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Intermediate time scale response of atmospheric CO 2 following prescribed fire in a longleaf pine forest
Author(s) -
Viner B.,
Parker M.,
Maze G.,
Varnedoe P.,
Leclerc M.,
Starr G.,
Aubrey D.,
Zhang G.,
Duarte H.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: biogeosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8961
pISSN - 2169-8953
DOI - 10.1002/2016jg003351
Subject(s) - environmental science , atmospheric sciences , flux (metallurgy) , ecosystem , carbon cycle , ecosystem respiration , eddy covariance , ecology , chemistry , geology , biology , organic chemistry
Abstract Fire plays an essential role in maintaining the structure and function of longleaf pine ecosystems. While the effects of fire on carbon cycle have been measured in previous studies for short periods during a burn and for multiyear periods following the burn, information on how carbon cycle is influenced by such changes over the span of a few weeks to months has yet to be quantified. We have analyzed high‐frequency measurements of CO 2 concentration and flux, as well as associated micrometeorological variables, at three levels of the tall Aiken AmeriFlux tower during and after a prescribed burn. Measurements of the CO 2 concentration and vertical fluxes were examined as well as calculated net ecosystem exchange (NEE) for periods prior to and after the burn. Large spikes in both CO 2 concentration and CO 2 flux during the fire and increases in atmospheric CO 2 concentration and reduced CO 2 flux were observed for several weeks following the burn, particularly below the forest canopy. Both CO 2 measurements and NEE were found to return to their preburn states within 60–90 days following the burn when no statistical significance was found between preburn and postburn NEE. This study examines the micrometeorological conditions during a low‐intensity prescribed burn and its short‐term effects on local CO 2 dynamics in a forested environment by identifying observable impacts on local measurements of atmospheric CO 2 concentration and fluxes.