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Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open
Journal article
The African Regional Greenhouse Gases Budget (2010–2019)
Global biogeochemical cycles, Vol.38(4), e2023GB008016
04/2024
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Abstract
Abstract As part of the REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes Phase 2 (RECCAP2) project, we developed a comprehensive African Greenhouse gases (GHG) budget covering 2000 to 2019 (RECCAP1 and RECCAP2 time periods), and assessed uncertainties and trends over time. We compared bottom‐up process‐based models, data‐driven remotely sensed products, and national GHG inventories with top‐down atmospheric inversions, accounting also for lateral fluxes. We incorporated emission estimates derived from novel methodologies for termites, herbivores, and fire, which are particularly important in Africa. We further constrained global woody biomass change products with high‐quality regional observations. During the RECCAP2 period, Africa's carbon sink capacity is decreasing, with net ecosystem exchange switching from a small sink of −0.61 ± 0.58 PgC yr −1 in RECCAP1 to a small source in RECCAP2 at 0.16 (−0.52/1.36) PgC yr −1 . Net CO 2 emissions estimated from bottom‐up approaches were 1.6 (−0.9/5.8) PgCO 2 yr −1 , net CH 4 were 77 (56.4/93.9) TgCH 4 yr −1 and net N 2 O were 2.9 (1.4/4.9) TgN 2 O yr −1 . Top‐down atmospheric inversions showed similar trends. Land Use Change emissions increased, representing one of the largest contributions at 1.7 (0.8/2.7) PgCO 2 eq yr −1 to the African GHG budget and almost similar to emissions from fossil fuels at 1.74 (1.53/1.96) PgCO 2 eq yr −1 , which also increased from RECCAP1. Additionally, wildfire emissions decreased, while fuelwood burning increased. For most component fluxes, uncertainty is large, highlighting the need for increased efforts to address Africa‐specific data gaps. However, for RECCAP2, we improved our overall understanding of many of the important components of the African GHG budget that will assist to inform climate policy and action.
Details
- Title
- The African Regional Greenhouse Gases Budget (2010–2019)
- Creators
- Yolandi Ernst - University of the WitwatersrandSally Archibald - University of the WitwatersrandHeiko Balzter - University of LeicesterFrederic Chevallier - Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'EnvironnementPhilippe Ciais - Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'EnvironnementCarlos Fischer - Center for Global DevelopmentBenjamin Gaubert - NSF National Center for Atmospheric ResearchThomas Higginbottom - University of EdinburghSteven Higgins - University of BayreuthShakirudeen Lawal - North Carolina State UniversityFabrice Lacroix - University of BernRonny Lauerwald - AgroParisTechMauro Lourenco - University of the WitwatersrandCarola Martens - Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreAnteneh Mengistu - Finnish Meteorological InstituteLutz Merbold - AgroscopeEdward Mitchard - University of EdinburghMthokozisi Moyo - University of the WitwatersrandHannah Nguyen - King's College LondonMichael O’sullivan - University of ExeterPedro Rodríguez-veiga - University of LeicesterThais Rosan - University of ExeterJudith Rosentreter - Southern Cross UniversityCasey Ryan - University of EdinburghSimon Scheiter - Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreStephen Sitch - University of ExeterNicola Stevens - University of the WitwatersrandTorbern Tagesson - Lund UniversityHanqin Tian - Boston CollegeMengjia Wang - Zhengzhou UniversityJoel Woon - University of LiverpoolBo Zheng - Tsinghua UniversityYong Zhou - Utah State UniversityRobert Scholes - University of the Witwatersrand
- Publication Details
- Global biogeochemical cycles, Vol.38(4), e2023GB008016
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union
- Grant note
- Swedish National Space Agency. Grant Numbers: 2021-00144, 2021-00111 FORMAS. Grant Number: 2021-00644 EU-Aid CASSECS Project. Grant Number: FOOD/2019/410-169 French state aid—Investissements d'avenir programme. Grant Number: ANR-16-CONV-0003 South African Research Chair Initiative. Grant Number: 64796 SECO Project. Grant Number: NE/T01279X/1
- Identifiers
- 991013179812802368
- Copyright
- © 2024. The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article