PARTNERS: University of Toledo Landscape Ecology and Ecosystem Science Lab, Members of the U.S.-China Carbon Consortium

SUMMARY: Carbon dioxide emissions from natural and anthropogenic sources are thought to contribute to warmer climate and more frequent extremes in temperature and precipitation. The increased variation in climate may alter ecosystem carbon exchange dynamics by stimulating respiration and suppressing assimilation, leading to lower long-term carbon sequestration. Likewise, carbon stocks in managed forests are vulnerable to climate- and disturbance-induced release of CO₂. The disturbance of soil by machinery, increased aeration because of drainage and plowing, and altered moisture regime may expose soil carbon pools that in a natural system could be considered long-term storage, making them available for microbial decomposition. Eddy covariance offers a monitoring tool that can detect changes in carbon exchange at ecosystem to landscape level, and over a wide range of time scales – from individual weather events of a few days to decade-long systematic shifts in climate. Furthermore, the high frequency of measurements (ecosystem net carbon, water and energy budgets are typically calculated at 30-minute intervals, 365 days a year) allows inference of the mechanisms behind the changes in carbon and water exchange. Coupled with traditional FIA datasets, eddy covariance measurements provide a powerful tool to assess ecosystem health, their capacity to store and release carbon, and validate large-scale biogeochemical circulation models and remote sensing products.  

The primary goal of this study is to assess the causal relationships between management or disturbance regimes and the environmental controls of biosphere-atmosphere exchange of carbon and water. The overall objective is to measure and model the coupling effects of forest management and changing climate on CO₂ and H₂O fluxes in eastern forests of the U.S. and China. This study would be among the first to provide strong quantitative information concerning carbon exchange at disturbed ecosystems over their successional stages. Results learned from three new flux sites will be compared with data from eight other existing sites toward a synthesis of decoupling the effects of climate and management. These results will further advance current management efforts in the region and the world, where carbon credits are seriously being considered in resources management. The duration for this research study is estimated at five to ten years and will result in several publications and conference presentations with international significance.

STATUS: Ongoing

PROGRESS: The following papers and presentations have been produced as part of this project:

Xiao, J.; Zhuang, Q.; Baldocchi, D.D.; Law, B.E.; Richardson, A.D.; Chen, J.; Oren, R.; Starr, G.; Noormets, A.; Ma, S.; Verma, S.B.; Wharton, S.; Wofsy, S.C.; Bolstad, P.V.; Burns, S.P.; Cook, D.R.; Curtis, P.S.; Drake, B.G.; Falk, M.; Fischer, M.L.; Foster, D.R.; Gu, L.; Hadley, J.L.; Hollinger, D.Y.; Katul, G.G.; Litvak, M.; Martin, T.A.; Matamala, R.; McNulty, S.G.; Meyers, T.P.; Monson, R.K.; Munger, J.W.; Oechel, W.C.; Paw U, K.T.; Schmid, H.P.; Scott, R.L.; Sun, G; Suyker, A.E.; Torn, M.S. 2008. Estimation of net ecosystem carbon exchange for the conterminous United States by combining MODIS and AmeriFlux data. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. In press.

Noormets, A.; McNulty, S.G.; DeForest, J.L.; Sun, G.; Li, Q.; and Chen, J. 2008. Drought during canopy development has lasting effect on annual carbon balance in a deciduous temperate forest. New Phytologist 179: 818-828. (PDF)

DeForest, J.L.; Noormets, A.; McNulty, S.G.; Tenney, G.; Sun, G.; Chen, J. 2006. Phenophases alter the soil respiration-temperature relationship in an oak-dominated forest. International Journal of Biometeorology 51: 135-144. (PDF)

Moffat, A.M.; Papale, D.; Reichstein, M.; Barr, A.G.; Beckstein, C.; Braswell, B.H.; Churkina, G.; Desai, A.R.; Falge, E.; Gove, J.H.; Heimann, M.; Hollinger, D.Y.; Hui, D.; Jarvis, A.J.; Kattge, J.; Noormets, A.; Richardson, A.D.; Stauch, V.J. 2007. Comprehensive comparison of gap filling techniques for eddy covariance net carbon fluxes. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 147: 209-232. (PDF)

Desai, A.R.; Richardson, A.D.; Moffat, A.M.; Kattge, J.; Hollinger, D.Y.; Barr, A.; Falge, E.; Noormets, A.; Papale, D.; Reichstein, M.; Stauch, V.J. 2008. Cross-site evaluation of eddy covariance GPP and RE decomposition techniques. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 148: 821-838. (PDF)

Sun, G.; Noormets, A.; Chen, J.; McNulty, S.G. 2008. Evapotranspiration estimates from eddy covariance towers and hydrologic modeling in managed forests in Northern Wisconsin, USA. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 148: 257-267. (PDF)

John, R.; Chen, J.; Lu, N.; Guo, K.; Liang, C.; Wei, Y.; Noormets, A.; Ma, K.; Han X. 2008. Predicting plant diversity based on remote sensing products in the semi-arid region of Inner Mongolia. Remote Sensing of Environment 112: 2018-2032. (PDF)

