Spatial variation in the biomass of Northern forests and its implication to terrestrial carbon sink

Xue Liu, George Mason University/CEOSR, xliu4@gmu.edu (Presenting)
Menas Kafatos, George Mason University/CEOSR, mkafatos@gmail.com

Forests are with intense research in global environmental change. The impacts of forest changes on carbon cycle are of particular interest. Recent research has shown, the forests in the Northern hemisphere as a whole have been sequestering significant amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. However, how such a carbon sink varies spatially across the Northern hemisphere has not been analyzed in details. Such an analysis will help further understand the underlying mechanism for the enhanced terrestrial carbon sink, reveal the differences of different forest ecosystems in response to the warming climate, and aid decision making about carbon sequestration through terrestrial biosphere.

NDVI has been shown as an effective surrogate for forest biomass on decadal scales for the Northern forests. This study applied the Pathfinder AVHRR NDVI time series data, revealed significant spatial variations in the biomass of Northern forests and discussed their implications to terrestrial carbon sink in the North.