Why are East Asian ecosystems important for carbon cycle research?

摘要

The global carbon cycle is one of the most important biogeochemicalcycles. Through photosynthesis, green plantsabsorb CO2 from the atmosphere to produce organic matters,such as sugars, and covert solar energy into chemical energy.The organic matters are then used by all other life formsincluding humans. When ecosystems and atmosphere are indynamic equilibrium, the flow of CO2 from the atmosphereinto the biosphere because of photosynthesis should beequivalent to the flow of CO2 released back into the atmosphereby respiration. However, during the past century atmosphericCO2 concentration has increased substantiallybecause of the burning of fossil fuels. It is highly likely thatthe atmospheric increase has resulted in global warming andsea level rise, as suggested by the Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change (IPCC) [1].