Summary
Cores of wet coastal tundra collected in frozen condition in winter were used as microcosms in a phytotron experiment that assessed the effects of doubling the present atmospheric CO2 concentration, increasing temperature, and depressed water table on net ecosystem CO2 exchange. Doubling atmospheric CO2 had less significance in regard to net carbon capture or loss in this ecosystem as compared to the significant effects of increased temperature and lowered water table level. Both of the latter are to be expected as atmospheric CO2 increases in the Arctic.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baltrusch M (1974) Dreidimensionale analyse des CO2-Konzentrationsfeldes über einer Flächenquelle. Archiv für Meteorologie, Geophysik und Bioklimatologie, Ser B, 22:73–108
Biebl R (1967) Kurztag-Einflüsse auf arktische Pflanzen während der arktischen Langtage. Planta (Berl) 75:77–84
Billings WD, Luken JO, Mortensen DA, Peterson KM (1982) Aretic tundra: A source or sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide in a changing environment? Oecologia (Berlin) 53:7–11
Finn GA, Brun WA (1982) Effect of atmospheric CO2 enrichment on growth, non-structural carbohydrate content, and root nodule activity in soybean. Plant Physiology 69:327–331
Gilliland RL (1982) Solar, volcanic, and CO2 forcing of recent climatic changes. Climatic Change 4:111–131
Keeling CD (1973) Industrial production of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and limestone. Tellus 25:174–198
Keeling CD, Bacastow RB, Bainbridge AE, Ekdahl CA, Jr, Guenther PR, Waterman LS, Chin JFS (1976a) Atmospheric carbon dioxide variations at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii. Tellus 28:538–551
Keeling CD, Adams JA, Jr, Ekdahl CA, Jr, Guenther PR (1976b) Atmospheric carbon dioxide variations at the South Pole. Tellus 28:552–564
Keeling CD, Bacastow RB (1977) Impact of industrial gases on climate. In Energy and climate, Studies in geophysics. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, pp 72–95
Kramer PJ (1981) Carbon dioxide concentration, photosynthesis, and dry matter production. BioScience 31:29–33
Manabe S, Stouffer RJ (1979) A CO2-climate sensitivity study with a mathematical model of the global climate. Nature 282 (29 Nov):491–493
Manabe S, Wetherald RT (1975) The effects of doubling the CO2 concentration on the climate of a general circulation model. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 32:3–15
Manabe S, Wetherald RT, Stouffer RJ (1981) Summer dryness due to an increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration. Climatic Change 3:347–386
Miller PC (ed) (1981) Carbon balance in northern ecosystems and the potential effect of carbon dioxide induced climatic change. U.S. Department of Energy Conf-8003118, Carbon Dioxide Effects Research and Assessment Program 015, p 109
Mooney HA, Billings WD (1961) Comparative physiological ecology of arctic and alpine populations of Oxyria digyna. Ecological Monographs 31:1–29
Parkinson CL, Kellogg WW (1979) Arctic sea ice decay simulated for a CO2-induced temperature rise. Climatic Change 2:149–162
Patterson DT, Flint EP (1980) Potential effects of global atmospheric CO2 enrichment on the growth and competitiveness of C3 and C4 weed and crop plants. Weed Science 28:71–75
Schlesinger WH (1977) Carbon balance in terrestrial detritus. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 8:51–81
Schlesinger WH, Melack JM (1981) Transport of organic carbon in the world's rivers. Tellus 33:172–187
Shaver GR, Billings WD (1977) Effect of daylength and temperature on root elongation in tundra graminoids. Oecologia (Berlin) 28:57–65
Sionit N, Hellmers H, Strain BR (1982) Interaction of atmospheric CO2 enrichment and irradiance on plant growth. Agronomy Journal 74:721–725
Stuiver M (1978) Atmospheric carbon dioxide and carbon reservoir changes. Science 199:253–258
Teeri JA (1976) Phytotron analysis of a photoperiodic response in a High Arctic plant species. Ecology 57:374–379
Wigley TML, Jones PD, Kelly PM (1980) Scenario for a warm, high CO2 world. Nature 283 (3 January):17–21
Woodwell GM, Whittaker RH, Reiners WA, Likens GE, Delwiche CC, Botkin DB (1978) The biota and the world carbon budget. Science 199:141–146
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Billings, W.D., Luken, J.O., Mortensen, D.A. et al. Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide: possible effects on arctic tundra. Oecologia 58, 286–289 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00385225
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00385225