Observations and Simulations of the Alaskan CO2 Cycle

Nick Parazoo, UCLA, nicholas.c.parazoo@jpl.nasa.gov (Presenter)
Charles Miller, NASA JPL, charles.e.miller@jpl.nasa.gov
John R. Worden, JPL, john.r.worden@jpl.nasa.gov
Colm Sweeney, NOAA/ESRL GMD, colm.sweeney@noaa.gov
Anna Karion, NOAA/ESRL, anna.karion@noaa.gov
Christian Frankenberg, Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Caltech, christian.frankenberg@jpl.nasa.gov
Kevin W Bowman, JPL, kevin.w.bowman@jpl.nasa.gov
Charlie D Koven, LBL, cdkoven@lbl.gov
Eugenie Euskirchen, University of Alaska Fairbanks, seeuskirchen@alaska.edu
Sander Veraverbeke, University of California, Irvine, sveraver@uci.edu

Near-continuous satellite (TANSO GOSAT) and airborne (CARVE and NOAA) CO2 observations in Alaska from 2009-2013 provide multi-scale constraints across the complete growing season for multiple consecutive years, offering critical insight into patterns of regional scale CO2 uptake by Alaskan ecosystems. We examine duration, intensity, and variability of seasonal CO2 uptake in Alaska by comparing seasonal CO2 in the boundary layer, free troposphere and column. This scale comparison reveals a short but deep and highly variable seasonal CO2 cycle in the Alaskan boundary layer, and weakening signal in free troposphere and column integrated data. This implies a vigorous CO2 uptake period early in the growing season and subject to strong interannual variability, including enhanced (deeper and longer) uptake in 2009 and 2012 and reduced (shallower and shorter) uptake in 2010 and 2013.

We investigate biological, wildfire, and environmental drivers of interannual CO2 exchange in Alaskan ecosystems using combined ground based and satellite observations and model simulations linking top-down CO2 dynamics with bottom-up fluxes and environmental controls. In particular, we provide lessons learned from linking new observations of canopy photosynthesis from satellite solar induced fluorescence (SIF) with key environmental controls including soil moisture from SMOS and GRACE and radiation/temperature from global reanalysis (GEOS-5).

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Theme 3: Future research direction and priorities: perspectives relevant to the next decadal survey   (Mon 4:30 PM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Miller, Chip: Permafrost Vulnerability in a Seasonally Sea Ice-free Arctic? ...details

Poster Location ID: 110