Knowra Forest carbon cycle Forest carbon cycle The movement and storage of carbon within forests and between forests and the atmosphere. Photosynthesis draws carbon into vegetation, while respiration, decomposition, disturbance, and harvest return or transfer it.
Photosynthesis : The process by which plants use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into organic compounds and oxygen. It is the main pathway by which forests take atmospheric carbon into living biomass.
Carbon pool : A reservoir in which carbon is stored, such as vegetation, soil, or the atmosphere. Forests are assessed by measuring carbon held in distinct pools.
Forest inventory : The systematic measurement of forest characteristics, including tree species, size, density, and condition. Inventories provide field data used to estimate forest biomass and carbon stocks.
Wildfire : An uncontrolled fire that burns vegetation and other combustible material in a natural area. Combustion releases stored forest carbon, while fire also changes future growth and decomposition.
Carbon–climate feedback : A feedback in which climate change alters carbon storage or release, thereby affecting atmospheric greenhouse-gas concentrations. Forest responses to warming can either amplify or dampen climate change.
Plant respiration : The cellular process that releases energy by breaking down organic compounds, producing carbon dioxide and water. Trees return some carbon they fixed through photosynthesis as they maintain and grow their tissues.
Carbon flux : The transfer of carbon between reservoirs per unit of time. The cycle describes fluxes among forest pools and between forests and the atmosphere.
Eddy covariance : A micrometeorological method that estimates exchanges of gases and energy between ecosystems and the atmosphere. Tower measurements can track a forest’s net carbon dioxide exchange over time.
Deforestation : The conversion of forest to another land use, resulting in lasting forest loss. It removes forest carbon stocks and often releases carbon through burning or decay.
CO2 fertilization effect : The increase in plant photosynthesis or growth that can result from elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide. Its contribution to forest carbon uptake is constrained by nutrients, water, and other conditions.
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