ESTIMATION OF CARBON BALANCE IN STEPPE ECOSYSTEMS OF RUSSIA

Golubyatnikov L.L. , Kurganova I.N., Lopes de Gerenyu V.O.

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics,
2023, Vol. 59, No. 1, pp. 63-77.
doi: 10.1134/S0001433823010048

Summary

Steppe ecosystems, occupying about 8% of the terrestrial area, are an essential element of the global carbon cycle in the atmosphere–vegetation–soil system. The carbon (C–CO₂) balance of natural steppe ecosystems in Russia is estimated based on the geoinformation–analytical method and employing the database of empirically measured values of the net primary production and a climate-driven regression model that makes it possible to estimate the intensity of carbon dioxide flux from soils into the atmosphere. Natural steppes in Russia serve as a significant sink of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The average intensity of this carbon flux can be estimated at 231±202 gC/m² per year. The estimated annual accumulation of carbon dioxide in the natural steppe ecosystems of Russia is 111 ± 97 MtC. According to the estimates, the steppe ecosystems under study provide from 8 to 19% of the atmospheric carbon sink to the terrestrial ecosystems of Russia.