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Title: Warming temperatures lead to reduced summer carbon sequestration in the U.S. Corn Belt
Abstract The response of highly productive croplands at northern mid-latitudes to climate change is a primary source of uncertainty in the global carbon cycle, and a concern for future food production. We present a decadal time series (2007 to 2019) of hourly CO 2 concentration measured at a very tall tower in the United States Corn Belt. Analyses of this record, with other long-term data in the region, reveal that warming has had a positive impact on net CO 2 uptake during the early crop growth stage, but has reduced net CO 2 uptake in both croplands and natural ecosystems during the peak growing season. Future increase in summer temperature is projected to reduce annual CO 2 sequestration in the Corn Belt by 10–20%. These findings highlight the dynamic control of warming on cropland CO 2 exchange and crop yields and challenge the paradigm that warming will continue to favor CO 2 sequestration in northern mid-latitude ecosystems.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1640337
PAR ID:
10314260
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Communications Earth & Environment
Volume:
2
Issue:
1
ISSN:
2662-4435
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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