skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: A large and persistent carbon sink in the World s forests

Abstract

The terrestrial carbon (C) sink has been large in recent decades, but its size and location remain uncertain. Using forest inventory data and long-term ecosystem C studies, we estimated a total forest sink of 2.4 0.4 Pg C yr 1 globally for 1990-2007. We also estimated a source of 1.3 0.7 Pg C yr 1 from tropical land-use change, consisting of a gross tropical deforestation emission of 2.9 0.5 Pg C yr 1 partially compensated by a C sink in tropical forest regrowth of 1.6 0.5 Pg C yr 1. Together, the fluxes comprise a net global forest sink of 1.1 0.8 Pg C yr 1, with tropical estimates having the largest uncertainties. This forest sink is equivalent in magnitude to the terrestrial sink deduced from fossil fuel emissions and constraints of ocean and atmospheric sinks.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [6];  [8];  [9];  [10];  [11];  [12];  [2];  [4];  [6];  [13]
  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service
  2. Peking University
  3. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Woods Hole, MA
  4. University of Helsinki
  5. Canadian Forest Service
  6. University of Leeds, UK
  7. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria
  8. CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research
  9. Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environement, France
  10. Duke University
  11. Princeton University
  12. University of Alaska
  13. ORNL
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1022698
DOE Contract Number:  
DE-AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Science
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 333; Journal Issue: 6045; Journal ID: ISSN 0036--8075
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; CARBON; CARBON SINKS; DEFORESTATION; ECOSYSTEMS; FORESTS; FOSSIL FUELS; LAND USE

Citation Formats

Pan, Yude, Birdsey, Richard A., Fang, Jingyun, Houghton, Richard, Kauppi, Pekka, Kurz, Werner, Phillips, Oliver, Shvidenko, Anatoly, Lewis, Simon, Canadell, Josep, Ciais, Philippe, Jackson, Robert B, Pacala, Stephen, Mcguire, David, Piao, Shilong, Rautiainen, Aapo, Sitch, Stephen, and Hayes, Daniel J. A large and persistent carbon sink in the World s forests. United States: N. p., 2011. Web. doi:10.1126/science.1201609.
Pan, Yude, Birdsey, Richard A., Fang, Jingyun, Houghton, Richard, Kauppi, Pekka, Kurz, Werner, Phillips, Oliver, Shvidenko, Anatoly, Lewis, Simon, Canadell, Josep, Ciais, Philippe, Jackson, Robert B, Pacala, Stephen, Mcguire, David, Piao, Shilong, Rautiainen, Aapo, Sitch, Stephen, & Hayes, Daniel J. A large and persistent carbon sink in the World s forests. United States. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1201609
Pan, Yude, Birdsey, Richard A., Fang, Jingyun, Houghton, Richard, Kauppi, Pekka, Kurz, Werner, Phillips, Oliver, Shvidenko, Anatoly, Lewis, Simon, Canadell, Josep, Ciais, Philippe, Jackson, Robert B, Pacala, Stephen, Mcguire, David, Piao, Shilong, Rautiainen, Aapo, Sitch, Stephen, and Hayes, Daniel J. 2011. "A large and persistent carbon sink in the World s forests". United States. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1201609.
@article{osti_1022698,
title = {A large and persistent carbon sink in the World s forests},
author = {Pan, Yude and Birdsey, Richard A. and Fang, Jingyun and Houghton, Richard and Kauppi, Pekka and Kurz, Werner and Phillips, Oliver and Shvidenko, Anatoly and Lewis, Simon and Canadell, Josep and Ciais, Philippe and Jackson, Robert B and Pacala, Stephen and Mcguire, David and Piao, Shilong and Rautiainen, Aapo and Sitch, Stephen and Hayes, Daniel J},
abstractNote = {The terrestrial carbon (C) sink has been large in recent decades, but its size and location remain uncertain. Using forest inventory data and long-term ecosystem C studies, we estimated a total forest sink of 2.4 0.4 Pg C yr 1 globally for 1990-2007. We also estimated a source of 1.3 0.7 Pg C yr 1 from tropical land-use change, consisting of a gross tropical deforestation emission of 2.9 0.5 Pg C yr 1 partially compensated by a C sink in tropical forest regrowth of 1.6 0.5 Pg C yr 1. Together, the fluxes comprise a net global forest sink of 1.1 0.8 Pg C yr 1, with tropical estimates having the largest uncertainties. This forest sink is equivalent in magnitude to the terrestrial sink deduced from fossil fuel emissions and constraints of ocean and atmospheric sinks.},
doi = {10.1126/science.1201609},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1022698}, journal = {Science},
issn = {0036--8075},
number = 6045,
volume = 333,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2011},
month = {Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2011}
}