Analysis of spatio-temporal features of a carbon source/sink and its relationship to climatic factors in the Inner Mongolia grassland ecosystem

doi:10.1007/s11442-016-1269-0

Abstract

Abstract:

Global climate change has become a major concern worldwide. The spatio-temporal characteristics of net ecosystem productivity (NEP), which represents carbon sequestration capacity and directly describes the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of carbon sources/sinks (C sources/sinks), are crucial for increasing C sinks and reducing C sources. In this study, field sampling data, remote sensing data, and ground meteorological observation data were used to estimate the net primary productivity (NPP) in the Inner Mongolia grassland ecosystem (IMGE) from 2001 to 2012 using a light use efficiency model. The spatio-temporal distribution of the NEP in the IMGE was then determined by estimating the NPP and soil respiration from 2001 to 2012. This research also investigated the response of the NPP and NEP to the main climatic variables at the spatial and temporal scales from 2001 to 2012. The results showed that most of the grassland area in Inner Mongolia has functioned as a C sink since 2001 and that the annual carbon sequestration rate amounts to 0.046 Pg C/a. The total net C sink of the IMGE over the 12-year research period reached 0.557 Pg C. The carbon sink area accounted for 60.28% of the total grassland area and the sequestered 0.692 Pg C, whereas the C source area accounted for 39.72% of the total grassland area and released 0.135 Pg C. The NPP and NEP of the IMGE were more significantly correlated with precipitation than with temperature, showing great potential for C sequestration.

Key words: Inner Mongolia, grassland ecosystem, NPP, NEP, carbon source, carbon sink

Erfu DAI, Yu HUANG, Zhuo Wu, Dongsheng ZHAO. Analysis of spatio-temporal features of a carbon source/sink and its relationship to climatic factors in the Inner Mongolia grassland ecosystem[J].Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2016, 26(3): 297-312.

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Temperature zones	Humid and arid zones	Codes	Eco-zones	Vegetation type
I Cold tem- perate zone	A (humid zone)	IA1	Deciduous coniferous forest north of Greater Hinggan Mts.	Coniferous forest, wetland
II Temperate zone	A (humid zone)	IIA3	Mixed forest east of Songliao Plain	Mixed forest, wetland
	B (semi-humid zone)	IIB1	Forest steppe at center of Songliao Plain	Meadow steppe, farmland
		IIB2	Steppe forest at the center of Greater Hinggan Mts.	Broadleaf forest, meadow
		IIB3	Forest steppe west of Greater Hinggan Mts.	Meadow steppe
	C (semi-arid zone)	IIC1	Steppe zone in Xiliao River Plain	Typical steppe, farmland
		IIC2	Forest steppe south of Greater Hinggan Mts.	Typical steppe, shrub
		IIC3	Steppe zone east of Inner Mongolia	Typical steppe, farmland
		IIC4	Steppe zone of Hulun Buir	Typical steppe, meadow
	D (arid zone)	IID1	Desert steppe zone in Ordos and west of Inner Mongolia	Typical steppe, desert
		IID2	Desert zone in Alax and Hexi Corridor	Desert, desert steppe
III Warm temperate zone	B (semi-humid zone)	IIIB3	Montane deciduous broadleaf forest in North China	Farmland, typical steppe

Eco-zones	NPP (g C/m²)
IA1	590.99
IIA3	591.27
IIB1	405.05
IIB2	593.64
IIB3	487.52
IIC1	363.16
IIC2	466.15
IIC3	301.88
IIC4	323.65
IID1	153.05
IID2	76.45
IIIB3	528.94

Eco-zones	NEP (g C/m²)
IA1	4448.90
IIA3	3972.41
IIB1	1297.88
IIB2	4353.57
IIB3	3194.29
IIC1	885.54
IIC2	2626.31
IIC3	715.18
IIC4	1295.56
IID1	-960.22
IID2	-1436.88
IIIB3	2849.03

Eco-zones	S_NPP
IA1	5.55
IIA3	3.17
IIB1	7.44
IIB2	4.34
IIB3	6.36
IIC1	3.01
IIC2	-1.99
IIC3	3.07
IIC4	11.40
IID1	3.04
IID2	0.93
IIIB3	3.73

Eco-zones	S_NEP
IA1	2.40
IIA3	-1.75
IIB1	-2.35
IIB2	-0.51
IIB3	3.11
IIC1	-3.50
IIC2	-2.83
IIC3	3.55
IIC4	7.57
IID1	3.35
IID2	2.04
IIIB3	1.06