Dynamics Of Net Ecosystem Exchange Research Articles

The influence of the hydrometeorological factors on the CO2 fluxes from the oligotrophic bog surface.

The influence of the hydrometeorological factors on the CO2 fluxes from the oligotrophic bog surface.

Design of a Portable Analyzer to Determine the Net Exchange of CO2 in Rice Field Ecosystems.

Global warming is influenced by an increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) concentration in the atmosphere. Consequently, Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) is the main factor that influences the exchange of carbon (C) between the atmosphere and the soil. As a result, agricultural ecosystems are a potential carbon dioxide (CO2) sink, particularly rice paddies (Oryza sativa). Therefore, a static chamber with a portable CO2 analyzer was designed and implemented for three rice plots to monitor CO2 emissions. Furthermore, a weather station was installed to record meteorological variables. The vegetative, reproductive, and maturation phases of the crop lasted 95, 35, and 42 days post-sowing (DPS), respectively. In total, the crop lasted 172 DPS. Diurnal NEE had the highest CO2 absorption capacity at 10:00 a.m. for the tillering stage (82 and 89 DPS), floral primordium (102 DPS), panicle initiation (111 DPS), and flowering (126 DPS). On the other hand, the maximum CO2 emission at 82, 111, and 126 DPS occurred at 6:00 p.m. At 89 and 102 DPS, it occurred at 4:00 and 6:00 a.m., respectively. NEE in the vegetative stage was -25 μmolCO2 m2 s-1, and in the reproductive stage, it was -35 μmolCO2 m2 s-1, indicating the highest absorption capacity of the plots. The seasonal dynamics of NEE were mainly controlled by the air temperature inside the chamber (Tc) (R = -0.69), the relative humidity inside the chamber (RHc) (R = -0.66), and net radiation (Rn) (R = -0.75). These results are similar to previous studies obtained via chromatographic analysis and eddy covariance (EC), which suggests that the portable analyzer could be an alternative for CO2 monitoring.

Carbon Dioxide Fluxes and Influencing Factors in the Momoge Salt Marsh Ecosystem, Jilin Province, China

This study observed the characteristics and influencing factors of the carbon fluxes of the Momoge salt marsh ecosystem over four years, which behaves as a CO2 sink. The daily, seasonal, and interannual variations in CO2 fluxes in the Momoge salt marshes were observed using the eddy covariance method and were compared with various environmental factors. An overall daily “U”-shaped distribution was observed, with uptake during the day (negative values) and release at night (positive values). Annually, the carbon fluxes in the study area roughly exhibited a “V” shape. The carbon fluxes during the non-growing season predominantly showed positive values, indicating the release of CO2 into the atmosphere. Photosynthetically active radiation was the primary influencing factor affecting the hourly and daytime variations in net ecosystem exchange (NEE) during the growing season, while temperature was the main factor influencing nighttime NEE dynamics. The air temperature, soil temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, precipitation, and water level all had significant impacts on the daily net CO2 exchange. At the monthly scale, larger values of soil temperature, air temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, and aboveground biomass corresponded to a stronger carbon absorption capacity of the ecosystem. Overall, temperature remains the primary factor for carbon fluxes in the Momoge wetlands.

Cropland Net Ecosystem Exchange Estimation for the Inland Pampas (Argentina) Using EVI, Land Cover Maps, and Eddy Covariance Fluxes

