Seasonal controlling factors of CO2 exchange in a semiarid shrubland in the Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico

The still significant uncertainties associated with the future capacity of terrestrial systems to mitigate climate change are linked to the lack of knowledge of the biotic and abiotic processes that regulate CO2 net ecosystem exchange (NEE) in space/time. Mainly, rates and controls of CO2 exchange from arid ecosystems, despite dominating the global trends in interannual variability of the terrestrial CO2 sink capacity, are probably the most poorly understood of all. We present a study on rates and controls of CO2 exchange measured with the eddy covariance (EC) technique in the Chihuahuan Desert in the Northeast of Mexico, to understand how the environmental controls of the NEE switch throughout the year using a multilevel approach. Since this is a water-limited ecosystem, the hydroecological year, based on the last precipitation and the decay of air temperature, was used to compare the wet (from May 16 to October 30, 2019) and dry (November 1, 2019 to May 15, 2020) seasons' controlling mechanisms, both at diurnal and noctur-nal times. Annual NEE was -303.5 g C m-2, with a cumulative Reco of 537.7 g C m-2 and GPP of 841.3 g C m-2. NEE showed radiation, temperature, and soil moisture sensitivity along the day, however, shifts in these controls along the year and between seasons were identified. The winter precipitations during the dry season led to fast C release followed by lagged C uptake. Despite this flux pulse, the ecosystem was a net sink throughout most of the year because the local vegetation is well adapted to grow and uptake C under these arid conditions, even during the dry season. Un-derstanding the controls of the sink-source shifts is relevant since the predictions for future climate include changes in the precipitation patterns.

Automated summary

The study focuses on rates and controls of CO2 exchange in the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico. It reveals the poor understanding of CO2 exchange in arid ecosystems, despite their significant role in global CO2 sink capacity. The study highlights the variations in controlling mechanisms of CO2 exchange between wet and dry seasons, with radiation, temperature, and soil moisture being key factors. Understanding these changes is crucial for predicting the impact of future climate changes.