Estimation of Carbon Balance in Steppe Ecosystems of Russia

Abstract

Steppe ecosystems, occupying about 8% of the terrestrial area, are an essential element of the global carbon cycle in the atmosphere–vegetation–soil system. Based on the geoinformation-analytical method, the database of empirically measured values of the net primary production and the climate-driven regression model that makes it possible to estimate the intensity of carbon dioxide flux from soils into the atmosphere, the carbon (C–СО2) balance of natural steppe ecosystems in Russia was estimated. Natural steppes in Russia serve as a significant sink of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The intensity of this carbon flux can be estimated as 231 ± 202 gC/m2 per year. The annual accumulation of carbon dioxide in the natural steppe ecosystems of Russia is evaluated as 111 ± 97 MtC. According to the obtained estimates, the steppe ecosystems under study provide from 8 to 19% of the atmospheric carbon sink to the terrestrial ecosystems of Russia.