ALBERT

Description: The response of net ecosystem productivity (NEP) and evaporation in a boreal aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) forest and a black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) forest in Canada was compared using a newly developed realistic model of surface-atmosphere exchanges of carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor, and energy as well as eddy covariance flux measurements made over a 6-year period (1994-1999). The model was developed by incorporating a process-based two-leaf (sunlit and shaded) canopy conductance and photosynthesis submodel in the Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS). A simple submodel of autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration was combined with the photosynthesis model to simulate NEP. The model performed well in simulating half-hourly, daily, and monthly mean CO2 exchange and evaporation values in both deciduous and coniferous forests. Modeled and measured results showed a linear relationship between CO2 uptake and evaporation, and for each kilogram of water transpired, approximately 3 g of carbon (C) were photosynthesized by both ecosystems. The model results confirmed that the aspen forest was a weak to moderate C sink with considerable interannual variability in C uptake. In the growing season, the C uptake capacity of the aspen forest was over twice that of the black spruce forest. Warm springs enhanced NEP in both forests; however, high mid-summer temperatures appear to have significantly reduced NEP at the black spruce forest as a result of increased respiration. The model suggests that the black spruce forest is a weak C sink in cool years and a weak C source in warm years. These results show that the C balance of these two forests is sensitive to seasonal and interannual climatic variability and stresses the importance of continuous long-term flux measurement to confirm modeling results.

Description: Boreal and temperate deciduous forests at northern mid-latitudes play an important role in the global carbon cycle. We analyze 3 years (1996-1998) of eddy-covariance carbon dioxide flux measurements from two contrasting deciduous forest ecosystems in the boreal and temperate regions of central Canada. The two forest stands have similar ages, heights, and leaf area indices but differ in species composition and climate. Mean annual net ecosystem productivity (NEP) was similar for the two ecosystems, varying between 0.7 and 2.7 t C·ha1 (boreal) and 0.6 and 2.4 t C·ha1 (temperate). In the boreal ecosystem, interannual differences in NEP were primarily controlled by early spring temperature. The warm spring of 1998 caused early leaf out and increased photosynthesis but had little effect on respiration. In the temperate ecosystem, the same warm spring not only caused early leaf out but also increased respiration and drought stress. The contrasting impact of the warm spring on annual NEP at the two sites illustrates the complexity of interpreting climatic impacts on the forest carbon balance. It also illustrates two competing influences of climate change on NEP: spring warming, which promotes photosynthesis and increases NEP, and increased soil temperature and drought, which promote respiration and reduce photosynthesis, thus reducing NEP. We discuss the need for a consistent data post-processing methodology in ecosystem intercomparisons. We also compare our results with a recent synthesis of data from European forests.