Main Title |
Lifetime of Excess Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide. |
Author |
Moore, B. ;
Braswell, B. H. ;
|
CORP Author |
New Hampshire Univ., Durham. Inst. for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space.;Environmental Research Lab., Athens, GA. Office of Research and Development. |
Publisher |
c1994 |
Year Published |
1994 |
Report Number |
EPA-R-816278; EPA/600/J-94/459; |
Stock Number |
PB95-131132 |
Additional Subjects |
Climatic changes ;
Global ;
Biosphere ;
Atmospheric composition ;
Carbon dioxide ;
Forest management ;
Plant growth ;
Mathematical models ;
Decay ;
Half life ;
Ocean environments ;
Carbon cycle ;
Equilibrium ;
Terrestrial radiation ;
Delta function ;
Exponential functions ;
Concepts Reprints ;
|
Holdings |
Library |
Call Number |
Additional Info |
Location |
Last Modified |
Checkout Status |
NTIS |
PB95-131132 |
Some EPA libraries have a fiche copy filed under the call number shown. |
|
07/26/2022 |
|
Collation |
18p |
Abstract |
The authors explore the effects of a changing terrestrial biosphere on the atmospheric residence time of carbon dioxide using three simple ocean carbon cycling models and a model of global terrestrial carbon cycling. We find differences in model behavior associated with the assumption of an active terrestrial biosphere (forest regrowth) and significant differences if we assume a donor-dependent flux from the atmosphere to the terrestrial component (e.g., a hypothetical terrestrial fertilization flux). To avoid numerical difficulties associated with treating the atmospheric carbon dioxide decay (relaxation) curve as being well approximated by a weighted sum of exponential functions, we define the single half-life as the time it takes for a model atmosphere to relax from its present-day value half way to its equilibrium sub p CO2 value. This scenario-based approach also avoids the use of unit pulse (Dirac Delta) functions which can prove troublesome or unrealistic in the context of a terrestrial fertilization assumption. |