Recarbonization of the Biosphere: Ecosystems and the Global Carbon Cycle [Paperback]

Human activities are significantly modifying the natural global carbon (C) cycles, and concomitantly influence climate, ecosystems, and state and function of the Earth system. Ever increasing amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) are added to the atmosphere by fossil fuel combustion but the biosphere is a potential C sink. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of C cycling in the biosphere is crucial for identifying and managing biospheric C sinks. Ecosystems with large C stocks which must be protected and sustainably managed are wetlands, peatlands, tropical rainforests, tropical savannas, grasslands, degraded/desertified lands, agricultural lands, and urban lands. However, land-based sinks require long-term management and a protection strategy because C stocks grow with a progressive improvement in ecosystem health.

Foreword (K. T?pfer, R. Hill)
1. Terrestrial Biosphere as a Source and Sink of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (R. Lal, K. Lorenz, R. F. J. H?ttl, B. U. Schneider, J. von Braun)
2. Climate Change Mitigation by Managing the Terrestrial Biosphere (R. Lal)
3. Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate in the Anthropocene (P. J. Crutzen, K. Lorenz, R. Lal, K. T?pfer)
4. Historic Changes in Terrestrial Carbon Storage (R. A. Houghton)
5. Soil Erosion and Soil Organic Carbon Storage on the Chinese Loess Plateau (C. Dahlke, H. R. Bork)
6. Methane Emissions from Chinas Natural Wetlands: Measurements, Temporal Variance and Influencing Factors (X. Wang, F. Lu, L. Yang)
7. Accounting more precisely for peat and other soil carbon resources (Hermann F. Jungkunst, Jan Paul Kr?ger, Felix Heitkamp, Stefan Erasmi, Stephan Glatzel? Sabine Fiedler, and Rattan Lal)
8. Permafrost - Physical Aspects, Carbon Cycling, Databases and Uncertainties (J. Boike, M. Langer, H. Lantuit, S. Muster, T. Sachs,? P. Overduin, S. Westermann, D. McGuire)
9. Carbon Sequestration in Temperate Forests (R. Lal, K. Lorenz)