Carbon sink for a century

Chambers, Jeffrey Q.; Higuchi, Níro; Tribuzy, Edgard Siza; Trumbore, Susan E.

doi:10.1038/35068624

Cited by 149 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…(d ) The future Under the simplest scenario of a steady rise in forest productivity over time, it is predicted that relatively slowgrowing and undynamic forests would remain a C sink for a century or more (Chambers et al 2001). However, the drivers documented in this paper will all change in the future, most probably causing further alterations in forest structure and dynamics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fingerprinting the impacts of global change on tropical forests

Lewis

Malhi

Phillips

2004

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B

221

252

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Recent observations of widespread changes in mature tropical forests such as increasing tree growth, recruitment and mortality rates and increasing above-ground biomass suggest that 'global change' agents may be causing predictable changes in tropical forests. However, consensus over both the robustness of these changes and the environmental drivers that may be causing them is yet to emerge. This paper focuses on the second part of this debate. We review (i) the evidence that the physical, chemical and biological environment that tropical trees grow in has been altered over recent decades across large areas of the tropics, and (ii) the theoretical, experimental and observational evidence regarding the most likely effects of each of these changes on tropical forests. Ten potential widespread drivers of environmental change were identified: temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, climatic extremes (including El Niñ oSouthern Oscillation events), atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, nutrient deposition, O 3 /acid depositions, hunting, land-use change and increasing liana numbers. We note that each of these environmental changes is expected to leave a unique 'fingerprint' in tropical forests, as drivers directly force different processes, have different distributions in space and time and may affect some forests more than others (e.g. depending on soil fertility). Thus, in the third part of the paper we present testable a priori predictions of forest responses to assist ecologists in attributing particular changes in forests to particular causes across multiple datasets. Finally, we discuss how these drivers may change in the future and the possible consequences for tropical forests.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fingerprinting the impacts of global change on tropical forests

Lewis

Malhi

Phillips

2004

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B

221

252

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“…In addition to their industrial timber products, the importance of forest plantations has increased substantially during the last two decades, in view of the increased awareness on global climate change and the role of forests in regulating the global carbon cycle (Dixon et al, 1994;Clark et al, 2003;Clark, 2004a;Houghton, 2005). Forests have the ability to absorb large quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide for their photosynthesis and sequester carbon in their biomass (Chambers et al, 2001). As carbon dioxide is the principal greenhouse gas contributing to the enhanced greenhouse effect (Houghton, 1997) and the consequent global warming, which drives climate change, forests have the potential to reduce the rate of global warming and the resultant climate change (Brown et al, 1996;Cannell, 1996;Sathaye & Ravindranath, 1998;Malhi & Grace, 2000;White et al, 2000;Schulze et al, 2000;Baker et al, 2004;Grace & Meir, 2009;Lewis et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of carbon stocks in the forest plantations of Sri Lanka

Costa¹,

Suranga

2012

J. Natn. Sci. Foundation Sri Lanka

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Forest plantations have the ability to sequester carbon in their biomass and reduce the rate of increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Therefore, plantation forestry forms an important option for mitigating global warming and consequent climate change. The objective of the present study was to estimate the biomass and carbon stocks of the existing forest plantations in Sri Lanka. Height and diameter measurements of the trees at breast height from 22 monocultures and 51 mixed-cultures, established and maintained by the Forest Department, were obtained from the FORDATA data base and used to calculate the existing carbon stocks using allometric relationships.The total estimated monoculture C stock in 2008 amounted to 4.23 million metric tons in an area of 57618.8 ha. Around 89% of this total C stock in monocultures is contributed by five tree species, namely, Pinus caribaea (44%), Tectona grandis (21%), Eucalyptus grandis (11%), Eucalyptus camaldulensis (7%) and Swietenia macrophylla (6%), occupying 92% of the area. Total C stock in mixed cultures in 2008 amounted to 0.681 million tons in 5949.6 ha. Five mixed cultures, i.e. Eucalyptus robusta and E. grandis (17%), Pinus mixed (13%), E. grandis and E. microcorys (12.5%), Eucalyptus mixed (7%) and Acacia mangium and A. auriculiformis (5%), contributed to 55% of this C stock. Monocultures, which showed the highest per ha C stocks were Pinus caribaea in Badulla (205 t ha ) and Eucalyptus grandis in Ratnapura (197 t ha -1 ) and Nuwara Eliya (168 t ha -1 ). Mixed plantations of Acacia decurrens and different species of Eucalyptus grown in Nuwara Eliya showed the highest combined per ha C stocks ranging from 226 -279 t ha -1 . The maximum per ha C stock in some of the Sri Lankan forest plantations in different climatic zones were either on par or above the benchmark average C stock values specified by the IPCC for the respective climatic zones. Age distribution of the monoculture C stocks showed that the highest percentage (i.e. 39%) was in the 21-30 year plantations, followed by the 31-40 year plantations (32%).

