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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS,
VOL. 32,
L14708,
5 PP., 2005
doi:10.1029/2005GL022941
Primary productivity control of simulated carbon cycle–climate feedbacks
Department of Geography, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Centre for Forest Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Positive feedbacks between the terrestrial carbon cycle and climate represent an outstanding area of uncertainty in simulations of future climate change. Coupled climate-carbon cycle models have simulated widely divergent feedback magnitudes, and attempts to explain model differences have had only limited success. In this study, we demonstrate that the response of vegetation primary productivity to climate changes is a critical controlling factor in determining the strength of simulated carbon cycle-climate feedbacks. This conclusion sheds new light on coupled climate-carbon cycle model results, and highlights the need for improved model representation of photosynthesis processes so as to better constrain future projections of climate change.
Received 11 March 2005; accepted 27 June 2005; published 26 July 2005.
Citation: (2005), Primary productivity control of simulated carbon cycle–climate feedbacks, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L14708, doi:10.1029/2005GL022941.
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