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Learning about the carbon cycle from global budget data
Author(s) -
Melnikov Nikolai B.,
O'Neill Brian C.
Publication year - 2006
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 - 10.1029/2005gl023935
Subject(s) - carbon cycle , carbon sink , environmental science , carbon fibers , climatology , projection (relational algebra) , econometrics , climate change , computer science , economics , geology , ecology , ecosystem , biology , oceanography , algorithm , composite number
Observation‐based estimates of the global carbon budget serve as important constraints on carbon cycle models. We test the effect of new budget data on projection uncertainty. Using a simple global model, we find that data for an additional decadal budget have only a marginal effect on projection uncertainty, in the absence of any constraints on decadal variability in carbon fluxes. Even if uncertainty in the global budget were eliminated entirely, uncertainty in the mechanisms governing carbon sinks have a much larger effect on future projections. Results suggest that learning about the carbon cycle will best be facilitated by improved understanding of sink mechanisms and their variability as opposed to better estimates of the magnitudes of fluxes that make up the global carbon budget.