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“…Carbon cycling in old-growth tropical evergreen forests has been the focus of considerable attention given the importance of these ecosystems in the global carbon cycle Tian et al 1998;Cox et al 2000;Chambers et al 2001a;Clark et al 2003;Saleska et al 2003;Baker et al 2004a, b;Lewis et al 2004a). Efforts to curb the rise in atmospheric CO2 concentration have highlighted the importance of identifying carbon sources and sinks, although tracking the various movements of carbon into the terrestrial biosphere cannot currently be assessed with much accuracy (Bolin 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of tree biomass and wood litter to disturbance in a Central Amazon forest

et al. 2004

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We developed an individual-based stochasticempirical model to simulate the carbon dynamics of live and dead trees in a Central Amazon forest near Manaus, Brazil. The model is based on analyses of extensive field studies carried out on permanent forest inventory plots, and syntheses of published studies. New analyses included: (1) growth suppression of small trees, (2) maximum size (trunk base diameter) for 220 tree species, (3) the relationship between growth rate and wood density, and (4) the growth response of surviving trees to catastrophic mortality (from logging). The model simulates a forest inventory plot, and tracks recruitment, growth, and mortality of live trees, decomposition of dead trees (coarse litter), and how these processes vary with changing environmental conditions. Model predictions were tested against aggregated field data, and also compared with independent measurements including maximum tree age and coarse litter standing stocks. Spatial analyses demonstrated that a plot size of ~10 ha was required to accurately measure wood (live and dead) carbon balance. With the model accurately predicting relevant pools and fluxes, a number of model experiments were performed to predict forest carbon balance response to perturbations including: (1) increased productivity due to CO2 fertilization, (2) a single semi-catastrophic (10%) mortality event, (3) increased recruitment and mortality (turnover) rates, and (4) turnover, increased tree growth rates, and decreased mean wood density of new recruits. Results demonstrated that carbon accumulation over the past few decades observed on tropical forest inventory plots (~0.5 Mg C ha"^ year"') is not likely caused by CO2 fertilization. A maximum 25% increase in woody tissue productivity with a doubling of atmospheric CO2 only resulted in an accumulation rate of 0.05 Mg C ha"' year"' for the period 1980-2020 for a Central Amazon forest, or an order of magnitude less than observed on the inventory plots. In contrast, model parameterization based on extensive data from a logging experiment demonstrated a rapid increase in tree growth following disturbance, which could be misinterpreted as carbon sequestration if changes in coarse litter stocks were not considered. Combined results demonstrated that predictions of changes in forest carbon balance during the twenty-first century are highly dependent on assumptions of tree response to various perturbations, and underscores the importance of a close coupling of model and field investigations.

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Carbon sink for a century

Cited by 149 publications

References 10 publications

Fingerprinting the impacts of global change on tropical forests

Fingerprinting the impacts of global change on tropical forests

Estimation of carbon stocks in the forest plantations of Sri Lanka

Response of tree biomass and wood litter to disturbance in a Central Amazon forest

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