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Increases in early season ecosystem uptake explain recent changes in the seasonal cycle of atmospheric CO 2 at high northern latitudes
Author(s) -
Randerson J. T.,
Field C. B.,
Fung I. Y.,
Tans P. P.
Publication year - 1999
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 - 10.1029/1999gl900500
Subject(s) - environmental science , biogeochemical cycle , ecosystem , carbon cycle , atmospheric sciences , growing season , climatology , latitude , annual cycle , seasonality , ecology , geography , biology , geology , geodesy
We report changes in the seasonal cycle of atmospheric CO 2 at high northern latitudes from 1980 to 1997 based on NOAA/CMDL observation stations. Using a combination of biogeochemical and atmospheric modeling approaches, we show that increases in early season net ecosystem uptake explain the recent trends in the seasonal cycle. A strong year‐to‐year correlation between spring temperatures and early season uptake further suggests that increased photosynthetic activity is the primary mechanism. At the end of the growing season, a strong correlation between fall temperatures and late season releases provides evidence for a large active pool of decomposing soil carbon. Taken together, our results suggest that the seasonal timing of temperature anomalies may have important consequences for the interannual carbon balance of northern ecosystems.