Seasonal warming responses of the carbon dioxide sink from northern forests are sensitive to stand age
Abstract Northern forests (forests north of 30°N) are major terrestrial carbon dioxide (CO2) sinks, while rapid warming can disturb their CO2 sink function. Here we use multi-year net CO2 exchange observations from 65 northern forest sites to show that the increased net CO2 uptake during warmer spri...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02008-7 |
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| Summary: | Abstract Northern forests (forests north of 30°N) are major terrestrial carbon dioxide (CO2) sinks, while rapid warming can disturb their CO2 sink function. Here we use multi-year net CO2 exchange observations from 65 northern forest sites to show that the increased net CO2 uptake during warmer springs was more pronounced in old forests (>90 years old) compared to young (<40 years old) and mid-aged (40–90 years old) forests. In addition, the decreased net CO2 uptake during warmer summers and autumns was more pronounced in young forests compared to mid- and old-aged forests. Annually, this resulted in an increase in net CO2 uptake due to seasonal warming for old forests (4.8 g C m−2 yr-1) and a decrease in young- and mid-aged forests (3.2 and 0.8 g C m−2 yr-1, respectively). In future projections, increasingly uneven seasonal warming may amplify the impacts of stand age on CO2 sinks of northern forests. |
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| ISSN: | 2662-4435 |