Measuring Major Components of the Terrestrial Carbon Balance

Abstract

The carbon balance issue is directly related to global warming, since the presence of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere is the key factor behind the greenhouse effect. As observing the exchange of carbon compounds between the ecosystem and the atmosphere has become important in ecological studies, several methods have been developed over recent decades in order to estimate carbon fluxes at different scales. The following text contains a description of the most commonly applied techniques, such as chambers, eddy covariance, and relaxed eddy accumulation. The authors of this chapter have gained experience in designing, building, and using the techniques described below over the past several decades. These systems have been successfully applied in wetlands, forests, and crop ecosystems and have been reliable sources of ecological data until now. The presented overview of the measurement methods is focused on providing an insight into the theoretical basis, as well as the advantages and limitations of all these techniques. This chapter is intended to help a potential user to decide what approach could be applied in their own investigations.