Carbon balance modeling at the alpine treeline ecotone in Glacier National Park, Montana
Cairns DM. 1995. Carbon balance modeling at the alpine treeline ecotone in Glacier National Park, Montana. University of Iowa
The alpine treeline ecotone (ATE) is the zone of transition between low elevation subalpine forest and high elevation tundra characterized by a gradual reduction in tree stature from upright trees to a shrub-like krummholz growth. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the carbon balance hypothesis of ATE location, which states that the ATE marks the location on a mountain side above which trees cannot maintain a positive carbon balance. Carbon balance is the sum of carbon influx to a vegetation system due to photosynthesis and the outflows of carbon due to respiration and direct carbon loss (e.g. senescence and injury). To evaluate the carbon balance hypothesis I use a simulation modeling approach. I simulate carbon balance values for ATE locations in Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana, using a forest process model, ATE-BGC (Alpine Treeline Ecotone - BioGeochemical Cycles).