Title: A large and persistent carbon sink in the world's forests

Author: Pan, Yude; Birdsey, Richard A.; Fang, Jingyun; Houghton, Richard; Kauppi, Pekka E.; Kurz, Werner A.; Phillips, Oliver L.; Shvidenko, Anatoly; Lewis, Simon L.; Canadell, Josep G.; Ciais, Philippe; Jackson, Robert B.; Pacala, Stephen W.; McGuire, A. David; Piao, Shilong; Rautiainen, Aapo; Sitch, Stephen; Hayes, Daniel.

Year: 2011

Publication: Science. 333: 988-993.

Abstract: The terrestrial carbon sink has been large in recent decades, but its size and location remain uncertain. Using forest inventory data and long-term ecosystem carbon studies, we estimate a total forest sink of 2.4 ± 0.4 petagrams of carbon per year (Pg C year^-1) globally for 1990 to 2007. We also estimate a source of 1.3 ± 0.7 Pg C year^-1 from tropical land-use change, consisting of a gross tropical deforestation emission of 2.9 ± 0.5 Pg C year^-1 partially compensated by a carbon sink in tropical forest regrowth of 1.6 ± 0.5 Pg C year^-1. Together, the fluxes comprise a net global forest sink of 1.1 ± 0.8 Pg C year^-1, with tropical estimates having the largest uncertainties. Our total forest sink estimate is equivalent in magnitude to the terrestrial sink deduced from fossil fuel emissions and land-use change sources minus ocean and atmospheric sinks.