A three‐dimensional synthesis study of δ18O in atmospheric CO2: 1. Surface fluxes

Abstract

The isotope 18 O in CO 2 is of particular interest in studying the global carbon cycle because it is sensitive to the processes by which the global land biosphere absorbs and respires CO 2. Carbon dioxide and water exchange isotopically both in leaves and in soils, and the 18 O character of atmospheric CO 2 is strongly influenced by the land biota, which should constrain the gross primary productivity and total respiration of land ecosystems. In this study we calculate the global surface fluxes of 18 O for vegetation and soils using the SiB2 biosphere model coupled with the Colorado State University general circulation model. This approach makes it possible to use physiological variables that are consistently weighted by the carbon assimilation rate and integrated through the vegetation canopy. We also calculate the air‐sea exchange of 18 O and the isotopic character of fossil emissions and biomass burning. Global mean values of the isotopic exchange with each reservoir are used to close the global budget of 18 O in CO 2. Our results confirm the fact that the land biota exert a dominant control on the δ 18 O of the atmospheric reservoir. At the global scale, exchange with the canopy produces an isotopic enrichment of CO 2, whereas exchange with soils has the opposite effect.