Carbon Release from Fires in the North American Boreal Forest

Abstract

Using current estimates of exchanges of carbon between the atmosphere, ocean, and biosphere, researchers have determined that a movement of as much as 2 Gt C yr-1 out of the atmosphere pool is unaccounted for (Schlesinger 1991). It has been hypothesized that this missing carbon sink may be found in the terrestrial biosphere and most likely in northern latitudes (Tans et al. 1990; Ciais et al. 1995; Fan et al. 1998; Kasischke, this volume, Chapter 2). Research is underway to model and quantify the carbon cycle in northern (temperate and boreal) forest ecosystems a biogeochemical cycle that is poorly understood and very difficult to quantify because of the high degree of spatial and temporal variability and complexity in distribution of different forest types and ecosystem processes