Above-ground tree carbon storage in response to nitrogen deposition in the U.S. is heterogeneous and may have weakened.
| Title: | Above-ground tree carbon storage in response to nitrogen deposition in the U.S. is heterogeneous and may have weakened. |
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| Authors: | Clark CM; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC, USA.; Thomas RQ; Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.; Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.; Horn KJ; Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.; Present address: Freedom Consulting Group, 7061 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, MD, USA. |
| Source: | Communications earth & environment [Commun Earth Environ] 2023 Feb 14; Vol. 4 (35), pp. 1-8. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Nature Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101772745 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2662-4435 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 26624435 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Commun Earth Environ Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London : Nature Publishing Group, [2020]- |
| Abstract: | Changes in nitrogen (N) availability affect the ability for forest ecosystems to store carbon (C). Here we extend an analysis of the growth and survival of 94 tree species and 1.2 million trees, to estimate the incremental effects of N deposition on changes in aboveground C (dC/dN) across the contiguous U.S. (CONUS). We find that although the average effect of N deposition on aboveground C is positive for the CONUS (dC/dN=+9 kg C per kg N), there is wide variation among species and regions. Furthermore, in the Northeastern U.S. where we may compare responses from 2000-2016 with those from the 1980s-90s, we find the recent estimate of dC/dN is weaker than from the 1980s-90s due to species-level changes in responses to N deposition. This suggests that the U.S. forest C-sink varies widely across forests and may be weakening overall, possibly necessitating more aggressive climate policies than originally thought. |
| Competing Interests: | Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. |
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| Grant Information: | EPA999999 United States ImEPA Intramural EPA |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20230616 Latest Revision: 20250530 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC10262689 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s43247-023-00677-w |
| PMID: | 37325084 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article