Carbon Cycle

Research in the carbon cycle theme focuses on exchange of CO2 and other greenhouse gases between land, ocean and the atmosphere on regional to global scales. We study forest carbon uptake, fires, permafrost exchange, and combustion of fossil fuels worldwide. Our overall goal is to understand how the biosphere responds and feeds back to climate change. We do this on regional to global scales but often focus on Europe, the Amazon, and high latitudes. We use atmospheric measurements, remote sensing observations, data assimilation and process modelling. We develop models and perform field measurements, with a focus on combining multiple gases that provide information on the carbon cycle, including CO2, isotopes, atmospheric oxygen, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen. Our research contributes to the societal need to constrain and predict emissions and carbon budgets, and is closely linked with other MAQ themes, including land-atmosphere interactions and atmospheric composition.