Enhanced seasonal CO2 exchange caused by amplified plant productivity in northern ecosystems
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
Atmospheric monitoring of high northern latitudes (above 40°N) has shown an enhanced seasonal cycle of carbon dioxide (CO2) since the 1960s, but the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. The much stronger increase in high latitudes relative to low ones suggests that northern ecosystems are experiencing large changes in vegetation and carbon cycle dynamics. We found that the latitudinal gradient of the increasing CO2 amplitude is mainly driven by positive trends in photosynthetic carbon uptake caused by recent climate change and mediated by changing vegetation cover in northern ecosystems. Our results underscore the importance of climate-vegetation-carbon cycle feedbacks at high latitudes; moreover, they indicate that in recent decades, photosynthetic carbon uptake has reacted much more strongly to warming than have carbon release processes.
Details
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 696-699 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 351 |
Issue number | 6274 |
Publication status | Published - 12 Feb 2016 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
Externally published | Yes |
External IDs
PubMed | 26797146 |
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ORCID | /0000-0003-0363-9697/work/142252093 |