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Forest Ecosystems, Forest Management and the Global Carbon Cycle pp 25–34Cite as

The global carbon cycle and the atmospheric record: “The problem definition”

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Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASII,volume 40))

Abstract

The abundance of C02 in the atmosphere has increased from ~315 ppmv in 1958 to ~350 ppmv in the 1990s. The increase in the decade of the 1980s is ~55% of the C02 release from fossil fuel combustion, estimated at 5.5 Pg C yr-1, or ~40% of the total anthropogenic source, from fossil fuel combustion plus land use modification (estimated at 1.6 Pg C yr-1). Thus, mass balance requires the removal of ~60% of the anthropogenic C02 by the surface. The partitioning of the C02 sink between the ocean and land is a subject of intense debate and research. As the residence time of C02 in the terrestrial biosphere is much shorter than that in the ocean, C02 sequestered now in the terrestrial biosphere may be returned to the atmosphere in the next 50-100 years to accelerate greenhouse warming (see Woodwell 1995). Therefore, understanding the mechanisms responsible for the C02 uptake is crucial for projections of future C02 levels in the atmosphere.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NASA, 2880 Broadway, New York, NY, 10025, USA

    Inez Fung

  2. School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700, Victoria BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada

    Inez Fung

Authors
  1. Inez Fung
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Canadian Forest Service, Northwest Region, Natural Resources Canada, 5320-122 Street, T6H 3S5, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    Michael J. Apps  & David T. Price  & 

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© 1996 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Fung, I. (1996). The global carbon cycle and the atmospheric record: “The problem definition”. In: Apps, M.J., Price, D.T. (eds) Forest Ecosystems, Forest Management and the Global Carbon Cycle. NATO ASI Series, vol 40. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-61111-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-61111-7_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-64699-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-61111-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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