© 2000 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada
Introduction to BOREAS special issue
Michael G. Ryan (1)
1. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 240 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA (mryan@lamar.colostate.edu) / Received April 26, 2000
Summary
Carbon flux attributed to the boreal forest biome significantly impacts the global carbon cycle. The multi-scale Boreal Ecosystem
Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) was initiated to investigate exchanges between boreal forests and the atmosphere, to examine the
effects of increased atmospheric CO2 concentration on boreal forests, to develop and improve process models to describe exchanges between boreal forests and the
atmosphere, and to develop methods for the large-scale application of these models. Field measurements have shown that boreal
ecosystems differ significantly from their temperate and tropical counterparts with respect to seasonality, productivity and
biosphere–atmosphere interactions.
Keywords:
Boreal Ecosystem Atmosphere Study, boreal forest, carbon flux, carbon sequestration, global carbon cycle, remote sensing.
