Location:Northern Sweden
Type: Combined atmospheric and ecosystem measurements
Greenhouse gases measured by ICOS: carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4)
The ICOS Svartberget station is one of the few combined atmospheric-ecosystem stations within the ICOS network. This unique combination allows ICOS to observe, for example, how much carbon dioxide is taken up or released by the boreal forest and how greenhouse gases and air pollutants are acting over this boreal region.
Weather conditions and a short growing season are special for northern latitudes. Any small changes that affect the temperature or solar radiation in the area can have large impacts on the greenhouse gas balance of this forest. ICOS Svartberget station stands in the middle of a large 100-year old forest.
Boreal forests play an important role in the global greenhouse gas exchange. This type of forest currently takes up carbon dioxide from the air and stores about one third of all the carbon situated in the land. Therefore, it is important to understand what controls this accumulation of carbon and exchange of greenhouse gases in the boreal forest, and what is the forest’s potential response to climate change. For this reason, the boreal forest is especially important for international policy work on climate change mitigation.