Geography

Integration of remote sensing and modeling to understand carbon fluxes and climate Interactions in Africa

Document Type

Book Chapter

Abstract

African carbon dynamics are of global significance, with as much as 40% of the world’s fire emissions, about 20% of each of global net primary production, heterotrophic respiration, and land-use emissions, and acting as a major source of interannual variability in global net carbon exchange (Williams et al., 2007). Much of the continent is vulnerable to degradation from multiyear drought cycles (e.g., Nicholson, 2000), jeopardizing the livelihoods of millions who depend on local ecosystem services such as food, forage, fuel, and fiber (UNCTAD, 2002). The potential release of large amounts of carbon currently stored in African ecosystems is cause for concern (IPCC, 2001). Additionally, global environmental changes could trigger strong biophysical feedbacks to the climate system that may accelerate warming and prolong droughts (e.g., Wang and Eltahir, 2000a; Zeng and Neelin, 2000). Appraising these risks relies on detailed understanding of how ecosystems across the continent respond to climate and land use forcings. This motivates the current diagnostic analysis of carbon-climate connections in Africa.

Publication Title

Ecosystem Function in Savannas: Measurement and Modeling at Landscape to Global Scales

Publication Date

1-1-2010

First Page

327

Last Page

345

ISBN

9780429132469

DOI

10.1201/b10275

Keywords

Africa, carbon, climate, land-use emissions

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