prefecture University Sakai Japan
  26. Agronomy Department University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
  27. Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
  28. Department of Forest Ecology and Management Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
  29. Department of Biological Sciences Florida International University Miami FL USA
  30. Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley Berkeley CA USA
  31. Division of Atmospheric Sciences Korea Polar Research Institute Incheon Republic of Korea
  32. Department of Earth Sciences Free University Amsterdam Amsterdam the Netherlands
  33. Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics Faculty of Science University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
  34. Institute of Life Science and Natural Resources Korea University Seoul Republic of Korea
  35. CREAF Catalonia Spain, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Catalonia Spain
  36. Department of Environment and Minerals Greenland Institute of Natural Resources Nuuk Greenland, Department of Bioscience Arctic Research Center Aarhus University Roskilde Denmark
  37. Department of Bioscience Arctic Research Center Aarhus University Roskilde Denmark
  38. 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
  39. GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam Germany
  40. Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN) University of Hamburg Hamburg Germany
  41. 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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