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Main Title Equilibrium-Analysis of Projected Climate Change Effects on the Global Soil Organic Matter Pool.
Author Turner, D. P. ; Leemans, R. ;
CORP Author ManTech Environmental Technology, Inc., Corvallis, OR.;Corvallis Environmental Research Lab., OR.
Publisher 1992
Year Published 1992
Report Number EPA-68-C8-0006; EPA/600/A-92/039;
Stock Number PB92-153022
Additional Subjects Organic matter ; Biodeterioration ; Global warming ; Climatic changes ; Air pollution ; Soil microorganisms ; Vegetation ; General Circulation Models ; Carbon cycle ; Air-biosphere interactions ; Air land interactions ; Microbial degradation ; Terrestrial ecosystems ; Biomes ;
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NTIS  PB92-153022 Some EPA libraries have a fiche copy filed under the call number shown. 07/26/2022
Collation 14p
Abstract
Increased rates of soil organic matter decomposition may represent a significant positive feedback to global warming. As a step towards assessing the potential magnitude of this response, an equilibrium analysis was performed in which representative carbon pools were associated with each vegetation type and the Holdridge vegetation/climate correlation system was used to compare distributions of the vegetation types under the current climate and doubled-CO2 climate scenarios from four general circulation models (GCMs). Two of the GCMs predicted a net loss of belowground carbon (55-101 Pg) because of large decreases in the areal extent of tundra and boreal ecosystems with high levels of belowground carbon storage. Vegetation redistribution projected under the other two GCMs would result in the accumulation of carbon (5-41 Pg) in the biosphere, however, this accumulation was driven primarily by an increase in the areal extent of tropical rain forests which is unlikely given constraints imposed by anthropogenic factors. Other considerations not treated by the equilibrium approach also support the likelihood of a transient pulse of carbon from the soil to the atmosphere.