Publication
Title
The impact of lateral carbon fluxes on the European carbon balance
Author
Abstract
To date, little is known about the impact of processes which cause lateral carbon fluxes over continents, and from continents to oceans on the CO2 and carbon budgets at local, regional and continental scales. Lateral carbon fluxes contribute to regional carbon budgets as follows: Ecosystem CO2 sink=Ecosystem carbon accumulation+Lateral carbon fluxes. We estimated the contribution of wood and food product trade, of emission and oxidation of reduced carbon species, and of river erosion and transport as lateral carbon fluxes to the carbon balance of Europe (EU-25). The analysis is completed by new estimates of the carbon fluxes of coastal seas. We estimated that lateral transport (all processes combined) is a flux of 165 Tg C yr−1 at the scale of EU-25. The magnitude of lateral transport is thus comparable to current estimates of carbon accumulation in European forests. The main process contributing to the total lateral flux out of Europe is the flux of reduced carbon compounds, corresponding to the sum of non-CO2 gaseous species (CH4, CO, hydrocarbons, ...) emitted by ecosystems and exported out of the European boundary layer by the large scale atmospheric circulation.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Biogeosciences
Publication
2008
ISSN
1726-4170
1726-4189
DOI
10.5194/BG-5-1259-2008
Volume/pages
5 :5 (2008) , p. 1259-1271
ISI
000260059700005
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 17.11.2008
Last edited 04.10.2024
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