ASPECTS OF SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL AGGREGATION IN ESTIMATING REGIONAL CARBON-DIOXIDE FLUXES FROM TEMPERATE FOREST SOILS

We examine the influence of aggregation errors on developing estimates of regional soil-CO2 flux from temperate forests. We find daily soil-CO2 fluxes to be more sensitive to changes in soil temperatures (Q(10)=3.08) than air temperatures (Q(10)= 1.99). The direct use of mean monthly air temperatures with a daily flux model underestimates regional fluxes by approximately 4%. Temporal aggregation error varies with spatial resolution. Overall, our calibrated modeling approach reduces spatial aggregation error by 9.3% and temporal aggregation error by 15.5%. After minimizing spatial and temporal aggregation errors, mature temperate forest soils are estimated to contribute 12.9 Pg C yr(-1) to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Georeferenced model estimates agree well with annual soil-CO2 fluxes measured during chamber studies in mature temperate forest stands around the globe.