Weak Northern and Strong Tropical Land Carbon Uptake from Vertical Profiles of Atmospheric CO 2
NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · +9 more institutions
Abstract
Measurements of midday vertical atmospheric CO2 distributions reveal annual-mean vertical CO2 gradients that are inconsistent with atmospheric models that estimate a large transfer of terrestrial carbon from tropical to northern latitudes. The three models that most closely reproduce the observed annual-mean vertical CO2 gradients estimate weaker northern uptake of -1.5 petagrams of carbon per year (Pg C year(-1)) and weaker tropical emission of +0.1 Pg C year(-1) compared with previous consensus estimates of -2.4 and +1.8 Pg C year(-1), respectively. This suggests that northern terrestrial uptake of industrial CO2 emissions plays a smaller role than previously thought and that, after subtracting land-use…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 60.50
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 33
Authors
22- BBBritton B. StephensCorresponding
NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tohoku University, Purdue University West Lafayette, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement
- KRK. R. Gurney
NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tohoku University, Purdue University West Lafayette, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement
- PPPieter P. Tans
NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tohoku University, Purdue University West Lafayette, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement
- CSColm Sweeney
NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tohoku University, Purdue University West Lafayette, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement
- WPWouter Peters
NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tohoku University, Purdue University West Lafayette, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement
Topics & keywords
- Atmospheric sciences
- Latitude
- Environmental science
- Tropics
- Carbon fibers
- Ecosystem
- Climatology
- Terrestrial ecosystem