Estimations of Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) are crucial to assess the carbon sequestration/carbon source capacity of agricultural systems. Although several global models have been built to describe carbon flux patterns based on flux tower data, South American ecosystems (and croplands in particular) are underrepresented in the databases used to calibrate these models, leading to large uncertainties in regional and global NEE estimation. Despite the fact that almost half of the land surface is used worldwide for agricultural activities, these models still do not include variables related to cropland management. Using enhanced vegetation index (EVI) derived from MODIS imagery (250 m) and monthly CO2 exchange from a 9-year record of an eddy covariance (EC) flux tower in a crop field in the Inland Pampas region, we developed regression models to predict monthly NEE. We tested whether including a term for crop identity/land cover as a categorical variable (maize, soybean, wheat, and fallow) could improve model capability in capturing monthly NEE dynamics. NEE measured at the flux tower site was scaled to croplands across the Inland Pampa using crop-type maps, from which annual NEE maps were generated for the 2018–2019, 2019–2020, and 2020–2021 agricultural campaigns. The model based solely on EVI showed to be a good predictor of monthly NEE for the study region (r2 = 0.78), but model adjustment was improved by including a term for crop identity (r2 = 0.83). A second set of maps was generated taking into account carbon exports during harvest to estimate Net Biome Productivity (NBP) at the county level. Crops across the region as a whole acted as a carbon sink during the three studied campaigns, although with highly heterogeneous spatial and temporal patterns. Between 60% and 80% of the carbon sequestered was exported during harvest, a large decrease from the carbon sequestration capacity estimated using just NEE, which further decreased if fossil carbon emissions from agricultural supplies are taken into account. Estimates presented in this study are a first step towards upscaling carbon fluxes at the regional scale in a South American cropland area, and could help to improve regional to global estimations of carbon fluxes and refine national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories.

Influences of Extreme Events on Water and Carbon Cycles of Cropland Ecosystems: A Comprehensive Exploration Combining Site and Global Modeling

AbstractClimate warming increases the frequencies of drought and excessive precipitation, and the influencing mechanisms and magnitudes of these extreme events on the water and carbon cycles of different crops still remain unclear. In this study, single‐point simulations for six irrigated and rain‐fed crops and global simulation were combined to comprehensively investigate the impacts of drought and excessive precipitation on evapotranspiration (ET), irrigation, net ecosystem exchange (NEE), and yields of crops. Results illustrated that the AgroIBIS‐based CLM5 simulated ET and NEE dynamics well for rice, corn, winter wheat, soybeans, sugar beets, and potatoes after parameter optimization. The impacts of abnormal precipitation on ET, NEE, and crop yield were larger at rain‐fed sites than at irrigated sites. The influencing magnitudes of precipitation shortage on ET depended on the occurring time of drought events relative to the growth stages of crops. Precipitation shortage (excessive precipitation) reduced (increased) ET and net carbon uptake by 4%–19% (4%–7%) and 3%–15% (1%–6%) compared to normal precipitation years at irrigated sites, while corresponding decrease (increase) was 7%–35% (24%–27%) and 19%–48% (12%–34%) at rain‐fed sites. The proportional influencing magnitudes of precipitation shortage on ET, NEE, and yield increased sequentially for rain‐fed crops. At the global scale, the simulated theoretical irrigation in extremely dry years was 25%–75% larger than that in normal precipitation years, and the actual irrigation was 3.5–4.0 times as large as the simulated theoretical value at irrigated sites, implying that drought intensified water resource shortage through excessive irrigation besides precipitation shortage.

Assessing and Modeling Ecosystem Carbon Exchange and Water Vapor Flux of a Pasture Ecosystem in the Temperate Climate-Transition Zone

