A large and persistent carbon sink in the world's forests

The terrestrial carbon sink has been large in recent decades, but its size and location remain uncertain. Using forest inventory data and long-term ecosystem carbon studies, we estimate a total forest sink of 2.4 ± 0.4 petagrams of carbon per year (Pg C year(-1)) globally for 1990 to 2007. We also e...

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Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 333; no. 6045; p. 988
Main Authors: Pan, Yude, Birdsey, Richard A, Fang, Jingyun, Houghton, Richard, Kauppi, Pekka E, Kurz, Werner A, Phillips, Oliver L, Shvidenko, Anatoly, Lewis, Simon L, Canadell, Josep G, Ciais, Philippe, Jackson, Robert B, Pacala, Stephen W, McGuire, A David, Piao, Shilong, Rautiainen, Aapo, Sitch, Stephen, Hayes, Daniel
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States 19.08.2011
Subjects:
Atmosphere
Biomass
Carbon - analysis
Carbon Dioxide - analysis
Carbon Sequestration
Climate Change
Conservation of Natural Resources
Ecosystem
Trees
Tropical Climate
ISSN:1095-9203, 1095-9203
Online Access:Get more information
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Summary:The terrestrial carbon sink has been large in recent decades, but its size and location remain uncertain. Using forest inventory data and long-term ecosystem carbon studies, we estimate a total forest sink of 2.4 ± 0.4 petagrams of carbon per year (Pg C year(-1)) globally for 1990 to 2007. We also estimate a source of 1.3 ± 0.7 Pg C year(-1) from tropical land-use change, consisting of a gross tropical deforestation emission of 2.9 ± 0.5 Pg C year(-1) partially compensated by a carbon sink in tropical forest regrowth of 1.6 ± 0.5 Pg C year(-1). Together, the fluxes comprise a net global forest sink of 1.1 ± 0.8 Pg C year(-1), with tropical estimates having the largest uncertainties. Our total forest sink estimate is equivalent in magnitude to the terrestrial sink deduced from fossil fuel emissions and land-use change sources minus ocean and atmospheric sinks.
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ISSN:1095-9203
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1201609