Recent pause in the growth rate of atmospheric CO2 due to enhanced terrestrial carbon uptake

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 7; no. 1; p. 13428
• Main Authors: Keenan, Trevor F, Prentice, I. Colin, Canadell, Josep G, Williams, Christopher A, Wang, Han, Raupach, Michael, Collatz, G. James
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 08.11.2016; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 704/106/694/674; 704/158/2165; 704/47/4113; Atmosphere; attribution; Carbon cycle; Carbon sequestration; climate-change ecology; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Respiration; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Vegetation; Australia; United States > US
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13428

Terrestrial ecosystems play a significant role in the global carbon cycle and offset a large fraction of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. The terrestrial carbon sink is increasing, yet the mechanisms responsible for its enhancement, and implications for the growth rate of atmospheric CO 2 , remain unclear. Here using global carbon budget estimates, ground, atmospheric and satellite observations, and multiple global vegetation models, we report a recent pause in the growth rate of atmospheric CO 2 , and a decline in the fraction of anthropogenic emissions that remain in the atmosphere, despite increasing anthropogenic emissions. We attribute the observed decline to increases in the terrestrial sink during the past decade, associated with the effects of rising atmospheric CO 2 on vegetation and the slowdown in the rate of warming on global respiration. The pause in the atmospheric CO 2 growth rate provides further evidence of the roles of CO 2 fertilization and warming-induced respiration, and highlights the need to protect both existing carbon stocks and regions, where the sink is growing rapidly. Year-to-year variability in atmospheric CO 2 is strongly influenced by the terrestrial biosphere. Despite increasing anthropogenic emissions, Keenan et al . report a recent pause in the growth rate of atmospheric CO 2 using observations and vegetation models, attributed to an enhanced terrestrial carbon sink.