The rising frequency of extreme weather events and global warming are greatly challenging pastoral ecosystem productivity, particularly in the temperate climate-transition regions. While this could cause greater gross primary production (GPP) mainly contributed by the warm-season vegetation, the consequences for the dynamics of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and hydrological responses (e.g., evapotranspiration, ET) on an ecosystem level are poorly known. Here, we investigated the evolution of plant phenology, nutritive value, energy balance, and carbon/water budgets of a cool-season dominated pastoral ecosystem in the temperate zone; integrating both eddy covariance (EC) flux measurement and simulation modeling-based uncertainty analysis. Throughout the two-year duration (2017–2018) of this study, the entire pasture ecosystem remained a strong carbon sink (NEE = −1.23 and −1.95 kg C m−2, respectively) with 74% and 62% of available energy loss explained by EC fluxes, respectively. The cumulative ET was 735.8 and 796.8 mm, respectively; and the overall ecosystem water use efficiency (EWUE) were calculated as 6.5 g C kg−1 water across both growing seasons. The above-ground biomass yield agreed with the cumulative GPP and was inversely correlated with grass nutritive value. The uncertainty analysis indicated that accurate EC flux gap-filling models could be constructed using support vector machine trained time-series models (NEE, R2 = 0.77, RMSE = 11.8; ET, R2 = 0.90, RMSE = 73.8). The performance benchmarking tests indicated that REddyProc-based gap-filling performance was very limiting and highly variable (NEE, R2 = 0.21–0.64; ET, R2 = 0.79–0.87), particularly for estimating NEE. Overall, the warm-season vegetation encroachment greatly filled the production gap of cool-season grasses, leading to greater cumulative NEE and EWUE on a system level, compared with those from many other reported field-crop or grassland studies using EC approaches. The complex and dynamic nature of grassland ecosystems greatly challenged the conventional REddyProc-based EC flux gap-filling performance. However, accurate machine learning models could be constructed for error/uncertainty control purposes and, thus, should be encouraged in future studies.

Post-fire co-stimulation of gross primary production and ecosystem respiration in a meadow grassland on the Tibetan Plateau

Predicting post-fire ecosystem CO2 exchange requires an explicit understanding of the sensitivity of gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER) and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) to post-fire conditions. However, the simultaneous effects of fire on GPP, ER and NEE are rarely evaluated. We established a three-year manipulative fire experiment in a meadow grassland on the Tibetan Plateau to investigate the responses of GPP, ER and NEE to prescribed fire. We found that fire on average increased GPP by 13% and ER by 9%, leading to an increase in NEE by 20% across the three years. There was no clear relationship between post-fire changes in soil temperature and ecosystem CO2 exchange, yet reductions in soil volumetric moisture were positively related to changes in GPP, ER and NEE. These results suggest that post-fire stimulation of GPP, ER and NEE cannot be fully explained by changes in soil temperature and soil moisture. Besides, changes in GPP, ER and NEE were positively related to fire-induced increases in graminoid biomass, legume biomass and soil inorganic nitrogen. Taken together, our results suggest the interwoven control of biotic and abiotic factors on post-fire GPP, ER and NEE, yet also that shifts in plant functional type biomass may outweigh the negative effects of reduced soil moisture on ecosystem CO2 exchange. These results underscore how simultaneous documentation of GPP, ER and NEE dynamics can advance a mechanistic understanding of CO2 exchange under fire disturbance.

Seasonal Signal of Photosynthesis in the Forests of North Eurasia

The seasonal course of the water potential in branch xylem reflects the dynamics of photosynthetic СО2/Н2О exchange in the forest stand. Long-term figures of water potential in the branches of major wood species growing in East Siberia—larch (Larixcajanderi Mayr), pine (Pinussylvestris L.) and birch (Betulaplatyphylla Sukaczev)—have been analyzed. The seasonal dynamics of the water potential showed its minimum in the first half of the vegetation period. The time when the minimum of water potential was observed concurred with the earlier determined peak in seasonal dynamics of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of C/СО2 in the forests of East Siberia. Statistical analysis of a long-term time series of atmospheric СО2 concentration along the latitudinal zone (43°07′–55°45′ N) of the transcontinental transect from Moscow (55°45′ N, 37°34′ E) to Vladivostok (43°07′ N, 135°54′ E) corroborated the existence of the seasonal minimum of atmospheric СО2 in the first half of the vegetation period. However, this transcontinental Eurasian minimum of atmospheric СО2 was reached a month before such a minimum in the region of East Siberia (Yakutsk, 62°05′ N, 129°33′09″ E). It was concluded that the minimum of atmospheric СО2 concentration is a seasonal signal of photosynthesis in the regional forest ecosystems, and time shift of this signal might serve as an indicator of modification in the regional biogenic cycle of carbon caused by climate fluctuation.

