Influence of spring phenology on seasonal and annual carbon balance in two contrasting New England forests

Andrew D. Richardson; David Hollinger; D. Bryan Dail; John T. Lee; J. William Munger; John O'Keefe

Treesearch

Influence of spring phenology on seasonal and annual carbon balance in two contrasting New England forests

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Andrew D. Richardson, David Hollinger, D. Bryan Dail, John T. Lee, J. William Munger, John O'Keefe

Year:

2009

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Northern Research Station

Source:

Tree Physiology. 29: 321-331.

Download (PDF 489 KB)

Download (PDF 489 KB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/19744.pdf

Abstract

Spring phenology is thought to exert a major influence on the carbon (C) balance of temperate and boreal ecosystems. We investigated this hypothesis using four spring onset phenological indicators in conjunction with surface-atmosphere CO₂ exchange data from the conifer-dominated Howland Forest and deciduous-dominated Harvard Forest AmeriFlux sites. All phonological measures, including CO₂ source-sink transition dates, could be well predicted on the basis of a simple twoparameter spring warming model, indicating good potential for improving the representation of phonological transitions and their dynamic responsiveness to climate variability in land surface models.

Keywords

AmeriFlux, bud burst, carbon dioxide, eddy covariance, growing season length, phenology, spring onset, start of spring

Citation

Richardson, Andrew D.; Hollinger, David Y.; Dail, D. Bryan; Lee, John T.; Munger, J. William; O'Keefe, John. 2009. Influence of spring phenology on seasonal and annual carbon balance in two contrasting New England forests. Tree Physiology. 29: 321-331.