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Consequences of warming on tundra carbon balance determined by reindeer grazing history.
- Source :
- Nature Climate Change; May2014, Vol. 4 Issue 5, p384-388, 5p
- Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- Arctic tundra currently stores half of the global soil carbon (C) stock. Climate warming in the Arctic may lead to accelerated CO<subscript>2</subscript> release through enhanced decomposition and turn Arctic ecosystems from a net C sink into a net C source, if warming enhances decomposition more than plant photosynthesis. A large portion of the circumpolar Arctic is grazed by reindeer/caribou, and grazing causes important vegetation shifts in the long-term. Using a unique experimental set-up, where areas experiencing more than 50 years of either light (LG) or heavy (HG) grazing were warmed and/or fertilized, we show that under ambient conditions areas under LG were a 70% stronger C sink than HG areas. Although warming decreased the C sink by 38% under LG, it had no effect under HG. Grazing history will thus be an important determinant in the response of ecosystem C balance to climate warming, which at present is not taken into account in climate change models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- GLOBAL warming
GRAZING
ECOSYSTEMS
CLIMATE change
VEGETATION & climate
TUNDRA animals
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1758678X
- Volume :
- 4
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Nature Climate Change
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 100251105
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2147