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Terrestrial carbon pools in southeast and south-central United States

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Abstract

Analyses of regional carbon sources and sinks are essential to assess the economical feasibility of various carbon sequestration technologies for mitigating atmospheric CO2 accumulation and for preventing global warming. Such an inventory is a prerequisite for regional trading of CO2 emissions. As a U.S. Department of Energy Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partner, we have estimated the state-level terrestrial carbon pools in the southeast and south-central US. This region includes: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. We have also projected the potential for terrestrial carbon sequestration in the region. Texas is the largest contributor (34%) to greenhouse gas emission in the region. The total terrestrial carbon storage (forest biomass and soils) in the southeast and south-central US is estimated to be 130 Tg C/year. An annual forest carbon sink (estimated as 76 Tg C/year) could compensate for 13% of the regional total annual greenhouse gas emission (505 Tg C, 1990 estimate). Through proper policies and the best land management practices, 54 Tg C/year could be sequestered in soils. Thus, terrestrial sinks can capture 23% of the regional total greenhouse emission and hence are one of the most cost-effective options for mitigating greenhouse emission in the region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Clean Energy Technology (ICET), Mississippi State University, 205 Research Blvd, Starkville, MS, 39759, USA

    Fengxiang X. Han, M. John Plodinec, Yi Su & David L. Monts

  2. Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, 39762, USA

    Fengxiang X. Han

  3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, 39762, USA

    Yi Su & David L. Monts

  4. Institute of Soil Science, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 821, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Zhongpei Li

Authors
  1. Fengxiang X. Han
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  2. M. John Plodinec
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  3. Yi Su
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  4. David L. Monts
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  5. Zhongpei Li
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Correspondence to Fengxiang X. Han.

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Han, F.X., Plodinec, M.J., Su, Y. et al. Terrestrial carbon pools in southeast and south-central United States. Climatic Change 84, 191–202 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-007-9244-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-007-9244-5

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