Carbon cycle human influence

This chapter describes the behavior of the carbon cycle prior to human influence. It describes... 

The dynamic behavior of the carbon cycle and other complex systems may tend toward conditions of no change or steady state when exchanges are balanced by feedback loops. For example, model simulations of historical and projected effects of anthropogenic CO2 and CH4 emissions are usually based on an assumed carbon-cycle steady state before the onset of human influence. It is important to understand that the concept of steady state refers to an approximate condition within the context of a particular time-dependent frame of reference. Sundquist (1985) examined this problem rigorously using eigenanalysis of a hierarchy of carbon-cycle box models in which boxes were mathematically... 

The preindustrial carbon cycle in Fig. 6.1 is shown as a steady state system, with inputs balancing outputs for each reservoir. Human activity, particularly since the industrial revolution in the mid-1700s, has had a significant influence on the size of fluxes between some of the carbon reservoirs. Since industrialization there has been an imbalance between uptake and release of C02, as can... 

Prior to determining the carbon in phytomass it is necessary to determine the total biomass. Forest biomass is a basic factor in studies related to nutrient cycling and carbon release from terrestrial systems following deforestation. This is now one of the more important global research themes due to concerns about possible human-driven climatic changes. Biomass estimates have an enormous influence in modeling based on emissions of carbon from deforestation. The use of inaccurate values for this parameter will drastically affect the reliability of the results of the models. 

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