Russia creates a national system for monitoring the dynamics of climatically active substances in terrestrial ecosystems. In 2023, it will include 140 test sites. The developer of the monitoring system is Rhythm of Carbon consortium, which includes 18 scientific centers and institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2 universities and the Roslesinforg industrial group. The monitoring system is based on the integration of surface measurements, Earth remote sensing data and mathematical modelling. All work is being carried out within the framework of the key innovative government project titled “Unified National System for Monitoring Climatically Active Substances”.
Currently, the main task of the Rhythm of Carbon consortium is to clarify the area of forest and other terrestrial ecosystems, as well as all other initial data and coefficients necessary for calculating the dynamics of the carbon budget, which are very dependent on various natural and climatic conditions. Therefore, a geographically distributed national network for monitoring carbon stock in vegetation and soils and greenhouse gas fluxes is being built.
“Greenhouse gas fluxes are measured year-round, carbon stock in vegetation and soils is assessed in summer and autumn at the test sites and test plots of this network using the uniform methodology. This is important for obtaining reliable information on the parameters of the carbon cycle, as well as for updating the calculated coefficients that are used in the National Inventory. All methods were developed by the participants of our consortium and will be adjusted based on the results of this year’s expedition season,” says Natalya Lukina, coordinator of the Rhythm of Carbon consortium, director of the Center for Forest Ecology and Productivity of the Russian Academy of Sciences, associate member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
In 2023, the network for monitoring the dynamics of climatically active substances in terrestrial ecosystems will include 140 test sites. The network includes extensive and intensive level test sites of two types. Extensive level sites provide the most complete coverage of the entire diversity of terrestrial ecosystems. Surface data from these test sites will be used in combination with high- and medium-spatial resolution satellite imagery (30–230 m) for national-level assessments.
Type 1 intensive level sites are used to study the vegetation and soil characteristics, construct the carbon pool models using high-resolution satellite imagery (1-30 m) and drone data (5-20 cm resolution). These test sites are intended for assessment of the relationships between surface and satellite measurements at different levels of detail. Type 2 intensive level sites assess the balance of greenhouse gases in different ecosystems and collect data for the development of climate models; research is carried out using ecological and climatic unattended stations.
It is planned that by the end of 2024 the monitoring network will include 259 test sites, and by the end of 2030 – 1329 sites. Intensive level of monitoring is planned to be carried out at 50 test sites. In 2023, the intensive-level monitoring network will include regional and local observation networks for the flows of climatically active substances: in the Krasnoyarsk Krai (KrasFlux), in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia, SakhaFluxNet), in the Tver and Novgorod Oblasts, in the Komi Republic, and in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.
Today, the national system for monitoring the dynamics of climatically active substances in terrestrial ecosystems includes:
- 120 extensive level test sites located in the following Oblasts of the Russian Federation: Tver Oblast, Vologda Oblast, Komi Republic, Kirov Oblast, Republic of Bashkortostan, Tyumen Oblast, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Omsk Oblast, Transbaikal Oblast, Khabarovsk Oblast, Primorsky Oblast, Irkutsk Oblast, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Kurgan Oblast, Republic of Buryatia, Amur Oblast, Tomsk Oblast, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia);
- 4 type 1 intensive level test sites (Moscow Oblast, Republic of Komi, Karelia Republic, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug);
- 16 type 2 intensive level test sites with ecological and climatic stations.
“Ecological and climatic stations are measuring systems for continuous high-frequency automatic recording of turbulent flows of energy and climatically active substances in the surface layer of the atmosphere. The operation of the stations is based on the world-recognized method of turbulent pulsations. About 77% of the stations are located in the subzones of the southern and middle taiga, mainly in swamp and forest ecosystems,” says Natalya Lukina, coordinator of the Rhythm of Carbon consortium, director of the Center for Forest Ecology and Productivity of the Russian Academy of Sciences, associate member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Along with the formation of the network for monitoring of climatically active substances in terrestrial ecosystems and the development of unified methods for assessments on this network, in 2023, participants in the Rhythm of Carbon consortium:
- put into operation existing prototypes of technologies for assessing the carbon budget in undisturbed and disturbed forest ecosystems based on remote monitoring;
- gage and evaluate the degree of reliability of complex mathematical models of carbon dynamics in different types of ecosystems;
- develop local forecasts for the absorption of greenhouse gases by different types of terrestrial ecosystems at the local level;
- develop the Russian carbon accounting system titled Uglerod E Data Analytics Platform.
“Creating a comprehensive science-based infrastructure for accounting, analysis and forecasting the dynamics of climatically active substances will help develop and make balanced management decisions in modern conditions of the combined action of natural and anthropogenic factors. Data from the unified national monitoring system will become the basis for effective management of forests, agricultural and wetlands in a changing climate,” notes Natalya Lukina.
An objective assessment of anthropogenic and natural flows of climatically active substances in our country, their concentrations in the atmosphere and their impact on global and regional climate is important for the development of measures aimed at low-carbon development of the Russian economy, adaptation of the country’s economy and population to climate change, as well as the protection of Russian positions in the international arena.
FOR REFERENCE:
Working on the national system for monitoring climatically active substances began by order of the President of Russia. According to Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 666 as of November 4, 2020 “On Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction”, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to 70% relative to the level of 1990 shall be ensured by 2030, with account to the maximum possible absorption capacity of forests and other ecosystems and subject to sustainable and balanced social and economic development of the Russian Federation.”
According to the temporary list of climatically active substances (CAS), in respect of which the activities of the Unified National System for Monitoring Climatically Active Substances, the key innovative government project, are being implemented, CAS include: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) , atmospheric aerosol, black carbon, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), trifluoromethane (CHF3), difluoromethane (CH2F2), pentafluoroethane (C2HF5(CF3CHF2)), tetrafluoroethane, trifluoroethane, etc.
The carbon balance is the net absorption (that is, the excess of absorption over emissions) of carbo, expressed in CO2 equivalent. The main reservoir of carbon and the most important element in the fight against the greenhouse effect is the forest. However, wildfires and other disturbances that release greenhouse gases and kill forests reduce the potential of forests to absorb greenhouse gases. Sources of greenhouse gases among terrestrial ecosystems include agricultural land. According to the Strategy for the social and economic development of Russia with low greenhouse gas emissions until 2050, the absorption capacity of managed ecosystems is expected to increase to 1,200 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in forestry.