Equilibrium carbon storage in North American ecosystems as estimated by the Terrestruak Ecosystem Model for pre-industrial CO[sub 2]: Soil C storage along gradients of temperature, moisture, and texture

Conference · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States)

OSTI ID:6247065

McGuire, A D; Melillo, J M; Joyce, L A; Kicklighter, D W ^[1]

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1. The Ecosystems Center, Woods Hole, MA (United States) Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ft. Colling, CO (United States)

The Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (TEM), a process-based model, estimates a total C storage of 410 PgC (10[sup 15] gC) for undisturbed North American ecosystems at preindustrial CO[sub 2], of which soil C is 59%. Conifer forests and moist tundra account for the most vegetation and soil C storage, 31% and 18%, respectively. Along a temperature gradient in eastern North America, soil C storage decreases from 16200 to 6200 gC m[sup [minus]2] between the northern limit of moist tundra and the southern limit of temperate forest. Along a moisture gradient at 40[degrees]N, soil C storage increases from 3000 to 11000 gC m[sup [minus]2] between the western end of temperate grasslands and the eastern end of temperate forests. The model estimates that finer textured soils store more carbon under the same climatic conditions.

• OSTI ID: 6247065
• Report Number(s): CONF-930798--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States) Journal Volume: 74:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540100* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- (1990-)
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON CYCLE
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ECOSYSTEMS
FORESTS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SOIL CHEMISTRY
SOIL MECHANICS
SOILS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
TUNDRA