THE RESPONSE OF GLOBAL TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS TO INTERANNUAL TEMPERATURE VARIABILITY

Measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide and satellite-derived measu rements of temperature and the vegetation index were used to investiga te relationships among climate, carbon dioxide, and ecosystems. At the global scale, lagged correlations between temperature and carbon diox ide growth rate were found, indicating modulation by biogeochemical fe edbacks. Spatial analysis of the temperature and vegetation index data suggests that the global correlations are a composite of individualis tic responses of different ecosystems. The existence of biome-specific time scales of response implies that changes in global ecosystem dist ributions could indirectly alter the relationships between climate and carbon storage.