MOSCOW, October 11, Vladislav Strekopytov. According to scientists, the territory of Russia, due to the abundance of forests and swamps, most likely absorbs more greenhouse gases than it emits. To prove this, the country is creating a national monitoring system for climate-active substances. Read about how carbon flows are measured at one of the first test sites in the Karelian taiga.
Carbon Neutral
In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in a special report that “achieving and maintaining net-zero global CO2 emissions is highly likely to halt global warming.” Since then, more than 140 states and 65 percent of the world's 2,000 largest companies have pledged that they are committed to carbon neutrality, and 27 countries have enshrined it in domestic legislation. In Russia, in particular, the federal law of July 2, 2021 No. 296 “On limiting greenhouse gas emissions” is in force.
The powerful forest fires that have become more frequent in recent years produce a lot of CO2, and the active thawing of permafrost is accompanied by emission of the strongest greenhouse gas — methane. So the question of Russia's carbon neutrality is still open.
Carbon dioxide and methane are regularly measured at five Roshydromet stations: in Tiksi, on the Kola Peninsula and Yamal, in the suburbs of St. Petersburg and the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve in the Moscow region. The results are transmitted to the Global Atmosphere Watch of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
In accordance with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, primary data can be used not only from weather stations, but also from remote sensing — from space or from unmanned aerial vehicles. However, this requires a ground-based testing system organized according to the IPCC methodology. There is no such thing in Russia yet.
National monitoring system
Therefore, the government decided to create a Unified National System for Monitoring Climate-Active Substances, and on its basis — a National Inventory with information in a standardized international format. By order of October 29, 2022 No. 3240-r, this was given the status of an innovative project of national importance.
There are two stages ahead. Scientific, infrastructural, legal and personnel issues will be resolved by the end of 2024. In 2025, the system will be tested and put into operation.
The main task of the first stage: based on the results of research carried out at several test sites, to form a unified observation methodology and build a model that allows remote monitoring of carbon over large areas using drones and satellites.
From the landfill to the satellite
This was entrusted to the RITM (Russian Innovative Carbon Monitoring Technologies) consortium, which united 18 scientific centers and institutes, including from the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as three universities. We prepared five test sites in different natural and climatic zones.
At the test site in the Kivach Nature Reserve, scientists from the Forest Institute and other research institutes of the Karelian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (KarSC) are analyzing carbon flows in an ecosystem dominated by pine forests; in the Nizhny Novgorod region they are working on broad-leaved forests; in the Komi Republic — spruce forests. There are two more test sites — in the steppe and in the swamps.
«Each region has its own characteristics — climatic, hydrological, geological,» explains Olga Bakhmet, Director General of the Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. «The rate of carbon sequestration depends on all this . It is now important for us to agree on a common methodology and reach international standards.»
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“The Karelian Scientific Center has a very strong expert community: forest specialists, swamp scientists, soil scientists, geologists, botanists,” she continues. “We have been studying carbon in terrestrial ecosystems for a long time, and from a variety of angles. There is a lot of data. Also, our employees are involved in the development predictive models of climate change.»
In total, they plan to create about 1,300 polygons. Most will be limited to sampling for a general assessment of the characteristics of vegetation and soils. These are extensive level sites. Intensive ones, which include the Karelian one, are aimed at long-term observations that make it possible to track the dynamics of carbon accumulation and release by natural ecosystems. About 150 of these will be trained.
In the Karelian taiga
The polygons are standard in size — two by two kilometers. «Kivach» is no exception. Inside there are 30 test areas 50 by 50 meters. Each tree there is entered into a register with GPS coordinates and basic parameters: height, diameter, age. Measurements are taken every five years. The trees are numbered. The level where the diameter is determined is marked with a horizontal line.
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Three times a season, scientists, using special equipment, climb to the crowns and cut off branches to send them for analysis. The trunks are periodically drilled with a five-millimeter drill: chemical samples are taken and the age is checked. The volume of stem wood is then calculated. Knowing its density and chemical composition, it is possible to determine the carbon reserves in trees.
“In addition to living wood, in forest ecosystems there are three more pools (places of accumulation. — Ed.) of carbon,” says Alexander Kryshen, director of the Institute of Forest of the Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Biological Sciences. “First of all, these are soils. They contain up to half total carbon of the forest system. In addition, ground cover and dead wood: dead wood, dead wood, stumps.»
To assess the distribution of carbon in soil layers, digs are made — holes with a diameter of 20 centimeters and a depth of up to a meter. The ground cover — living plants, mosses, lichens, dry branches and leaves — is also sent to the analytical laboratory. CO2 emission from the surface is measured with gas analyzers.
“Every blade of grass, every speck of dust is taken into account. People work with gloves so as not to introduce their carbon into the sample,” the scientist notes. “The task of our test site is to assess the contribution of all four pools, dynamically, as well as the total climate-regulating function of the forest: how much carbon dioxide it emits how much it absorbs. It's very difficult.»
Preliminary results indicate that the ecosystems of Karelia and the entire North-Western region absorb more CO2 than they emit. Moreover, carbon is bound there for a long time: in forests — for centuries, in swamps — for millennia. And in Russia as a whole there is a positive balance. Unlike, for example, Europe, where forests were cut down almost completely and swamps were drained. Scientists will soon receive specific figures that can be used in international negotiations on climate change.