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Century-Scale Responses of Ecosystem Carbon Storage and Flux to Multiple Environmental Changes in the Southern United States
Ecosystems (2012)
  • Hanqin Tian, Auburn University Main Campus
  • Guangsheng Chen, Auburn University Main Campus
  • Chi Zang, Auburn University Main Campus
  • Mingliang Liu, Auburn University Main Campus
  • Ge Sun
  • Arthur Chappelka, Auburn University Main Campus
  • Wei Ren, Auburn University Main Campus
  • Xiaofeng Xu, Auburn University Main Campus
  • Chaoqun (Crystal) Lu, Auburn University Main Campus
  • Shufen Pan, Auburn University Main Campus
  • Hua Chen, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Dafeng Hui, Tennessee State University
  • Steven McNulty
  • Graeme Lockaby, Auburn University Main Campus
  • Eric Vance
Abstract

Terrestrial ecosystems in the southern United States (SUS) have experienced a complex set of changes in climate, atmospheric CO2 concentration, tropospheric ozone (O3), nitrogen (N) deposition, and land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) during the past century. Although each of these factors has received attention for its alterations on ecosystem carbon (C) dynamics, their combined effects and relative contributions are still not well understood. By using the Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model (DLEM) in combination with spatially explicit, long-term historical data series on multiple environmental factors, we examined the century-scale responses of ecosystem C storage and flux to multiple environmental changes in the SUS. The results indicated that multiple environmental changes shifted SUS ecosystems from a C source of 1.20 ± 0.56 Pg (1 Pg = 1015 g) during the period 1895 to 1950, to a C sink of 2.00 ± 0.94 Pg during the period 1951 to 2007. Over the entire period spanning 1895–2007, SUS ecosystems were a net C sink of 0.80 ± 0.38 Pg. The C sink was primarily due to an increase in the vegetation C pool, whereas the soil C pool decreased during the study period. The spatiotemporal changes of C storage were caused by changes in multiple environmental factors. Among the five factors examined (climate, LULCC, N deposition, atmospheric CO2, and tropospheric O3), elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration was the largest contributor to C sequestration, followed by N deposition. LULCC, climate, and tropospheric O3 concentration contributed to C losses during the study period. The SUS ecosystem C sink was largely the result of interactive effects among multiple environmental factors, particularly atmospheric N input and atmospheric CO2.

Keywords
  • climate change,
  • carbon storage and flux,
  • land use change,
  • Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model (DLEM),
  • southern United States
Publication Date
June, 2012
Publisher Statement
Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.
Citation Information
Hanqin Tian, Guangsheng Chen, Chi Zang, Mingliang Liu, et al.. "Century-Scale Responses of Ecosystem Carbon Storage and Flux to Multiple Environmental Changes in the Southern United States" Ecosystems Vol. 15 Iss. 4 (2012)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/chaoqun_lu/19/