Spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystem fires and biomass burning-induced carbon emissions in China over the past two decades
Fire is a major type of disturbance that has important influences on ecosystem dynamics and carbon cycles. Yet our understanding of ecosystem fires and their carbon cycle consequences is still limited, largely due to the difficulty of large-scale fire monitoring and the complex interactions between...
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Format: | Article |
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Elsevier
2020-03-01
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Series: | Geography and Sustainability |
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Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683920300067 |
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doaj-38527d59c8c94535aead3d76823ac218 |
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record_format |
Article |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Anping Chen Rongyun Tang Jiafu Mao Chao Yue Xiran Li Mengdi Gao Xiaoying Shi Mingzhou Jin Daniel Ricciuto Sam Rabin Phillippe Ciais Shilong Piao |
spellingShingle |
Anping Chen Rongyun Tang Jiafu Mao Chao Yue Xiran Li Mengdi Gao Xiaoying Shi Mingzhou Jin Daniel Ricciuto Sam Rabin Phillippe Ciais Shilong Piao Spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystem fires and biomass burning-induced carbon emissions in China over the past two decades Geography and Sustainability Fire emission Burned area Fire models China |
author_facet |
Anping Chen Rongyun Tang Jiafu Mao Chao Yue Xiran Li Mengdi Gao Xiaoying Shi Mingzhou Jin Daniel Ricciuto Sam Rabin Phillippe Ciais Shilong Piao |
author_sort |
Anping Chen |
title |
Spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystem fires and biomass burning-induced carbon emissions in China over the past two decades |
title_short |
Spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystem fires and biomass burning-induced carbon emissions in China over the past two decades |
title_full |
Spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystem fires and biomass burning-induced carbon emissions in China over the past two decades |
title_fullStr |
Spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystem fires and biomass burning-induced carbon emissions in China over the past two decades |
title_full_unstemmed |
Spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystem fires and biomass burning-induced carbon emissions in China over the past two decades |
title_sort |
spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystem fires and biomass burning-induced carbon emissions in china over the past two decades |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Geography and Sustainability |
issn |
2666-6839 |
publishDate |
2020-03-01 |
description |
Fire is a major type of disturbance that has important influences on ecosystem dynamics and carbon cycles. Yet our understanding of ecosystem fires and their carbon cycle consequences is still limited, largely due to the difficulty of large-scale fire monitoring and the complex interactions between fire, vegetation, climate, and anthropogenic factors. Here, using data from satellite-derived fire observations and ecosystem model simulations, we performed a comprehensive investigation of the spatial and temporal dynamics of China's ecosystem fire disturbances and their carbon emissions over the past two decades (1997–2016). Satellite-derived results showed that on average about 3.47 - 4.53 × 104 km2 of the land was burned annually during the past two decades, among which annual burned forest area was about 0.81 - 1.25 × 104 km2, accounting for 0.33-0.51% of the forest area in China. Biomass burning emitted about 23.02 TgC per year. Compared to satellite products, simulations from the Energy Exascale Earth System Land Model (ELM) strongly overestimated China's burned area and fire-induced carbon emissions. Annual burned area and fire-induced carbon emissions were high for boreal forest in Northeast China's Daxing'anling region and subtropical dry forest in South Yunnan, as revealed by both the satellite product and the model simulations. Our results suggest that climate and anthropogenic factors play critical roles in controlling the spatial and seasonal distribution of China's ecosystem fire disturbances. Our findings highlight the importance of multiple complementary approaches in assessing ecosystem fire disturbance and its carbon consequences. Further studies are required to improve the methods of observing and modelling China's ecosystem fire disturbances, which will provide valuable information for fire management and ecosystem sustainability in an era when both human activities and the natural environment are rapidly changing. |
topic |
Fire emission Burned area Fire models China |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683920300067 |
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doaj-38527d59c8c94535aead3d76823ac2182020-12-30T04:24:00ZengElsevierGeography and Sustainability2666-68392020-03-01114758Spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystem fires and biomass burning-induced carbon emissions in China over the past two decadesAnping Chen0Rongyun Tang1Jiafu Mao2Chao Yue3Xiran Li4Mengdi Gao5Xiaoying Shi6Mingzhou Jin7Daniel Ricciuto8Sam Rabin9Phillippe Ciais10Shilong Piao11Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA; Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA; Corresponding authors.Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USAEnvironmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA; Corresponding authors.State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest Agriculture & Forestry University, Yangling, Shanxi 712100, ChinaDepartment of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA; College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, ChinaSino-French Institute for Earth System Science, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, ChinaEnvironmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USADepartment of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USAEnvironmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USAAtmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Kreuzeckbahnstraße 19, Garmisch-Partenkirchen 82467, GermanyLSCE, UMR CEA-CNRS, Bat. 709, CE, L'Orme des Merisiers, Gif-sur-Yvette 91191, FranceSino-French Institute for Earth System Science, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, ChinaFire is a major type of disturbance that has important influences on ecosystem dynamics and carbon cycles. Yet our understanding of ecosystem fires and their carbon cycle consequences is still limited, largely due to the difficulty of large-scale fire monitoring and the complex interactions between fire, vegetation, climate, and anthropogenic factors. Here, using data from satellite-derived fire observations and ecosystem model simulations, we performed a comprehensive investigation of the spatial and temporal dynamics of China's ecosystem fire disturbances and their carbon emissions over the past two decades (1997–2016). Satellite-derived results showed that on average about 3.47 - 4.53 × 104 km2 of the land was burned annually during the past two decades, among which annual burned forest area was about 0.81 - 1.25 × 104 km2, accounting for 0.33-0.51% of the forest area in China. Biomass burning emitted about 23.02 TgC per year. Compared to satellite products, simulations from the Energy Exascale Earth System Land Model (ELM) strongly overestimated China's burned area and fire-induced carbon emissions. Annual burned area and fire-induced carbon emissions were high for boreal forest in Northeast China's Daxing'anling region and subtropical dry forest in South Yunnan, as revealed by both the satellite product and the model simulations. Our results suggest that climate and anthropogenic factors play critical roles in controlling the spatial and seasonal distribution of China's ecosystem fire disturbances. Our findings highlight the importance of multiple complementary approaches in assessing ecosystem fire disturbance and its carbon consequences. Further studies are required to improve the methods of observing and modelling China's ecosystem fire disturbances, which will provide valuable information for fire management and ecosystem sustainability in an era when both human activities and the natural environment are rapidly changing.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683920300067Fire emissionBurned areaFire modelsChina |