Carbon and water dynamics in co-located winter wheat and canola fields in the U.S. Southern Great Plains

The magnitudes and seasonal dynamics of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon dioxide (CO2) and evapotranspiration (ET), measured using the eddy covariance (EC) technique from co-located, paired (conventional till, CT and no-till, NT) winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and canola (Brassica napus L.) fields, were compared during a presumably favorable growing season for both crops. The magnitudes (7-day average) of NEE, gross primary production (GPP), and ET reached approximately −8 g C m−2 d−1, 16 g C m−2 d−1, and 5 mm d−1, respectively, at both CT and NT wheat fields due to uniform canopy stands. The magnitudes (7-day average) of NEE reached −5.20 ± 0.49 and −4.66 ± 0.36 g C m−2 d−1, GPP reached 12.47 ± 1.16 and 10.86 ± 0.97 g C m−2 d−1, and ET reached 4.7 ± 0.42 and 4.28 ± 0.36 mm d−1 at CT and NT canola fields, respectively. Poor recovery of canola stand in the NT field after winter dormancy resulted in smaller magnitudes of fluxes in spring 2017. Wheat had a larger potential as a carbon sink during winter than canola. Larger magnitudes of CO2 fluxes and longer periods as carbon sinks for wheat caused large differences in carbon sequestration potential between wheat and canola. Fluxes showed similar responses to climatic conditions as optimum air temperature (Ta) was ∼22 °C for NEE and GPP, and ∼25 °C for ET, and the fluxes peaked at ∼1.7 kPa vapor pressure deficit (VPD) for both crops. However, the GPP-PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density) relationship was weaker beyond optimum Ta and VPD in canola than in wheat. Ecosystem light use efficiency (ELUE) and ecosystem water use efficiency (EWUE), determined using different metrics, were higher in wheat than in canola. The results indicate higher adaptability, and water and light use efficiencies of wheat than canola. This study provides an initial baseline on the dynamics of CO2 fluxes, ET, EWUE, and ELUE for canola, and side-by-side comparison of eddy fluxes in two major winter crops grown in the Southern Great Plains.

Rotational and continuous grazing does not affect the total net ecosystem exchange of a pasture grazed by cattle but modifies CO2 exchange dynamics

Grassland carbon budgets are known to be greatly dependent on management. In particular, grazing is known to directly affect CO2 exchange through consumption by plants, cattle respiration, natural fertilisation through excreta, and soil compaction. This study investigates the impact of two grazing methods on the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) dynamics and carbon balance, by measuring CO2 fluxes using eddy covariance in two adjacent pastures located in southern Belgium during a complete grazing season. Rotational (RG) grazing consists of an alternation of rest periods and short high stock density grazing periods. Continuous grazing (CG) consists of uninterrupted grazing with variable stocking rates. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the impact of these grazing methods on total net ecosystem exchange and CO2 exchange dynamics using eddy covariance. The results showed that NEE dynamics were greatly impacted by the grazing method. Following grazing events on the RG parcel, net CO2 uptake on the RG parcel was reduced compared to the CG parcel. During the following rest periods, this phenomenon progressively shifted towards a higher assimilation for the RG treatment. This behaviour was attributed to sharp biomass changes in the RG treatment and therefore sharp changes in plant photosynthetic capacity. We found that differences in gross primary productivity at high radiation were strongly correlated to differences in standing biomass. In terms of carbon budgets, no significant difference was observed between the two treatments, neither in cumulative NEE, or in terms of estimated biomass production. The results of our study suggest that we should not expect major benefits in terms of CO2 uptake from rotational grazing management when compared to continuous grazing management in intensively managed temperate pastures.

