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Harvard Forest REU Symposium Abstract 2011
- Title: Post-Disturbance Dynamics of Carbon, Water and Energy Fluxes Between Land and Atmosphere
- Author: Marcus D Pasay (Clark University)
- Abstract:
Forest structure and composition affects climate and the flux of carbon on a variety of scales. Woody detritus, specifically coarse woody debris (CWD) is a significant component of stored carbon in forest ecosystems and affects the ecological patterns and processes found within these systems. CWD is an integral part of a forest ecosystem because it releases many organic nutrients, including compounds such as carbon dioxide, through decomposition. To determine the effect forest structure has on the rate of respiration, or the rate at which carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere, we repeatedly measured the respiration rate for sixty-four pieces of CWD in two study areas, including a three-year-old early successional forest and a mature spruce stand. Carbon dioxide respiration was measured using a LI-6250 Infrared Gas Analyzer over the course of nine weeks in a variety of environmental conditions. Analysis indicated that CWD with a decay class of three has a higher rate of respiration than decay class two CWD. It has also been found that CWD with larger diameters (15-30cm) and thus larger surface area and volume have greater rates of respiration than CWD of smaller diameters (8-13cm). This type of respiration rate quantification allows us to better understand the carbon fluxes between the land and atmosphere across a landscape.
- Research Category: Forest-Atmosphere Exchange
