Siberian carbon sink reduced by forest disturbances

Siberian forests are generally thought to have acted as an important carbon sink over recent decades, but exposure to severe droughts and fire disturbances may have impacted their carbon dynamics. Limited available forest inventories mean the carbon balance remains uncertain. Here we analyse annual live and dead above-ground carbon changes derived from low-frequency passive microwave observations from 2010 to 2019. We find that during this period, the carbon balance of Siberian forests was close to neutral, with the forests acting as a small carbon sink of +0.02(+0.01)(+0.03) PgC yr(-1). Carbon storage in dead wood increased, but this was largely offset by a decrease in live biomass. Substantial losses of live above-ground carbon are attributed to fire and drought, such as the widespread fires in northern Siberia in 2012 and extreme drought in eastern Siberia in 2015. These live above-ground carbon losses contrast with greening' trends seen in leaf area index over the same period, a decoupling explained by faster post-disturbance recovery of leaf area than live above-ground carbon. Our study highlights the vulnerability of large forest carbon stores in Siberia to climate-induced disturbances, challenging the persistence of the carbon sink in this region of the globe.

Automated summary

Siberian forests have been considered an important carbon sink, but severe droughts and fire disturbances may have affected their carbon dynamics. Limited forest inventories have led to uncertainties in the carbon balance. This study analyzed microwave observations from 2010 to 2019 and found that the carbon balance of Siberian forests was close to neutral, with a small carbon sink. Fire and drought caused significant losses of live above-ground carbon, contrasting with the greening trends in leaf area index. This highlights the vulnerability of large forest carbon stores in Siberia to climate-induced disturbances.