Response of vegetation and soil carbon accumulation rate for China’s mature forest on climate change

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2015.0382

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims
This study aims to evaluate the impacts of future climate change on vegetation and soil carbon accumulation rate in China’s forests.
Methods
The vegetation and soil carbon storage were predicted by the atmosphere-vegetation interaction model (AVIM2) based on B2 climate change scenario during the period of 1981-2040. This study focused on mature forests in China and the forested area maintained constant over the study period. The carbon accumulation rate in year t is defined as the carbon storage of year t minus that of year t-1.
Important findings
Under B2 climate change scenario, mean air temperature in China’s forested area was projected to rise from 7.8 °C in 1981 to 9.0 °C in 2040. The total vegetation carbon storage was then estimated to increase from 8.56 Pg C in 1981 to 9.79 Pg C in 2040, meanwhile total vegetation carbon accumulation rate was estimated to fluctuate between -0.054-0.076 Pg C·a^-1, with the average of 0.022 Pg C·a^-1. The total soil carbon storage was estimated to increase from 30.2 Pg C in 1981 to 30.72 Pg C in 2040, and total soil carbon accumulation rate was estimated to vary in the range of -0.035-0.072 Pg C·a^-1, with the mean of 0.010 Pg C·a^-1. The response of vegetation and soil carbon accumulation rate to climate change had significant spatial difference in China although the two time series did not show significant trend over the study period. Our results also showed warming was not in favor of forest carbon accumulation, so in the northeastern and southeastern forested area, especially in the Changbai Mountain, with highest temperature increase in the future, the vegetation and soil carbon accumulation rate were estimated to decrease greatly. However, in the southern of southwestern forested area and other forested area, with relatively less temperature increase, the vegetation and soil carbon accumulation rate was estimated to increase in the future.

http://jtp.cnki.net/bilingual/detail/html/ZWSB201604014

Key words: China, forest, carbon accumulation rate, climate change, AVIM2

Mei HUANG, Jing HOU, Xu-Li TANG, Man HAO. Response of vegetation and soil carbon accumulation rate for China’s mature forest on climate change[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2016, 40(4): 416-424.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2015.0382

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2016/V40/I4/416

Figures/Tables 7

Fig. 1 Comparison of the simulated and observed carbon density. A, Vegetation. B, Soil. RMSE, root mean square error.

Table 1 Comparison of the simulated and observed mean vegetation and soil carbon density among various forest types

植被类型 Vegetation type	网格点数 No. of sites	平均林龄 Mean stand age (a)	植被碳 Vegetation carbon (kg C·m^-2)			土壤碳 Soil carbon (kg C·m^-2)
植被类型 Vegetation type	网格点数 No. of sites	平均林龄 Mean stand age (a)	观测 Observed	模拟 Simulated	相对偏差 Relative deviation (%)	观测 Observed	模拟 Simulated	相对偏差 Relative deviation (%)
常绿针叶林 Evergreen coniferous forest	4	82	7.8	8.4	7.7	13.4	14.3	6.7
常绿阔叶林 Evergreen broad-leaved forest	4	100	8.6	9.8	13.2	11.3	15.5	37.0
落叶针叶林 Deciduous coniferous forest	3	85	10.8	13.6	25.9	15.3	18.7	22.0
落叶阔叶林 Deciduous broad-leaved forest	22	102	6.3	6.8	7.6	12.0	11.3	-5.8
混交林 Mixed forest	30	85	6.7	7.7	15.4	16.5	20.7	25.5

Fig. 2 The variations of air temperature, precipitation, total carbon amount and carbon accumulation for China’s mature forests from 1981-2040. A, Annual mean air temperature. B, Annual precipitation. C, Total vegetation carbon stock. D, Total soil carbon stock. E, Vegetation carbon accumulation rate. F, Soil carbon accumulation rate.

Fig. 3 The spatial distribution of forest carbon accumulation rate averaged over 1981-2010. A, Vegetation carbon accumulation rate. B, Soil carbon accumulation rate.

Fig. 4 The difference of average carbon accumulation rate between 2011-2040 and 1981-2010. A, Difference of vegetation carbon accumulation rate. B, Difference of soil carbon accumulation rate.

Fig. 5 The sensitivity of carbon accumulation rate to mean annual air temperature difference. A, Vegetation carbon accumulation rate. B, Soil carbon accumulation rate.

Fig. 6 The spatial distribution of air temperature difference between 2011-2040 and 1981-2010 across forested area.

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