Model-data fusion to assess year-round CO 2 fluxes for an arctic heath ecosystem in West Greenland (69°N)

• Published in: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• Main Authors: Zhang, Wenxin, Jansson, Per Erik, Sigsgaard, Charlotte, McConnell, Alistair, Jammet, Mathilde Manon, Westergaard-Nielsen, Andreas, Lund, Magnus, Friborg, Thomas, Michelsen, Anders, Elberling, Bo
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Arctic tundra; Carbon budget; CoupModel; Eddy covariance; Net ecosystem exchange; Year-round measurements; Arctic; Greenland; Tundra
• Online Access: https://curis.ku.dk/portal/da/publications/modeldata-fusion-to-assess-yearround-co2-fluxes-for-an-arctic-heath-ecosystem-in-west-greenland-69n(1c8cd167-fadc-45f5-889b-f7609950eb53).html; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.02.021

Quantifying net CO 2 exchange (NEE)of arctic terrestrial ecosystems in response to changes in climatic and environmental conditions is central to understanding ecosystem functioning and assessing potential feedbacks of the carbon cycle to future climate changes. However, annual CO 2 budgets for arctic tundra are rare due to the difficulties of performing measurements during non-growing seasons. It is still unclear to what extent arctic tundra ecosystems currently act as a CO 2 source, sink or are in balance. This study presents year-round eddy-covariance (EC)measurements of CO 2 fluxes for an arctic heath ecosystem on Disko Island, West Greenland (69 °N)over five years. Based on a fusion of year-round EC-derived CO 2 fluxes, soil temperature and moisture, the process-oriented model (CoupModel)has been constrained to quantify an annual budget and characterize seasonal patterns of CO 2 fluxes. The results show that total photosynthesis corresponds to -202 ± 20 g C m −2 yr -1 with ecosystem respiration of 167 ± 28 g C m -2 yr -1 , resulting in NEE of -35 ± 15 g C m -2 yr -1 . The respiration loss is mainly described as decomposition of near-surface litter. A year with an anomalously deep snowpack shows a threefold increase in the rate of ecosystem respiration compared to other years. Due to the high CO 2 emissions during that winter, the annual budget results in a marked reduction in the CO 2 sink. The seasonal patterns of photosynthesis and soil respiration were described using response functions of the forcing atmosphere and soil conditions. Snow depth, topography-related soil moisture, and growing season warmth are identified as important environmental characteristics which most influence seasonal rates of gas exchange.