Environmental factors and ecological processes in boreal forests

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.20.110189.000245· OSTI ID:5268199

Bonan, G B ^[1]; Shugart, H H ^[2]

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1. Earth Resources Branch/Code 623, Lab. for Terrestrial Physics, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD (US)
2. Dept. of Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (US)

This paper reports on the boreal forest, a broad, circumpolar mixture of cool coniferous and deciduous tree species which covers over 14.7 million km{sup 2}, or 11%, of the earth's terrestrial surface. At these latitudes, a strong correlation exists between the seasonal dynamics of atmospheric carbon dioxide and the seasonal dynamics of the greenness of the earth. A possible causal relation, in which the dynamics of the forests at these latitudes regulates the atmospheric carbon concentrations, appears to be consistent with the present-day understanding of ecological processes in these ecosystems. Along with its familiar role in plant photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that markedly affects the heat budget of the earth. Thus the possibility that boreal forests may actively participate in the dynamics of atmospheric carbon dioxide is of considerable significance, especially since the climatic response to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations seems to be strongly directed to the boreal forests of the world.

• OSTI ID: 5268199
• Journal Information: Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics; (United States), Journal Name: Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics; (United States) Vol. 20; ISSN 0066-4162; ISSN ARECB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540250* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (1990-)
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ECOLOGY
EMISSION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FORESTS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
PRODUCTION
TREES