Noormets, A.; Desai, A.; Cook, B.D.; Euskirchen, E.; Ricciuto, D.; Davis, K.J.; Bolstad, P.V.; Schmid, H.P.; Vogel, C.V.; Carey, E.V.; Su, H.B.; Chen, J. 2008. Moisture sensitivity of ecosystem respiration: Comparison of 14 forest ecosystems in the Upper Great Lakes Region, USA. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 148: 216-230. (PDF)

Ryu, S-R; Chen, J.; Noormets, A.; Bresee, M.K.; Ollinger, S.V.; 2008. Comparisons between PnET-Day and eddy covariance based gross ecosystem production in two northern Wisconsin forests. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 148: 247-256. (PDF)

Desai, A.R.; Noormets, A.; Bolstad, P.V.; Chen, J.; Cook, B.D.; Curtis, P.V.; Davis, K.J.; Euskirchen, E.S.; Gough, C.; Martin, J.M.; Ricciuto, D.M.; Schmid, H.P.; Su, H.B.; Tang, J.; Vogel, C.; Wang, W. 2008. Influence of vegetation and seasonal forcing on carbon dioxide fluxes across the Upper Midwest, USA: Implications for regional scaling. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 148: 288-308. (PDF)

Domec, J-C; Noormets, A.; King, J.S.; Sun, G.; McNulty, S.G.; Gavazzi, M.J.; Strickland, S.; Boggs, J.L. 2007. Hydraulic Redistribution of Soil Water in a Drained Loblolly Pine Plantation: Quantifying Patterns and Controls over Soil-to-Root and Canopy-to-Atmosphere Interactions. AGU annual meeting. December 10-14, 2007. San Francisco.

Noormets, A.; Gavazzi, M.; McNulty, S.G.; Sun, G.; Domec, J.C.; King, J.S.; Chen, J. 2008. Carbon balance of lower coastal plain forests. Ecological Society of America, Milwaukee, WI, August 4.

Noormets, A.; Gavazzi, M.; Sun, G.; Chen, J.; McNulty, S.G. 2007. Changes in temperature-moisture covariance could increase soil carbon loss. Ecological Society of America, San Jose, CA, August 7.

Law, B.E.; Noormets, A.; Grace, J. 2007. The Effects of Disturbance on Forest Carbon Processes. AGU Fall Meeting. December 10-14, 2007. San Francisco.

Moffat, A.M.; Papale, D.; Reichstein, M.; Hollinger, D.Y.; Richardson, A.D.; Barr, A.G.; Beckstein, C.; Braswell, B.H.; Churkina, G.; Desai, A.R.; Falge, E.; Gove, J.H.; Heimann, M.; Hui, D.; Jarvis, A.J.; Kattge, J.; Noormets, A.; Stauch, V.J. 2007. Comprehensive comparison of gap filling techniques for eddy covariance net carbon fluxes. AGU Fall Meeting. December 10-14, 2007. San Francisco.

Alstad, K.P.; Sun, G.; Chen, J.; Noormets, A.; McNulty, S.G. 2007. Water loss through canopies of the Oak Openings Mixed Hardwood Forests. Oak Openings Annual Meeting.

Alstad, K.; Sun, G.; Chen, J.; Noormets, A.; McNulty, S. 2007. Estimating ET for a mixed oak forest using two methods: eddy-covariance and soil water budget (poster #1671). The AGU Fall Meeting. December 10-14, 2007. San Francisco, CA.

Lu, N.; Noormets, A.; Chen, J. 2007. Heat storage and energy balance closure across five forests of different ages. ESA/SER Joint Meeting. San Jose.

Noormets, A.; Gavazzi, M.; Sun, G.; Chen, J.; McNulty, S.G. 2008. Carbon balance of coastal forested wetlands. The 93rd Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America-Enhancing Ecological Thought by Linking Research and Education. August 3-8, 2008. Milwaukee, WI.

Quirino, V.F.; Wynne, R.H.; Noormets, A.; Huemmrich, K.F.; Sun, G.; McNulty, S.G. 2007. Identifying Temporal Patterns in Light use Efficiency for two Loblolly Pine Plantations in a Drained Lower Coastal Plain Region of North Carolina, U.S.A. AGU Fall Meeting. December 10-14, 2007. San Francisco.

Wilske, B.; Lu, N.; Chen, S.; Liu, C.; Xu, W.; Noormets, A.; Wei, L.; Lin, G.; Miao, H.; Wei, Y.; Zhang, Z.; Chen, J.; Zha, T.; Ni, J.; Sun, G.; Guo, K.; McNulty, S.; John, R.; Chen, J. 2007. Effects of Large Scale Poplar Plantations on the Hydrology of Semiarid Areas in Inner Mongolia. AGU Fall Meeting. December 10-14, 2007. San Francisco.

LINKS:

University of Toledo Landscape Ecology and Ecosystem Science Lab

U.S.-China Carbon Consortium (USCCC)

CONTACT: Asko Noormets, North Carolina State University Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, anoorme@ncsu.edu or 919-515-7040