Contribution of anthropogenic land cover change emissions to pre-industrial atmospheric CO2

Reick, Christian H.; Raddatz, Thomas; Pongratz, Julia and Claussen, Martin (2010): Contribution of anthropogenic land cover change emissions to pre-industrial atmospheric CO2. In: Tellus : a bi-monthly journal of geographics / Series B, Chemical and physical meteorology, Vol. 62, No. 5: pp. 329-336

Abstract

Based on a recent reconstruction of anthropogenic land cover change (ALCC), we derive the associated CO2 emissions since 800 AD by two independent methods: a bookkeeping approach and a process model. The results are compared with the pre-industrial development of atmospheric CO2 known from antarctic ice cores. Our results show that pre-industrial CO2 emissions from ALCC have been relevant for the pre-industrial carbon cycle, although before 1750 AD their trace in atmospheric CO2 is obscured by other processes of similar magnitude. After 1750 AD, the situation is different: the steep increase in atmospheric CO2 until 1850 AD-this is before fossil fuel emissions rose to significant values-is to a substantial part explained by growing emissions from ALCC.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: Geosciences > Department of Geography > Physical Geography and Land Use Systems
• Subjects: 900 History and geography > 910 Geography and travel
• ISSN: 0280-6509
• Language: English