This book is the outcome of a NAill Advanced Study Institute on the contemporary glo bal carbon cycle, held in n Ciocco, Italy, September 8-20, 1991. The motivation for this ASI originated from recent controversial findings regarding the relative roles of the ocean and the land biota in the current global balance of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Consequently, the pur pose of this institute was to review, among leading experts in the field, the multitude of known constraints on the present day global carbon cycle as identified by the fields of meteorology, physical and biological oceanography, geology and terrestrial biosphere sciences. At the same time the form of an Advanced Study Institute was chosen, thus providing the opportunity to convey the information in tutorial form across disciplines and to young researchers entering the field. The first three sections of this book contain the lectures held in II Ciocco. The first sec tion reviews the atmospheric, large-scale global constraints on the present day carbon cycle including the emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel use and it provides a brief look into the past. The second section discusses the role of the terrestrial biosphere and the third the role of the ocean in the contemporary global carbon cycle.

Klappentext

This volume is based on recent controversial findings regarding the relative roles of the ocean and land biota in the current global balance of atmospheric carbon dioxide. It reviews the multitude of known constraints on the present-day global carbon cycle as identified by research in the fields of meteorology, physical and biological oceanography, geology and terrestrial biosphere science. It is divided into three sections: 1. Emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel use and a brief look into the past. 2. The role of the terrestrial biosphere. 3. The role of the ocean and the contemporary global carbon cycle.

Inhalt
Section I. Atmospheric and global constraints.- Lecture 1: Global observations of atmospheric CO2.- Average global distributions of CO2.- Seasonal cycles in atmospheric CO2 concentrations.- What caused the glacial to interglacial CO2 change?.- The magnitude and distribution of fossil-fuel-related carbon releases.- Section II. The role of the terrestrial biosphere.- Changes in terrestrial carbon over the last 135 years.- Implications of CO2 effects on vegetation for the global carbon budget.- Modelling terrestrial carbon cycles at varying temporal and spatial resolutions.- Biome modelling and the carbon cycle.- A dynamic model of terrestrial carbon cycling.- Carbon exchange between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere.- Organic carbon in soil and the global carbon cycle.- Section III. The role of the ocean.- Is the magnitude of the deep outflow from the Atlantic Ocean actually governed by southern hemisphere winds?.- New radiocarbon constraints on the upwelling of abyssal water to the ocean's surface.- Modelling the present-day oceanic carbon cycle.- Air-sea gasexchange and carbon dioxide.- Lecture 2: Surface ocean CO2.- Effects of the marine biota on global carbon cycling.- Modelling the marine biota.- Formation and composition of marine particulates.- Dynamic cycle of dissolved organic carbon and marine productivity.- Interhemispheric transport of carbon through the ocean.- Section IV. Summary of workshop discussions.- Summary of workshop on radiocarbon distributions as a constraint for global carbon cycle modelling.- Summary of workshop on inverse problems.- Summary of workshop on interannual variations in the carbon cycle.- Summary of workshop on dissolved organic carbon in the ocean.- Summary of workshop on the relative roles of physics and chemistry inthe marine carbon cycle.- Summary of workshop on terrestrial carbon cycling.- Summary of workshop on measurement and modelling of the terrestrial net carbon flux.