The Role of High Latitude Ecosystems in the Global Carbon Cycle

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This study proposes to elucidate the role of high latitude ecosystems in the global carbon cycle and to assess the sensitivity and uncertainty of terrestrial carbon storage responses to transient changes in climate. The study will synthesize and integrate data from investigations of carbon cycling at local, regional, and global scales with the Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (TEM). Once the TEM is tested, the model will be run for the historical transient climate to compare estimated temporal and spatial variations in terrestrial carbon storage with those estimated by analysis of the historical record of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The results will be useful for identifying the uncertainty in carbon storage responses of high latitude ecosystems and for assessing the effects of climate change in terrestrial systems.