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Sensitivity of the terrestrial biosphere to climatic changes: Impact on the carbon cycle

dc.contributor.authorFriedlingstein, P.
dc.contributor.authorMüller, J.-F.
dc.contributor.authorBrasseur, G.P.
dc.date1994
dc.date.accessioned2017-06-01T11:16:15Z
dc.date.available2017-06-01T11:16:15Z
dc.identifier.urihttps://orfeo.belnet.be/handle/internal/5616
dc.descriptionThe biosphere is a major pool in the global carbon cycle; its response to climatic change is therefore of great importance. We developed a 5° × 5° longitude-latitude resolution model of the biosphere in which the global distributions of the major biospheric variables, i.e. the vegetation types and the main carbon pools and fluxes, are determined from climatic variables. We defined nine major broad vegetation types: perennial ice, desert and semi-desert, tundra, coniferous forest, temperate deciduous forest, grassland and shrubland, savannah, seasonal tropical forest and evergreen tropical forest. Their geographical repartition is parameterized using correlations between observed vegetation type, precipitation and biotemperature distributions. The model computes as a function of climate and vegetation type, the variables related to the continental biospheric carbon cycle, i.e. the carbon pools such as the phytomass, the litter and the soil organic carbon; and carbon fluxes such as net primary production, litter production and heterotrophic respiration. The modeled present-day biosphere is in good agreement with observation. The model is used to investigate the response of the terrestrial biosphere to climatic changes as predicted by different General Circulation Models (GCM). In particular, the impact on the biosphere of climatic conditions corresponding to the last glacial climate (LGM), 18 000 years ago, is investigated. Comparison with results from present-day climate simulations shows the high sensitivity of the geographical distribution of vegetation types and carbon content as well as biospheric trace gases emissions to climatic changes. The general trend for LGM compared to the present is an increase in low density vegetation types (tundra, desert, grassland) to the detriment of forested areas, in tropical as well as in other regions. Consequently, the biospheric activity (carbon fluxes and trace gases emissions) was reduced.
dc.languageeng
dc.titleSensitivity of the terrestrial biosphere to climatic changes: Impact on the carbon cycle
dc.typeArticle
dc.subject.frascatiEarth and related Environmental sciences
dc.audienceScientific
dc.subject.freecarbon dioxide
dc.subject.freecarbon dioxide fixation
dc.subject.freeclimate
dc.subject.freeconference paper
dc.subject.freeenvironmental temperature
dc.subject.freeforest
dc.subject.freegreenhouse effect
dc.subject.freemodel
dc.subject.freeprecipitation
dc.subject.freesoil
dc.subject.freevegetation
dc.source.titleEnvironmental Pollution
dc.source.volume83
dc.source.issue1-2
dc.source.page143-147
Orfeo.peerreviewedYes
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/0269-7491(94)90032-9
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-0028366316


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