USGS Report Released: Baseline and Projected Future Carbon Storage and Greenhouse-gas Fluxes in Ecosystems of the Western United States

Recently, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released a report titled Baseline and Projected Future Carbon Storage and Greenhouse-gas Fluxes in Ecosystems of the Western United States (USGS Professional Paper 1787). The 40-page report available here, discusses the following:

This assessment was conducted to fulfill the requirements of section 712 of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 and to improve understanding of carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in ecosystems of the Western United States. The assessment examined carbon storage, carbon fluxes, and other GHG fluxes (methane and nitrous oxide) in all major terrestrial ecosystems (forests, grasslands/shrublands, agricultural lands, and wetlands) and aquatic ecosystems (rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, and coastal waters) in two time periods: baseline (generally in the first half of the 2010s) and future (projections from baseline to 2050). The assessment was based on measured and observed data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and many other agencies and organizations and used remote sensing, statistical methods, and simulation models.