Carbon and water flux patterns of a drought-prone mid-succession ecosystem developed on abandoned karst grassland

Successional ecosystems developed spontaneously on agricultural lands cover a substantial area worldwide, particularly in Europe and North America. The functioning of these ecosystems in terms of carbon and water fluxes remains fairly under-investigated. Here, carbon and water exchanges of a spatially heterogeneous tree-shrub-grassland mosaic developed on former semi-dry calcareous grassland in the sub-Mediterranean region of Slovenia were studied. Using eddy covariance, the annual, seasonal and daily dynamics of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and water vapor exchange were examined, together with their environmental controls during the period August 2008–December 2012. Over this period, the ecosystem appeared to be a carbon sink but the annual carbon fixation had a span of more than four-fold, from 82 to 351gCm−2yr−1. This variability was largely explained by different durations of drought events that occurred during the summer despite the high and relatively evenly distributed rainfall. This is related to the poor ecosystem rain use efficiency, only 0.10–0.35gCm−2yr−1 was taken up per mm of rain and the estimated deep water drainage ranged between 44 and 72% of the incoming rain. Drought periods were identified by deriving the critical soil water content (SWC) (here 0.145m3m−3) at which evapotranspiration and carbon fluxes started to be limited by water availability. The estimated annual gross primary productivity was shown to be linearly dependent on the duration of the longest annual drought period and not on the drought intensity. Despite a severe drought in the summer of 2012, the ecosystem proved quite resilient to drought stress and restored its carbon uptake after several rain events. As shown by the light response curves, the light dependency of carbon exchange was affected by seasonality and environmental factors, particularly SWC, vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and air temperature (Ta). Interaction between the factors was also observed; negative effect of low SWC was significantly enhanced in the conditions of higher Ta or higher VPD.

A linked carbon cycle and crop developmental model: Description and evaluation against measurements of carbon fluxes and carbon stocks at several European agricultural sites

Croplands are the largest biospheric source of carbon (C) to the atmosphere in Europe each year (∼0.3 GtC y −1). Moreover, the biological dynamics of managed landscapes affect the fluctuations of atmospheric CO 2 levels on annual and interannual scales. The activity of croplands must therefore be included in efforts to quantify, understand and regulate the global C cycle. C flux data for croplands, existing mostly from ∼2003 onwards, provide an opportunity to better understand the timing and magnitude of C exchanges in croplands and can help to improve crop C modelling on various spatiotemporal scales. A crucial process to be considered for C budget modelling is crop development, to which the C allocation pattern and senescence and remobilisation processes are directly linked. We developed, parameterised, and tested a new crop C mass balance model (SPAc), which included all major developmental stages (DS) and C remobilisation. Model results were compared against independent observations of C fluxes and biometric data for eight site years, at six European sites growing winter wheat and barley. We used a single parameterisation for all sites, varying only maximal carboxylation rate ( V cmax ), maximal photosynthetic electron transport rate ( J max ), and C per leaf area ( C la ) between wheat and barley. The model effectively described the seasonal dynamics of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) through simulation of DS. We found high model reliability for predicting daily NEE fluxes (mean R 2 = 0.83, mean RMSE = 1.47 gC m −2 d −1). Results for cumulative NEE from sowing to harvest were of lower quality (mean R 2 = 0.27). The model tended to overpredict leaf area index (LAI, 160% of observed), and underpredict final yield (71% of observed). The introduction of a dead leaf C pool considerably improved at-harvest estimates of total leaf C mass. Simulating the shift from green to brown above-ground biomass is of potential significance for solving the surface energy balance and for future remote sensing studies through an improved simulation of crop canopy optical properties.

Carbon balance of a three crop succession over two cropland sites in South West France

