title: Introduction to BOREAS special issue.
abstract: Carbon flux attributed to the boreal forest biome significantly impacts the global carbon cycle. The multi-scale Boreal Ecosystem Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) was initiated to investigate exchanges between boreal forests and the atmosphere, to examine the effects of increased atmospheric CO(2) concentration on boreal forests, to develop and improve process models to describe exchanges between boreal forests and the atmosphere, and to develop methods for the large-scale application of these models. Field measurements have shown that boreal ecosystems differ significantly from their temperate and tropical counterparts with respect to seasonality, productivity and biosphere-atmosphere interactions.
authors.affiliation: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 240 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA.
authors.forename: Michael G.
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ryan