articleGlobal Biogeochemical CyclesJan 10, 2003Closed access

Global distribution of C 3 and C 4 vegetation: Carbon cycle implications

Carnegie Institution for Science · Carnegie Department of Plant Biology · +4 more institutions

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Abstract

The global distribution of C 3 and C 4 plants is required for accurately simulating exchanges of CO 2 , water, and energy between the land surface and atmosphere. It is also important to know the C 3 /C 4 distribution for simulations of the carbon isotope composition of atmospheric CO 2 owing to the distinct fractionations displayed by each photosynthetic type. Large areas of the land surface are spatial and temporal mosaics of both photosynthetic types. We developed an approach for capturing this heterogeneity by combining remote sensing products, physiological modeling, a spatial distribution of global crop fractions, and national harvest area data for major crop types. Our C 3 /C 4 distribution predicts the…

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