# Presentation: 929208

## BERAC Subcommittee

_**BERAC Subcommittee Recommendations**_
_**DOE Terrestrial Carbon Science**_
_**S.W. Running and W. Washington, Co-Chairs**_
_**December 6, 2005**_

## Dr. Steven Running, Co-Chair
Dept. of Ecosystem Sciences
University of Montana
Missoula, MT

Dr. Jennifer Harden
U.S. Geological Survey
Menlo Park, CA

Dr. Ray Leuning
CSIRO
Div Atmospheric Research
Canberra, ACT Australia

- Dept. of Ecosystem Sciences
- University of Montana
- Missoula, MT
- Dr. Jennifer Harden
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Menlo Park, CA
- Dr. Ray Leuning
- CSIRO
- Div Atmospheric Research
- Canberra, ACT Australia

- Dr. Hank Margolis
- Fluxnet-Canada Research Network
- Laval University
- Sainte-Foy, Quebec Canada
- Dr. David Schimel
- Nat Center for Atmospheric Research
- Boulder, CO
- Dr. Richard Waring
- Dept of Forest Science
- Oregon State University
- Corvallis, OR
- Warren Washington Co-Chair
- Nat. Center for Atmospheric Research
- Boulder, CO

_**BERAC Subcommittee Membership**_

## Overview

- A few slides from Roger Dahlman
- Program Manager
- BER

## Carbon Cycle Perspective

- “*Need to understand and predict carbon cycle*
* **to address climate response*”

- Know net CO2 exchange between atmosphere and biosphere
- Provide quantitative estimates of terrestrial carbon sinks and sources
- Improve models for predicting future atmospheric CO2
- Conduct basic research to understand terrestrial carbon processes

## Terrestrial Carbon Processes Roadmap

- 7.4 How do global terrestrial C sources and sinks change across time scales?

- 7.5 What will be future [CO2]?

- 7.5 How will terrestrial C sources and sinks change in the future?

- R&D Needs

- Strategy

- Objective

- System

- Goal

- Quantitative and predictive understanding of terrestrial C cycle and its feedbacks

- Fluxes | Sources | Sinks

- Ecosystem | Region | Globe

- Forecast terrestrial carbon cycle and its coupling w/global climate

- TCP

**Terrestrial Carbon Processes Roadmap**

- CCSP Questions

## Terrestrial Carbon Process Goal

-    *Provide scientific knowledge of terrestrial components of global carbon cycle -- for*
- Accurate predictions of atmospheric CO2 change
- Evaluating terrestrial sources and sinks
- Major Programs: AmeriFLux and
- Free-Air CO2 Enrichment Experiments (FACE)

## CO2 fluxes for North America:Combining data from AmeriFlux, tall towers, aircraft and satellites

_**CO**__**2**__** fluxes for North America:**_*Combining data from AmeriFlux, tall towers, aircraft and satellites*

**CMDL (Argyle, ME) tall tower**

## Plant Inputs Root turnover and its affect on soil organic matter response to elevated CO2Jastrow and Matamala

- Long-term
- stabilization

- Climate
- Atm CO2

- Plant inputs:
- quality and quantity

- Carbon
- Storage

## Program management Approach

- Support high quality science
- Provide leadership
- Assure program balance
- Attention to continuity

## General Recommendations

- Organization-establish science steering committees
- Phase out some of the observational sites that measure CO2 fluxes and establish new high priority sites through peer review process
- Upgrade and maintain effective databases for collection observational data, re-analysis some of older data in form useful to the modeling and wider community.
- Integrate national observations with the international efforts

## Soil Carbon

- Need a focus on soil carbon turnover research
- Build a national soil carbon model that simulates and predicts fate of below ground carbon over regional and national space scales

## Establish a Multi-Scale Modeling Capability

- Form a modeling team to develop a National Terrestrial Carbon Model. DOE should take leadership of this effort.
- This activity would integrate the observational programs with a national coupled carbon climate modeling activity

## Quality of DOE supported research in this area is excellent!Note: More detailed recommendations in the report