The IGBP Transect Approach

In the past few years, application of improved measurements and models suggests a robust partitioning of CO, emissions from fossil fuel consumption and land use about one-third remains in the atmosphere, one-third is reassimilated by land surfaces, and one-third is absorbed by the oceans (Keeling el ah, 1996). The terrestrial component of the sink has special political interest, because it is that part of the global carbon which can most directly be managed. If we were able to change the large fluxes of assimilation and respiration, as they were summarized by Schimel 

In the following sections, we will discuss the problems in locating a sink, and we will emphasize the spatial, temporal, and biological variability of processes on local as well as continental scale. 

In the following we will present ecological process data, to demonstrate the variability or constancy of processes which may or may not correlate with vegetation, plant functional types or species. 

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Introduction The IGBP Transect approach Variability in Processes Biome approach and functional types New approaches to funclionai diversUv Conclusions... 

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