Impacts of climatic and atmospheric changes on carbon dynamics in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
We used the Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model (DLEM) to estimate carbon (C) storage and to analyze the impacts of environmental changes on C dynamics from 1971 to 2001 in Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GRSM). Our simulation results indicate that forests in GRSM have a C density as high as 15.9kgm(-2), about twice the regional average. Total carbon storage in GRSM in 2001 was 62.2Tg (T=10(12)), 54% of which was in vegetation, the rest in the soil detritus pool. Higher precipitation and lower temperatures in the higher elevation forests result in larger total C pool sizes than in forests at lower elevations. During the study period, the CO(2) fertilization effect dominated ozone and climatic stresses (temperature and precipitation), and the combination of these multiple factors resulted in net accumulation of 0.9Tg C in this ecosystem.
Zhang
Chi
C
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.
Tian
Hanqin
H
Chappelka
Arthur H
AH
Ren
Wei
W
Chen
Hua
H
Pan
Shufen
S
Liu
Mingliang
M
Styers
Diane M
DM
Chen
Guangsheng
G
Wang
Yuhang
Y
D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002244:Carbon; D002980:Climate; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009657:North Carolina; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D013714:Tennessee
D002244:Carbon