title: Size and frequency of natural forest disturbances and the Amazon forest carbon balance.
abstract: Forest inventory studies in the Amazon indicate a large terrestrial carbon sink. However, field plots may fail to represent forest mortality processes at landscape-scales of tropical forests. Here we characterize the frequency distribution of disturbance events in natural forests from 0.01 ha to 2,651 ha size throughout Amazonia using a novel combination of forest inventory, airborne lidar and satellite remote sensing data. We find that small-scale mortality events are responsible for aboveground biomass losses of ~1.7 Pg C y(-1) over the entire Amazon region. We also find that intermediate-scale disturbances account for losses of ~0.2 Pg C y(-1), and that the largest-scale disturbances as a result of blow-downs only account for losses of ~0.004 Pg C y(-1). Simulation of growth and mortality indicates that even when all carbon losses from intermediate and large-scale disturbances are considered, these are outweighed by the net biomass accumulation by tree growth, supporting the inference of an Amazon carbon sink.
authors.affiliation: 1] NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA [2] Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA.
authors.forename: Fernando D B
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Espírito-Santo
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gloor
authors.affiliation: 1] Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA [2] USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry, San Juan 00926-1119, Puerto Rico [3] EMBRAPA Monitoramento por Satélite, Campinas, Sao Paulo CEP 13070-115, Brazil.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.affiliation: Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK.
authors.forename: Yadvinder
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Malhi
authors.affiliation: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109, USA.
authors.forename: Sassan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saatchi
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Research in Amazonia (INPA), CP 478, Manaus, Amazonas 69011-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: EMBRAPA Amazônia Oriental (CPATU), Santarém, Pará CEP 68035-110 C.P. 261, Brazil.
authors.forename: Raimundo C Oliveira
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Junior
authors.forename: Cleuton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: 1] School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK [2] Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS), School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.affiliation: Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frolking
authors.affiliation: Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Palace
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Sao Paulo CEP 12227-010, Brazil.
authors.forename: Yosio E
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Shimabukuro
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Sao Paulo CEP 12227-010, Brazil.
authors.forename: Valdete
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: Jardin Botanico de Missouri, Oxapampa 19231, Pasco, Peru.
authors.forename: Abel Monteagudo
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mendoza
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: López-González
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Tim R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: 1] School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK [2].
authors.forename: Ted R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Feldpausch
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Roel J W
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Brienen
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Asner
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
authors.forename: Doreen S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Oliver L
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Phillips
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon; D065928:Forests
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon