Journal Article

Consistent land- and atmosphere-based U.S. carbon sink estimates

Houghton, R.A, Heath, L, Gloor, M, Moore, B, Caspersen, J.P, Moorcroft, P, Sarmiento, J.L, Pacala, S.W, Fan, S.M, Sundquist, E.T, Hurtt, G.C, Ciais, Philippe, Harmon, M.E, Schimel, D, Peylin, Philippe, Modélisation des Surfaces et Interfaces Continentales (MOSAIC) ; Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement [Gif-sur-Yvette] (LSCE) ; Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)) ; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)) ; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énerg

2001

Overview

For the period 1980–89, we estimate a carbon sink in the coterminous United States between 0.30 and 0.58 petagrams of carbon per year (petagrams of carbon = 1015 grams of carbon). The net carbon flux from the atmosphere to the land was higher, 0.37 to 0.71 petagrams of carbon per year, because a net flux of 0.07 to 0.13 petagrams of carbon per year was exported by rivers and commerce and returned to the atmosphere elsewhere. These land-based estimates are larger than those from previous studies (0.08 to 0.35 petagrams of carbon per year) because of the inclusion of additional processes and revised estimates of some component fluxes. Although component estimates are uncertain, about one-half of the total is outside the forest sector. We also estimated the sink using atmospheric models and the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (the tracer-transport inversion method). The range of results from the atmosphere-based inversions contains the land-based estimates. Atmosphere- and land-based estimates are thus consistent, within the large ranges of uncertainty for both methods. Atmosphere-based results for 1980–89 are similar to those for 1985–89 and 1990–94, indicating a relatively stable U.S. sink throughout the period.

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS),CCSD,American Society for the Advancement of Science,American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: Agriculture / Atmosphere / Atmospherics / Carbon / Carbon - metabolism / Carbon Dioxide / Carbon sequestration / Carbon sinks / Cellular Biology / Chemical composition and interactions. Ionic interactions and processes / Conservation of Natural Resources / Earth, ocean, space / Ecosystem / Ecosystem models / Exact sciences and technology / External geophysics / Fires / Forest management / Forestry / Land / Land Use / Life Sciences / Measurement / Meteorology / Old growth forests / Rangelands / Sinkholes / Soil / Timber / Time Factors / Trees - metabolism / United States / USA / Wood