INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY ON THE CONTEMPORARY CARBON CYCLE

Objective

SIMULATION OF THE CARBON CYCLE AND ATMOSPHERIC CO2 CONCENTRATION (DAYS TO YEARS).

THE PROPOSED STUDY CONSISTS OF THE SIMULATION OF THE CARBON CYCLE ON TIME SCALES RANGING FROM A FEW DAYS TO SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS (COVERING THE INDUSTRIAL EPOCH) BY MEANS OF COUPLED MULTIDIMENTIONAL CARBON MODELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE, THE OCEAN AND THE TERRESTRIAL BIOSPHERE.

IN PARTICULAR THE FOLLOWING PROCESSES, INFLUENCING THE CARBON SYSTEM ON THESE TIME SCALES, WILL BE INVESTIGATED :
- MECHANISMS OF GAS EXCHANGE BETWEEN THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE OCEAN;
- EXCHANGE FLUXES OF CARBON BETWEEN THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE BIOSPHERE (INCLUDING RESPONSES OF THE TERRESTRIAL BIOSPHERE TO CLIMATIC FLUCTUATIONS AND HUMAN INFLUENCES);
- FEEDBACK MECHANISMS THROUGH ENHANCED ATMOSPHERIC CO2 LEVELS UPON THE TERRITORIAL BIOSPHERE;
- FEEDBACK MECHANISMS THROUGH CLIMATE UPON OCEANIC AND BIOSPHERE CARBON POOLS.

TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL A SERIES OF PROCESS AND SENSITIVITY STUDIES HAVE TO BE UNDERTAKEN IN CONJUNCTION WITH MODEL SIMULATION EXPERIMENTS. A SUCCESSFUL SIMULATION OF THE OBSERVED CARBON CYCLE FEATURES WILL ALLOW A DETAILED INVENTORY IN SPACE AND TIME OF SOURCES AND SINKS OF CARBON AT THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.

Programme(s)

• FP1-CLIMAT 3C - Multiannual R&D programmes (EEC) in the field of the environment - Climatology and natural hazards - , 1986-1990

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN E.V.

Address

Bundesstra¯e 55
20146 Hamburg
Germany

Participants (4)

CNRS

Address

Centre

LAB GLACIOLOGIE ET GEOPHYSIQUE

Address

Dr

LODYC

UNIVERSITAET OSNABRUECK