Long term flux measurements of different crop species are necessary to improve our understanding of management and climate effects on carbon flux variability as well as cropland potential in terrestrial carbon sequestration. The main objectives of this study were to analyse the seasonal dynamics of CO 2 fluxes and to establish the effects of climate and cropland management on the annual carbon balance. CO 2 fluxes were measured by means of the eddy correlation (EC) method over two cropland sites, Auradé and Lamasquère, in South West France for a succession of three crops: rapeseed, winter wheat and sunflower at Auradé, and triticale, maize and winter wheat at Lamasquère. The net ecosystem exchange (NEE) was partitioned into gross ecosystem production (GEP) and ecosystem respiration (R E) and was integrated over the year to compute net ecosystem production (NEP). Different methodologies tested for NEP computation are discussed and a methodology for estimating NEP uncertainty is presented. NEP values ranged between −369 ± 33 g C m −2 y −1 for winter wheat at Lamasquère in 2007 and 28 ± 18 g C m −2 y −1 for sunflower at Auradé in 2007. These values were in good agreement with NEP values reported in the literature, except for maize which exhibited a low development compared to the literature. NEP was strongly influenced by the length of the net carbon assimilation period and by interannual climate variability. The warm 2007 winter stimulated early growth of winter wheat, causing large differences in GEP, R E and NEE dynamics for winter wheat when compared to 2006. Management had a strong impact on CO 2 flux dynamics and on NEP. Ploughing interrupted net assimilation during voluntary re-growth periods, but it had a negligible short term effect when it occurred on bare soil. Re-growth events after harvest appeared to limit carbon loss: at Lamasquère in 2005 re-growth contributed to store up to 50 g C m −2. Differences in NEE response to climatic variables (VPD, light quality) and vegetation index were addressed and discussed. Net biome production (NBP) was calculated yearly based on NEP and considering carbon input through organic fertilizer and carbon output through harvest. For the three crops, the mean NBP at Auradé indicated a nearly carbon balanced ecosystem, whereas Lamasquère lost about 100 g C m −2 y −1; therefore, the ecosystem behaved as a carbon source despite the fact that carbon was imported through organic fertilizer. Carbon exportation through harvest was the main cause of this difference between the two sites, and it was explained by the farm production type. Lamasquère is a cattle breeding farm, exporting most of the aboveground biomass for cattle bedding and feeding, whereas Auradé is a cereal production farm, exporting only seeds.

Seasonal dynamics of CO2 fluxes from subtropical plantation coniferous ecosystem

As one component of ChinaFLUX, the measurement of CO2 flux using eddy covariance over subtropical planted coniferous ecosystem in Qianyanzhou was conducted for a long term. This paper discusses the seasonal dynamics of net ecosystem exchange (NEE), ecosystem respiration (RE) and gross ecosystem exchange (GEE) between the coniferous ecosystem and atmosphere along 2003 and 2004. The variations of NEE, RE and GEE show obvious seasonal variabilities and correlate to each other, i.e. lower in winter and drought season, but higher in summer; light, temperature and soil water content are the main factors determining NEE; air temperature and water vapor pressure deficit (VPD) influence NEE with stronger influence from VPD. Under the proper light condition, drought stress could decrease the temperature range for carbon capture in planted coniferous, air temperature and precipitation controlled RE; The NEE, RE, and GEE for planted coniferous in Qianyanzhou are −387.2 g C·m−2 a−1, 1223.3 g C·m−2 a−1, −1610.4 g C·m−2 a−1 in 2003 and −423.8 g C·m−2 a−1, 1442.0 g C·m−2 a−1, −1865.8 g C·m−2 a−1 in 2004, respectively, which suggest the intensive ability of plantation coniferous forest on carbon absorbing in Qianyanzhou.

Simulation of CO 2 and latent heat fluxes in the North China Plain

We constructed a coupled model for simulating plant photosynthesis and evapotranspiration (CPCEM). In the model, non-rectangular hyperbola is used to simulate leaf photosynthesis rate that is scaled up to estimate canopy gross photosynthesis rate by an integral method. Whole canopy in the model is separated into multi-layers, each of which is divided into sunlit leaves and shade leaves. Canopy net photosynthesis rate is expressed as a function of canopy conductance which is coupled with evapotranspiration. Included the coupled function, evapotranspiration is estimated with a two-layer submodel. The main features of CPCEM are: (1) easy suitability, (2) good physiological base, and (3) simple calculation procedure. Simulated results of CPCEM were compared with those by an eddy covariance system that was installed in a winter wheat farmland of the North China Plain. CPCEM gave a quite well diurnal and seasonal dynamics of net ecosystem exchange, compared with the measurements. The root mean square error between simulation and measurements was only about 2.94 μmol m-2 s-1. Diurnal and seasonal patterns of latent heat flux with the CPCEM were similar to those of measurements. Whereas, simulated latent heat flux was evidently higher than the measured.