Storage of atmospheric carbon in global litter and soil pools in response to vegetation change and biomass allocation
- NASA/Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA (United States)
Changes in the distribution of vegetation types under altered climate regimes could have important consequences for the storage of stems. Because there are relatively few definitive field studies of changes in whole ecosystem carbon process-level models driven by gridded global databases may provide reasonable indicators of to changes in vegetation cover. We have used plant litter quality (lignin content) and carbon allocation to woody tissues as surrogates for testing the hypothetical effects of future vegetation change using the CASA (Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach) Biosphere model. The model is driven by global gridded (1{degree}) satellite imagery on a monthly time interval to simulate seasonal patterns in net ecosystem carbon balance and steady-state carbon storage in detritus arid soils. Sensitivity tests treated litter quality and allocation effects independently from other direct effects of changes in climate, atmospheric CO{sub 2} levels, and primary production. Results support the hypothesis that soil C storage in today`s temperate and boreal forest life zones are those most sensitive to changes in litter lignin content which may accompany increased climate stress. For these systems, the model predicts that a 50% increase in litter lignin concentration would result in a long-term net gain of about 10% C from the atmosphere into surface litter and soil organic matter pools. A 50% decrease in C allocation to woody tissues would invoke a net loss of 10% C from litter and soil organic matter pools.
- OSTI ID:
- 95828
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9507129-; ISSN 0012-9623; TRN: 95:004728-0093
- Journal Information:
- Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, Vol. 76, Issue 2; Conference: 80. anniversary of the transdisciplinary nature of ecology, Snowbird, UT (United States), 30 Jul - 3 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: Jun 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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