Carbon uptake in Eurasian boreal forests dominates the high-latitude net ecosystem carbon budget

Jennifer D. Watts; Mary Farina; John S. Kimball; Luke D. Schiferl; Zhihua Liu; Kyle A. Arndt; Donatella Zona; Ashley Ballantyne; Eugénie S. Euskirchen; Frans Jan W. Parmentier; Manuel Helbig; Oliver Sonnentag; Torbern Tagesson; Janne Rinne; Hiroki Ikawa; Masahito Ueyama; Hideki Kobayashi; Torsten Sachs; Daniel F. Nadeau; John Kochendorfer; Marcin Jackowicz-Korczynski; Anna Virkkala; Mika Aurela; Roisin Commane; Brendan Byrne; Leah Birch; Matthew S. Johnson; Nima Madani; Brendan Rogers; Jinyang Du; Arthur Endsley; Kathleen Savage; Ben Poulter; Zhen Zhang; Lori M. Bruhwiler; Charles E. Miller; Scott Goetz; Walter C. Oechel

doi:10.1111/gcb.16553

Carbon uptake in Eurasian boreal forests dominates the high-latitude net ecosystem carbon budget

Jennifer D. Watts
, Mary Farina
, John S. Kimball
, Luke D. Schiferl
, Zhihua Liu
, Kyle A. Arndt
, Donatella Zona
, Ashley Ballantyne
, Eugénie S. Euskirchen
, Frans Jan W. Parmentier
, Manuel Helbig
, Oliver Sonnentag
, Torbern Tagesson
, Janne Rinne
, Hiroki Ikawa
, Masahito Ueyama
, Hideki Kobayashi
, Torsten Sachs
, Daniel F. Nadeau
, John Kochendorfer

Marcin Jackowicz-Korczynski, Anna Virkkala, Mika Aurela, Roisin Commane, Brendan Byrne, Leah Birch, Matthew S. Johnson, Nima Madani, Brendan Rogers, Jinyang Du, Arthur Endsley, Kathleen Savage, Ben Poulter, Zhen Zhang, Lori M. Bruhwiler, Charles E. Miller, Scott Goetz, Walter C. Oechel

Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

56 Scopus citations

Abstract

Arctic-boreal landscapes are experiencing profound warming, along with changes in ecosystem moisture status and disturbance from fire. This region is of global importance in terms of carbon feedbacks to climate, yet the sign (sink or source) and magnitude of the Arctic-boreal carbon budget within recent years remains highly uncertain. Here, we provide new estimates of recent (2003–2015) vegetation gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (R_eco), net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE; R_eco − GPP), and terrestrial methane (CH₄) emissions for the Arctic-boreal zone using a satellite data-driven process-model for northern ecosystems (TCFM-Arctic), calibrated and evaluated using measurements from >60 tower eddy covariance (EC) sites. We used TCFM-Arctic to obtain daily 1-km² flux estimates and annual carbon budgets for the pan-Arctic-boreal region. Across the domain, the model indicated an overall average NEE sink of −850 Tg CO₂-C year⁻¹. Eurasian boreal zones, especially those in Siberia, contributed to a majority of the net sink. In contrast, the tundra biome was relatively carbon neutral (ranging from small sink to source). Regional CH₄ emissions from tundra and boreal wetlands (not accounting for aquatic CH₄) were estimated at 35 Tg CH₄-C year⁻¹. Accounting for additional emissions from open water aquatic bodies and from fire, using available estimates from the literature, reduced the total regional NEE sink by 21% and shifted many far northern tundra landscapes, and some boreal forests, to a net carbon source. This assessment, based on in situ observations and models, improves our understanding of the high-latitude carbon status and also indicates a continued need for integrated site-to-regional assessments to monitor the vulnerability of these ecosystems to climate change.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1870-1889
Number of pages	20
Journal	Global Change Biology
Volume	29
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16553
State	Published - Apr 2023

