@article{fdi:010058815,
  title = {{T}he carbon balance of {S}outh {A}merica : a review of the status, decadal trends and main determinants},
  author = {{G}loor, {M}. and {G}atti, {L}. and {B}rienen, {R}. and {F}eldpausch, {T}. {R}. and {P}hillips, {O}. {L}. and {M}iller, {J}. and {O}metto, {J}. {P}. and {R}ocha, {H}. and {B}aker, {T}. and de {J}ong, {B}. and {H}oughton, {R}. {A}. and {M}alhi, {Y}. and {A}ragao, {L}eoc and {G}uyot, {J}ean-{L}oup and {Z}hao, {K}. and {J}ackson, {R}. and {P}eylin, {P}. and {S}itch, {S}. and {P}oulter, {B}. and {L}omas, {M}. and {Z}aehle, {S}. and {H}untingford, {C}. and {L}evy, {P}. and {L}loyd, {J}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{W}e summarise the contemporary carbon budget of {S}outh {A}merica and relate it to its dominant controls: population and economic growth, changes in land use practices and a changing atmospheric environment and climate. {C}omponent flux estimate methods we consider sufficiently reliable for this purpose encompass fossil fuel emission inventories, biometric analysis of old-growth rainforests, estimation of carbon release associated with deforestation based on remote sensing and inventories, and agricultural export data. {A}lternative methods for the estimation of the continental-scale net land to atmosphere {CO}2 flux, such as atmospheric transport inverse modelling and terrestrial biosphere model predictions, are, we find, hampered by the data paucity, and improved parameterisation and validation exercises are required before reliable estimates can be obtained. {F}rom our analysis of available data, we suggest that {S}outh {A}merica was a net source to the atmosphere during the 1980s (similar to 0.3-0.4 {P}g {C} a(-1)) and close to neutral (similar to 0.1 {P}g {C} a(-1)) in the 1990s. {D}uring the latter period, carbon uptake in old-growth forests nearly compensated for the carbon release associated with fossil fuel burning and deforestation. {A}nnual mean precipitation over tropical {S}outh {A}merica as inferred from {A}mazon {R}iver discharge shows a long-term upward trend. {A}lthough, over the last decade dry seasons have tended to be drier, with the years 2005 and 2010 in particular experiencing strong droughts. {O}n the other hand, precipitation during the wet seasons also shows an increasing trend. {A}ir temperatures have also increased slightly. {A}lso with increases in atmospheric {CO}2 concentrations, it is currently unclear what effect these climate changes are having on the forest carbon balance of the region. {C}urrent indications are that the forests of the {A}mazon {B}asin have acted as a substantial long-term carbon sink, but with the most recent measurements suggesting that this sink may be weakening. {E}conomic development of the tropical regions of the continent is advancing steadily, with exports of agricultural products being an important driver and witnessing a strong upturn over the last decade.},
  keywords = {{AMERIQUE} {DU} {SUD}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{B}iogeosciences},
  volume = {9},
  numero = {12},
  pages = {5407--5430},
  ISSN = {1726-4170},
  year = {2012},
  DOI = {10.5194/bg-9-5407-2012},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010058815},
}