The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Default user image.

Fredrik Lagergren

Researcher

Default user image.

Winter respiratory C losses provide explanatory power for net ecosystem productivity

Author

  • M. Haeni
  • R. Zweifel
  • W. Eugster
  • A Gessler
  • S. Zielis
  • C Bernhofer
  • A. Carrara
  • T. Grünwald
  • K. Havránková
  • B. Heinesch
  • M. Herbst
  • A Ibrom
  • A Knohl
  • F. Lagergren
  • B. E. Law
  • M Marek
  • G Matteucci
  • J. H. Mccaughey
  • Stefano Minerbi
  • L Montagnani
  • E Moors
  • Janusz Olejnik
  • Marian Pavelka
  • K Pilegaard
  • G Pita
  • A A Rodrigues
  • M. J. Sanz Sánchez
  • Mart-Jan Schelhaas
  • M. Urbaniak
  • R Valentini
  • Andrej Varlagin
  • T Vesala
  • Cécile Vincke
  • J. Wu
  • N. Buchmann
Show all

Summary, in English

Accurate predictions of net ecosystem productivity (NEPc) of forest ecosystems are essential for climate change decisions and requirements in the context of national forest growth and greenhouse gas inventories. However, drivers and underlying mechanisms determining NEPc (e.g., climate and nutrients) are not entirely understood yet, particularly when considering the influence of past periods. Here we explored the explanatory power of the compensation day (cDOY)-defined as the day of year when winter net carbon losses are compensated by spring assimilation-for NEPc in 26 forests in Europe, North America, and Australia, using different NEPc integration methods. We found cDOY to be a particularly powerful predictor for NEPc of temperate evergreen needleleaf forests (R2=0.58) and deciduous broadleaf forests (R2=0.68). In general, the latest cDOY correlated with the lowest NEPc. The explanatory power of cDOY depended on the integration method for NEPc, forest type, and whether the site had a distinct winter net respiratory carbon loss or not. The integration methods starting in autumn led to better predictions of NEPc from cDOY then the classical calendar method starting 1 January. Limited explanatory power of cDOY for NEPc was found for warmer sites with no distinct winter respiratory loss period. Our findings highlight the importance of the influence of winter processes and the delayed responses of previous seasons' climatic conditions on current year's NEPc. Such carry-over effects may contain information from climatic conditions, carbon storage levels, and hydraulic traits of several years back in time.

Department/s

  • Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate

Publishing year

2017-01

Language

English

Pages

243-260

Publication/Series

Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences

Volume

122

Issue

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Wiley

Topic

  • Ecology
  • Climate Research

Keywords

  • Carbon sink
  • Carbon source
  • CO exchange
  • Eddy covariance
  • Growing season length
  • Winter respiration

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2169-8953