Funding

This study was part of the NASA Arctic‐Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE). J.D.W. and M.F. were supported through funding from the NASA New Investigator Program (80NSSC18K0770) and Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST; 19‐EARTH20‐0105). J.D.W. and J.S.K. were supported through funding from Phase 1 of NASA ABoVE (NNX15AT74A). M.S.J. acknowledges funding from NASA's Interdisciplinary Research for Earth Science (IDS) Program and the NASA Terrestrial Ecology and Tropospheric Composition Programs. S.J.G. acknowledges NASA ABoVE grant 80NSSC19M0113. A.V. and J.D.W acknowledge support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (8414). Contributions by J.K. were supported by NSF grant 1203583. B.B.'s research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D004). Resources supporting this work were provided by the NASA High‐End Computing Program through the NASA Center for Climate Simulation at Goddard Space Flight Center. Finally, we acknowledge data contributions from Rikie Suzuki and support from the NASA ABoVE community and our international collaborators. This study was part of the NASA Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE). J.D.W. and M.F. were supported through funding from the NASA New Investigator Program (80NSSC18K0770) and Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST; 19-EARTH20-0105). J.D.W. and J.S.K. were supported through funding from Phase 1 of NASA ABoVE (NNX15AT74A). M.S.J. acknowledges funding from NASA's Interdisciplinary Research for Earth Science (IDS) Program and the NASA Terrestrial Ecology and Tropospheric Composition Programs. S.J.G. acknowledges NASA ABoVE grant 80NSSC19M0113. A.V. and J.D.W acknowledge support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (8414). Contributions by J.K. were supported by NSF grant 1203583. B.B.'s research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D004). Resources supporting this work were provided by the NASA High-End Computing Program through the NASA Center for Climate Simulation at Goddard Space Flight Center. Finally, we acknowledge data contributions from Rikie Suzuki and support from the NASA ABoVE community and our international collaborators.

Funders	Funder number
1203583
National Aeronautics and Space Administration	80NM0018D004, 19‐EARTH20‐0105, 80NSSC18K0770, NNX15AT74A
8414
80NSSC19M0113

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 13 Climate Action
SDG 15 Life on Land

Keywords

Arctic-boreal
CH
CO
carbon budget
remote sensing
tundra
wetland
Methane
Carbon
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Cycle
Ecosystem
Taiga
Tundra

Access to Document

10.1111/gcb.16553

Cite this

Watts, J. D., Farina, M., Kimball, J. S., Schiferl, L. D., Liu, Z., Arndt, K. A., Zona, D., Ballantyne, A., Euskirchen, E. S., Parmentier, F. J. W., Helbig, M., Sonnentag, O., Tagesson, T., Rinne, J., Ikawa, H., Ueyama, M., Kobayashi, H., Sachs, T., Nadeau, D. F., ... Oechel, W. C. (2023). Carbon uptake in Eurasian boreal forests dominates the high-latitude net ecosystem carbon budget. Global Change Biology, 29(7), 1870-1889. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16553

@article{8f097ceca9bc41a48c7bffee62a2b4f7,

title = "Carbon uptake in Eurasian boreal forests dominates the high-latitude net ecosystem carbon budget",

abstract = "Arctic-boreal landscapes are experiencing profound warming, along with changes in ecosystem moisture status and disturbance from fire. This region is of global importance in terms of carbon feedbacks to climate, yet the sign (sink or source) and magnitude of the Arctic-boreal carbon budget within recent years remains highly uncertain. Here, we provide new estimates of recent (2003–2015) vegetation gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (Reco), net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE; Reco − GPP), and terrestrial methane (CH4) emissions for the Arctic-boreal zone using a satellite data-driven process-model for northern ecosystems (TCFM-Arctic), calibrated and evaluated using measurements from >60 tower eddy covariance (EC) sites. We used TCFM-Arctic to obtain daily 1-km2 flux estimates and annual carbon budgets for the pan-Arctic-boreal region. Across the domain, the model indicated an overall average NEE sink of −850 Tg CO2-C year−1. Eurasian boreal zones, especially those in Siberia, contributed to a majority of the net sink. In contrast, the tundra biome was relatively carbon neutral (ranging from small sink to source). Regional CH4 emissions from tundra and boreal wetlands (not accounting for aquatic CH4) were estimated at 35 Tg CH4-C year−1. Accounting for additional emissions from open water aquatic bodies and from fire, using available estimates from the literature, reduced the total regional NEE sink by 21\% and shifted many far northern tundra landscapes, and some boreal forests, to a net carbon source. This assessment, based on in situ observations and models, improves our understanding of the high-latitude carbon status and also indicates a continued need for integrated site-to-regional assessments to monitor the vulnerability of these ecosystems to climate change.",

