IGBP Northern Eurasia Study: Prospectus for an Integrated Global Change Research Project

This report was prepared by scientists representing BAHC, IGAC, and GCTE. It is a prospectus for an integrated hydrological, atmospheric chemical, biogeochemical and ecological global change study in the tundra /boreal region of Northern Eurasia. The unifying theme of the IGBP Northern Eurasia Study is the terrestrial carbon cycle and its controlling factors. Its most important overall objective is to determine how these will alter under the rapidly changing environmental conditions. (Also available in Russian.

What do we know about Russian forests today?

The paper presents a short analysis of state and accuracy of forest inventory in Russia during 1961-2009. Major numerical characteristics for all forests of the country, which were obtained by system integration of remote sensing products and on-ground information are discussed and compared with data of official forest inventory. Necessity of development a new forest inventory system in Russia is discussed

Carbon budget of Russian forests

Net Ecosystem Carbon Balance (NECB) of Russian forest for 2007-2009 is presented based on consistent application of applied systems analysis and modern information technologies. Use of landscape-ecosystem approach resulted in the NECB at 546+/-120 Tg C year ^1, or 66+/-15 g C ^-2 year ^-1. There is a substantial difference between the NECB of European and Asian parts, as well as the clear zonal gradients within these geographical regions. While the total carbon sink is high, large forest areas, particularly on permafrost, serve as a carbon source. The ratio between net primary production and soil heterotrophic respiration, together with natural and human-induced disturbances are major drivers of the magnitude and spatial distribution of the NECB of forest ecosystems. Using the Bayesian approach, mutual constraints of results that are obtained by independent methods enable to decrease uncertainties of the final result

Database on structure of phytomass of Russian forests

Review of the modern databases for phytomass structure of forests in Russia is provided. The database offered by the authors contains information about phytomass structure, forest-typological and inventory characteristics of the stands. All forest-forming species and regions of the former Soviet Union are presented

Ecophysiological Models of Forest Stand Dynamics

It is well known that woodlands play a crucial role in stabilizing the natural environment. They greatly influence and regulate hydraulic cycles, and thus the flow of waters and local humidity conditions. They also filter air pollutants, thus protecting vulnerable soils and water bodies within forested watersheds. Therefore, as global belts of Boreal, Moderate and Tropical Forests actively take part in different biogeochemical and physical cycles in the biosphere, and play an extremely important role in the exchange of heat and moisture between the atmosphere and continents, an assessment of the forests in different time and spatial scales is of considerable value to the life of the human society. The systems approach permits us to look at these interrelationships in a comprehensive way and to see many negative and positive feedbacks which, together, provide a dynamical equilibrium of the waves in the all forest belts mentioned above (including others organic and inorganic waves, such as waves of insects, diseases, fires etc.). In the course of its existence IlASA has constantly been occupied with different aspects of the forest life. From time to time international working groups are formed on a IlASA base to examine the different aspects of the forest and forestry dynamics. The most recent example is a book on systems analysis of the Boreal Forest Dynamics, published by Cambridge University Press (Shugart et al., eds., September 1991). A group of American, European, Canadian and Soviet authors have worked together through a collaborative network. The products of the group include a general boreal forest model (which is currently being used to evaluate the potential effects of global climate change on the North American Boreal Zone); models on fire dynamics, seed dispersal, permafrost dynamics, herbivory and CO2 flux have been developed, providing a general modeling framework for simulating patterns and processes in the boreal zone. The present paper may be considered as some additional input to the problem, in the form of Ecophysiological Models, which were partially missing in the above-mentioned book. The paper partially intersects with the contents of the book, but from a different angle, especially as many papers considering the Russian view of the problem are added. The book on "System Analysis of the Boreal Forest Dynamics" and this outline stress the necessity of the development of a collaborative research effort to continue the development of computer models of the boreal forest (analogue to the GCM -- see, for example, Shugart, Bonan), and the so-called analytical models (analogue to the Global Average Models (GAM) -- see for example Antonovsky, Korzukhin) in response to environmental change. Assessments of anthropogenic stress on forests that show such complex dynamics are daunting. There is a clear need for a continuation of process-oriented comparative studies in polluted and non-polluted regions of the boreal forests to better understand these effects. It is clear from the reviews of actual observations and experimental evidence from the boreal forest and from the boreal forest models that the landscape response of boreal forests to stress is complex and not easily obtained from static measurements. Furthermore, the feedback complexities in the boreal forest ecosystem suggest that a multiple research program of experimentation, modeling and observation may lead to a better understanding of the forest dynamics under stress or novel situations than one-dimensional research programs

Biological Productivity and Carbon Budget of Larch Forests of Northern-East Russia

The book contains a multi-aspect analysis of the current state of forest resources of the Russian North-East based on diverse experimental and inventory data. Ecological and geographical peculiarities of the larch forests are described for Saha Republic, Magadan oblast, Korak and Chukotka Autonomous okrugs. The system of models which tie together biometric indicators of larch ecosystems in static and dynamics is presented. The dynamics of carbon equestration by different components of larch ecosystems is quantified. The full carbon budget of larch ecosystems of the study's region is estimated for the period of 1993-2003. The book is addressed to forest managers and forest inventory experts, ecologists, and global change community

The pool of organic carbon in the soils of Russia

An automated information system making it possible to estimate spatial distribution of soil organic carbon pool with a high spatial resolution (1 km2) has been developed. According to the obtained estimates, the total pool of organic carbon in the 1-m-deep soil layer on the territory of Russia reaches 317.1 Pg; the average organic carbon density in this layer for the entire Russia constitutes 19.2 kg C/m2. Of this amount, 14.4 Pg (or 0.90 kg C/m2) is stored in the litter horizon. The developed algorithm allows us to refine the results with the acquisition of new data on soils, vegetation, and the degree of their disturbance, which is particularly important in the changing world