Objectives
Our major objectives are to:
- identify important mechanismsCboth natural (biogeochemical, ecological, and physical processes) and anthropogenic (land use change and land cover change), that drive carbon cycling (uptake and release of carbon) in various terrestrial ecosystems, natural and managed;
- quantify the distribution and strength of carbon sink/source, and their spatial and temporal variability (dynamic) and uncertainty (prediction);
- examine functional type of vegetation and its spatial distribution pattern, carbon assimilation processes and its driving mechanisms, and interactive relationship between vegetation type and carbon cycle;
- develop a new generation of carbon cycle models (mechanistic and prognostic) suitable to the east Asian ecosystems;
- evaluate influences of land use (anthropogenic activities) and climate changes (greenhouse effect) on carbon cycle of ecosystems;
- establish datasets that are reliable and consistent for estimating regional carbon fluxes and storages in East Asia by combining field observations, manipulative experiments, and data-model fusion;
- provide scientific insights into carbon sequestration potentials of the terrestrial ecosystems, and political suggestions on reduction in carbon emissions; and
- quantify the contribution of terrestrial ecosystems in East Asia to global carbon balance.