keywords = "Arctic-boreal, CH, CO, carbon budget, remote sensing, tundra, wetland, Methane, Carbon, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Cycle, Ecosystem, Taiga, Tundra",

author = "Watts, \{Jennifer D.\} and Mary Farina and Kimball, \{John S.\} and Schiferl, \{Luke D.\} and Zhihua Liu and Arndt, \{Kyle A.\} and Donatella Zona and Ashley Ballantyne and Euskirchen, \{Eug{\'e}nie S.\} and Parmentier, \{Frans Jan W.\} and Manuel Helbig and Oliver Sonnentag and Torbern Tagesson and Janne Rinne and Hiroki Ikawa and Masahito Ueyama and Hideki Kobayashi and Torsten Sachs and Nadeau, \{Daniel F.\} and John Kochendorfer and Marcin Jackowicz-Korczynski and Anna Virkkala and Mika Aurela and Roisin Commane and Brendan Byrne and Leah Birch and Johnson, \{Matthew S.\} and Nima Madani and Brendan Rogers and Jinyang Du and Arthur Endsley and Kathleen Savage and Ben Poulter and Zhen Zhang and Bruhwiler, \{Lori M.\} and Miller, \{Charles E.\} and Scott Goetz and Oechel, \{Walter C.\}",

note = "{\textcopyright} 2023 John Wiley \& Sons Ltd.",

year = "2023",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1111/gcb.16553",

language = "English",

volume = "29",

pages = "1870--1889",

journal = "Global Change Biology",

issn = "1354-1013",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",

number = "7",

}

Watts, JD, Farina, M, Kimball, JS, Schiferl, LD, Liu, Z, Arndt, KA, Zona, D, Ballantyne, A, Euskirchen, ES, Parmentier, FJW, Helbig, M, Sonnentag, O, Tagesson, T, Rinne, J, Ikawa, H, Ueyama, M, Kobayashi, H, Sachs, T, Nadeau, DF, Kochendorfer, J, Jackowicz-Korczynski, M, Virkkala, A, Aurela, M, Commane, R, Byrne, B, Birch, L, Johnson, MS, Madani, N, Rogers, B, Du, J, Endsley, A, Savage, K, Poulter, B, Zhang, Z, Bruhwiler, LM, Miller, CE, Goetz, S & Oechel, WC 2023, 'Carbon uptake in Eurasian boreal forests dominates the high-latitude net ecosystem carbon budget', Global Change Biology, vol. 29, no. 7, pp. 1870-1889. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16553

TY - JOUR

T1 - Carbon uptake in Eurasian boreal forests dominates the high-latitude net ecosystem carbon budget

AU - Watts, Jennifer D.

AU - Farina, Mary

AU - Kimball, John S.

AU - Schiferl, Luke D.

AU - Liu, Zhihua

AU - Arndt, Kyle A.

AU - Zona, Donatella

AU - Ballantyne, Ashley

AU - Euskirchen, Eugénie S.

AU - Parmentier, Frans Jan W.

AU - Helbig, Manuel

AU - Sonnentag, Oliver

AU - Tagesson, Torbern

AU - Rinne, Janne

AU - Ikawa, Hiroki

AU - Ueyama, Masahito

AU - Kobayashi, Hideki

AU - Sachs, Torsten

AU - Nadeau, Daniel F.

AU - Kochendorfer, John

AU - Jackowicz-Korczynski, Marcin

AU - Virkkala, Anna

AU - Aurela, Mika

AU - Commane, Roisin

AU - Byrne, Brendan

AU - Birch, Leah

AU - Johnson, Matthew S.

AU - Madani, Nima

AU - Rogers, Brendan

AU - Du, Jinyang

AU - Endsley, Arthur

AU - Savage, Kathleen

AU - Poulter, Ben

AU - Zhang, Zhen

AU - Bruhwiler, Lori M.

