Carbon Fluxes in Hydrologic and Geologic Processes

Carbon fluxes are an important aspect of many hydrologic and geologic processes. For example, on a global scale, rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations and the increasing use of fossil fuels have led to concern for the future effects of atmospheric CO2 on global climate. Anticipating the effects of atmospheric CO2 requires an understanding of the role of natural hydrologic and geologic processes in the global carbon budget. On a more local scale, ground water and surface water contamination problems are often associated with locally significant changes in the transport and sedimentation of carbon. This project evaluates carbon fluxes by studying the hydrologic and geologic processes responsible for them. These studies emphasize the need to understand both human impacts and the evidence for natural changes in local to global carbon fluxes before man's influence. Objectives of this project are: to evaluate local to global carbon fluxes associated with hydrologic and geologic processes; to determine the geochemical mass balance for carbon in selected hydrologic/geologic systems; to determine the processes most important in controlling carbon fluxes; to investigate the possibility of past variations in the world's (natural) CO2 balance, and to apply this information to the prediction of future global CO2 fluxes; and to understand the role of fluxes of carbon compounds in selected local ground water and/or surface water contamination problems.

REPORTS PUBLISHED 1999-2008

Ackerman, K.V. and Sundquist, E.T., 2008, Comparison of two U.S. power-plant carbon dioxide emissions data sets: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 42, no. 15, p. 5688-5693. (on-line abstract or on-line article in pdf format, 148 KB, published by American Chemical Society; not subject to U.S. copyright)

Sundquist, E.T., Burruss, R.C., Faulkner, S.P., Gleason, R.A., Harden, J.W., Kharaka, Y.K., Tieszen, L.L., and Waldrop, M.P., 2008, Carbon Sequestration to Mitigate Climate Change: U.S. Geological Survey, Fact Sheet 2008–3097, 4p. (on-line abstract or on-line fact sheet in pdf format, 2.3 MB)

Borken, W., Davidson, E.A., Savage, K., Sundquist, E.T., and Steudler, P., 2006, Effect of summer throughfall exclusion, summer drought, and winter snow cover on methane fluxes in a temperate forest soil: Soil Biology and Biochemistry, v. 38, no. 6, p. 1388-1395. (on-line abstract of journal article)

Sundquist, E.T. and Visser, K, 2004, The geological history of the carbon cycle, in Schlesinger, W.H., ed., Biogeochemistry, Treatise on Geochemistry, v. 8, : Elsevier, Chapt. 9. (on-line abstract )

Liu, S., Bliss, N.,Sundquist, E., and Huntington, T.G., 2003, Modeling carbon dynamics in vegetation and soil under the impact of soil erosion and deposition: Global Biogeochemical Cycles, v. 17, no. 2, p. 43-1 to 43-24. (on-line abstract)

Sundquist, E.T., 2002, CO2 stabilization scenarios and informed resource management: Long-Term Carbon and Energy Management - Issues and Approaches, Symposium Volume, International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association, Cambridge, MA.

Wofsy, S.C., Harriss, R.C., Andrews, A., Bakwin, P., Birdsey, R., Collatz, J., Crill, P., Denning, S., Feely, R., Field, C., Gerbig, C., Gloor, M., Gruber, N., Hollinger, D., Jacob, D., Lin, J., Paul, E., Pawson, S., Running, S., Sabine, C., Sarmiento, J., Schimel, D., Sundquist, E., and Tans, P., 2002, The North American Carbon Program (NACP), A Report of the NACP Committee of the U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Steering Group. Available from the U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, D.C., 56 p. (on-line html report or pdf file)

Pacala, S.W., Hurtt, G.C., Baker, D., Peylin, P., Houghton, R.A., Birdsey, R.A., Heath, L., Sundquist, E.T., Stallard, R.F., Ciaia, P., Moorcroft, P., Caspersen, J.P., Shelvliakova, E., Moore, B., Kohlmaier, G., Holland, E., Gloor, M., Harmon, M.E., Fan, S.-M., Sarmiento, J.L., Goodale, C.L., Schimel, D., Field, C.B., 2001, Consistent land- and atmosphere-based U.S. carbon sink estimates: Science, v. 292, no. 5525, p. 2316-2320. (on-line abstract)

Sundquist, E.T., and Barrera, E., 2001, Biocomplexity in the environment: opportunities for biogeosciences research and education: EOS Transactions, American Geophysical Union, v. 82, no. 10. (on-line electronic supplement)

Ledley, T.S., Sundquist, E.T., Schwartz, S.E., Hall, D.K., Fellows, J.D., and Killeen, T.L., 1999, Climate change and greenhouse gases: EOS Transactions, American Geophysical Union, v. 80, no. 39, p. 453-454, 457-458. (on-line article)

Sarmiento, J.L., Wofsy, S.C., Shea, E., Denning, A.S., Easterling, W., Field, C., Fung, I., Keeling, R., McCarthy, J., Pacala, S., Post, W.M., Schimel, D., Sundquist, E.T., Tans, P., Weiss, R., Yoder, J., 1999, A U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Plan: Available from U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington , D.C., 69 p. (on-line pdf file)

Sundquist, E.T., 1999, Seawater pH and atmospheric carbon dioxide: Science, v. 286, p. 2043.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PROJECT, CONTACT:
Eric T. Sundquist
U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole, MA
Email: esundqui@usgs.gov
Phone: 508-457-2397

 For information on additional projects in the National Research Program, see Indexes to NRP projects and bibliographies