carbon fluxes and pools Flashcards
how does the ecosystem balance carbon
GPP, NPP, NetEcosystemProduciton
how to find NPP from GPP
GPP-Rplant
how to find NEP
NEP = GPP – R ecosystem
NEP = NPP – (R heterotr + R F disturb + F leach)
what is leaching
dissolved organic carbon and dissolving inorganic carbon to ground water,
stream, and lakes (solubilized)
disturbance pattern?
Disturbance – significant but sporadic for example fire, harvesting, disease
carbon sink vs source
Carbon sink – carbon gain is greater than carbon loss
Carbon sources – carbon loss is greater than carbon gain
where are carbon pools high
tropical forests, temperate forests, and boreal forests: forests have high carbon pool and high
productivity
where are carbon pools small? how are they still significant?
ropical grasslands are productive that very little carbon is being stored
Small pools can have significant impacts if the pools are released at a high rate all at once
daily levels of NEP?
- Maximal sunlight = highest GPP w periods of no GPP (no light)
- Output becomes neg and NEP goes below 0 thus carbon is lost
yearly levels of NEP?
- Maximal sunlight = highest GPP w periods of no GPP (no light)
- Output becomes neg and NEP goes below 0 thus carbon is lost
NEP calc from leaves?
amount of leaf photosynthetic structures x length of season = NEP
where are leaves more productive?
Leaves are more productive in deserts because of the limitation of water and nutrients so they are
better at making more productive leaves (biomass more efficient)
why is NPP high daily in tropical forests
Tropical forests have high daily NPP b/c of high LAI due to easy access to light, water and
nutrients. They can open their stomata to maximize CO2 because they aren’t short of water
(don’t worry about desiccation)
what abiotic features have the highest carbon pools
Rocks have highest carbon pool, following deep water.
why is deep water carbon less contributing? what contributes more?
deep water carbon is not being
reintroduced into the atmosphere. It is where how the fluxes come out of the pools as impact on
what is in the atmosphere such as melting and transport process of permafrost pools. Thus, it is
the smaller pools that have a bigger impact because it is being introduced into atmosphere. Also
a fast release of carbon could have large impacts even if it is a smaller pool
