UK-Russia Climate Change Science Collaboration Project

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Climate Impacts in Russia: Carbon Storage and Exchange

This review aims to synthesise the most recent literature on climate change impacts on the terrestrial ecosystem in Russia. The emphasis is on changes in the carbon balance of the region, due to thawing of permafrost, drying of the soil, expansion of the boreal forest into tundra areas or forest degradation as a result of increased disturbances or an expansion of agriculture.

The general outline of this review is as follows. Section 1 provides an introduction. In section 2, we provide a synthesis of recent and projected changes in climate for the Russian Federation, including changes in climatic extremes. Section 3 reviews the latest literature on changes in permafrost and the size of the soil carbon pool in permafrost regions, while section 4 focuses more in particular on peatlands and wetlands. In section 5 we discuss the potential impact of climate change on the growth and extent of the boreal forest in Russia, including the occurrence of natural disturbances such as forest fires, and the associated impacts on the forest carbon pool. Section 6 reviews the impacts on agricultural suitability, food security and the influence of agriculture on atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations. In the last two sections of this report we will summarise the projected changes in climate, permafrost, forests and agriculture and the consequences for the carbon dynamics in the region, and provide recommendations for further research.

'Literature Review - Climate Impacts in Russia: Carbon Storage and Exchange' is available here (.pdf)

A summary of the Literature Review is also available in English and Russian.

Click here to download a 4-page summary of the Literature Review (in English)

Click here to download a 4-page summary of the Literature Review (in Russian)