Carbon Balance Of Terrestrial Ecosystems In China
Friday, May 1, 2009 - 09:28
in Earth & Climate
During the 1980s and 1990s, China showed a net carbon sink of 0.19–0.26 Pg carbon (PgC), which is smaller than that in the conterminous United States but comparable to that in geographic Europe. Northeast China is a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere owing to over-harvesting and degradation of forests. By contrast, southern China accounts for more than 65 per cent of the carbon sink, which can be attributed to regional climate change, large-scale plantation programs and shrub recovery.