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Temperature acclimation of photosynthesis and respiration: A key uncertainty in the carbon cycle‐climate feedback
Author(s) -
Lombardozzi Danica L.,
Bonan Gordon B.,
Smith Nicholas G.,
Dukes Jeffrey S.,
Fisher Rosie A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2015gl065934
Subject(s) - carbon cycle , respiration , environmental science , acclimatization , photosynthesis , atmospheric sciences , climate change , carbon fibers , key (lock) , climatology , ecology , ecosystem , biology , computer science , physics , geology , botany , algorithm , composite number
Earth System Models typically use static responses to temperature to calculate photosynthesis and respiration, but experimental evidence suggests that many plants acclimate to prevailing temperatures. We incorporated representations of photosynthetic and leaf respiratory temperature acclimation into the Community Land Model, the terrestrial component of the Community Earth System Model. These processes increased terrestrial carbon pools by 20 Pg C (22%) at the end of the 21st century under a business‐as‐usual (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5) climate scenario. Including the less certain estimates of stem and root respiration acclimation increased terrestrial carbon pools by an additional 17 Pg C (~40% overall increase). High latitudes gained the most carbon with acclimation, and tropical carbon pools increased least. However, results from both of these regions remain uncertain; few relevant data exist for tropical and boreal plants or for extreme temperatures. Constraining these uncertainties will produce more realistic estimates of land carbon feedbacks throughout the 21st century.