AU - Miller, Charles E.

AU - Goetz, Scott

AU - Oechel, Walter C.

PY - 2023/4

Y1 - 2023/4

N2 - Arctic-boreal landscapes are experiencing profound warming, along with changes in ecosystem moisture status and disturbance from fire. This region is of global importance in terms of carbon feedbacks to climate, yet the sign (sink or source) and magnitude of the Arctic-boreal carbon budget within recent years remains highly uncertain. Here, we provide new estimates of recent (2003–2015) vegetation gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (Reco), net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE; Reco − GPP), and terrestrial methane (CH4) emissions for the Arctic-boreal zone using a satellite data-driven process-model for northern ecosystems (TCFM-Arctic), calibrated and evaluated using measurements from >60 tower eddy covariance (EC) sites. We used TCFM-Arctic to obtain daily 1-km2 flux estimates and annual carbon budgets for the pan-Arctic-boreal region. Across the domain, the model indicated an overall average NEE sink of −850 Tg CO2-C year−1. Eurasian boreal zones, especially those in Siberia, contributed to a majority of the net sink. In contrast, the tundra biome was relatively carbon neutral (ranging from small sink to source). Regional CH4 emissions from tundra and boreal wetlands (not accounting for aquatic CH4) were estimated at 35 Tg CH4-C year−1. Accounting for additional emissions from open water aquatic bodies and from fire, using available estimates from the literature, reduced the total regional NEE sink by 21% and shifted many far northern tundra landscapes, and some boreal forests, to a net carbon source. This assessment, based on in situ observations and models, improves our understanding of the high-latitude carbon status and also indicates a continued need for integrated site-to-regional assessments to monitor the vulnerability of these ecosystems to climate change.

AB - Arctic-boreal landscapes are experiencing profound warming, along with changes in ecosystem moisture status and disturbance from fire. This region is of global importance in terms of carbon feedbacks to climate, yet the sign (sink or source) and magnitude of the Arctic-boreal carbon budget within recent years remains highly uncertain. Here, we provide new estimates of recent (2003–2015) vegetation gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (Reco), net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE; Reco − GPP), and terrestrial methane (CH4) emissions for the Arctic-boreal zone using a satellite data-driven process-model for northern ecosystems (TCFM-Arctic), calibrated and evaluated using measurements from >60 tower eddy covariance (EC) sites. We used TCFM-Arctic to obtain daily 1-km2 flux estimates and annual carbon budgets for the pan-Arctic-boreal region. Across the domain, the model indicated an overall average NEE sink of −850 Tg CO2-C year−1. Eurasian boreal zones, especially those in Siberia, contributed to a majority of the net sink. In contrast, the tundra biome was relatively carbon neutral (ranging from small sink to source). Regional CH4 emissions from tundra and boreal wetlands (not accounting for aquatic CH4) were estimated at 35 Tg CH4-C year−1. Accounting for additional emissions from open water aquatic bodies and from fire, using available estimates from the literature, reduced the total regional NEE sink by 21% and shifted many far northern tundra landscapes, and some boreal forests, to a net carbon source. This assessment, based on in situ observations and models, improves our understanding of the high-latitude carbon status and also indicates a continued need for integrated site-to-regional assessments to monitor the vulnerability of these ecosystems to climate change.

KW - Arctic-boreal

KW - CH

KW - CO

KW - carbon budget

KW - remote sensing

KW - tundra

KW - wetland

KW - Methane

KW - Carbon

KW - Carbon Dioxide

KW - Carbon Cycle

KW - Ecosystem

KW - Taiga

KW - Tundra

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85146310183

U2 - 10.1111/gcb.16553

DO - 10.1111/gcb.16553

M3 - Article

C2 - 36647630

AN - SCOPUS:85146310183

SN - 1354-1013

VL - 29

SP - 1870

EP - 1889

JO - Global Change Biology

JF - Global Change Biology

IS - 7

ER -

Carbon uptake in Eurasian boreal forests dominates the high-latitude net ecosystem carbon budget

Abstract

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

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