Future Projection of CO<sub>2</sub> Absorption and N<sub>2</sub>O Emissions of the South Korean Forests under Climate Change Scenarios: Toward Net-Zero CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions by 2050 and Beyond

Forests mitigate climate change by absorbing CO<sub>2</sub>. However, N<sub>2</sub>O emissions in forests, which has 298 times larger global warming potential than CO<sub>2</sub>, can diminish the climate mitigation role of forests. Thus, it is crucial to project...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hyung-Sub Kim, Florent Noulèkoun, Nam-Jin Noh, Yo-Whan Son
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-07-01
Series:Forests
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/7/1076
Description
Summary:Forests mitigate climate change by absorbing CO<sub>2</sub>. However, N<sub>2</sub>O emissions in forests, which has 298 times larger global warming potential than CO<sub>2</sub>, can diminish the climate mitigation role of forests. Thus, it is crucial to project not only CO<sub>2</sub> absorption but also N<sub>2</sub>O emissions in forests to provide a scientific basis for the 1.5 °C Paris Agreement goal. This study used a biogeochemical model, called FBD-CAN, to project CO<sub>2</sub> absorption and N<sub>2</sub>O emissions of South Korean forests from 2021 to 2080 under three climate scenarios, including the current climate, Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5, and RCP 8.5. From 2021 to 2080, CO<sub>2</sub> absorption decreased from 5.0 to 1.4 Mg CO<sub>2</sub> ha<sup>—1</sup> year<sup>—1</sup> under the current climate with the aging of forests, while N<sub>2</sub>O emissions increased from 0.25 to 0.33 Mg CO<sub>2</sub> eq. ha<sup>—1</sup> year<sup>—1</sup>. Climate change accelerated the decreasing trend in CO<sub>2</sub> absorption and the increasing trend in N<sub>2</sub>O emissions. The subalpine region had a faster decreasing trend in CO<sub>2</sub> absorption than the central and southern regions due to its older stand age. These findings provide scientific references for future greenhouse gas reduction plans and broaden our knowledge of the impacts of climate change on the climate mitigation role of forests.
ISSN:1999-4907