The carbon cycle
Carbon stocks in forest areas comprise carbon in living and dead organic matter both above and below ground including trees, the understorey, dead wood, litter and soil. On a global scale, vegetation and soils are estimated to trap 2.6 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon annually. Yet there are still many uncertainties about the workings of the carbon cycle: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that the amount of carbon absorbed in the soil and vegetation amounts to anything between 0.9 and 4.3 Gt annually.
Year: 2006
From collection: Baltic 21
Cartographer: Philippe Rekacewicz assisted by Cecile Marin, Agnes Stienne, Guilio Frigieri, Riccardo Pravettoni, Laura Margueritte and Marion Lecoquierre