CARBOEUROPE: Assessment of the European terrestrial carbon balance

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 03.0350-1

Key words (English)

Carbon; Carbon balance; carbon accounting; terrestrial ecosystems

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: 505572

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 6. Frame Research Programme - 1.6.3 Urspr. Progr. Global change and ecosystems

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
Forschungsanstalt Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon ART
Lufthygiene/Klima

Abstract (English)

The overarching aim of the CarboEurope- IP is to understand, quantify and predict the terrestrial carbon balance of Europe and the uncertainty at local, regional and continental scale. This is achieved by (1) executing strategically focussed set of surface based ecological measurements of carbon exchange, (2) further enhancement of an atmospheric high precision observation system for CO2 and other trace gases, (3) execution of a regional high spatial resolution experiment and (4) integration of these components by means of innovative data assimilation systems and modelling. The key innovation of the CarboEurope-IP is solving the scientific challenge of quantifying the terrestrial carbon balance at different scales and with known, acceptable uncertainties. The increase in spatial and temporal resolution of the observational and modelling program will allow for the first time a consistent application of a multiple constraint approach of bottom-up and top-down estimates to determine terrestrial carbon balance of Europe with the geographical patterns and variability of sources and sinks. CarboEurope-IP aims at providing a system for full carbon accounting for the European continent, and it will further investigate the main controlling mechanisms of carbon cycling in European ecosystems, such as climate, land management, and nitrogen deposition, and provide future projections of the Carbon Cycle. CarboEurope-IP integrates and expands the research efforts of 65 European institutes. CarboEurope-IP addresses basic scientific questions of high political relevance.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 03.0350-1