The response of European forests to the change in summer temperatures : a comparison between normal and warm years, from 1996 to 2006
Popular science General introduction Two main activities take place into forests: photosynthesis, or GPP (the uptake of CO2 by plants, which leads to their growth) and respiration (the release of CO2 by those plants). The Net Ecosystem Exchange NEE is the difference between photosynthesis and respiration, and it depends on the nature of the forests and on climate particularities. With the ongoing This study shows how six different European forests react during the summer to abnormally warm temperatures, from 1996 to 2006. With the forecasted increase of summer temperatures over Europe, the carbon balance of forests – photosynthesis (GPP), ecosystem respiration and Net Ecosystem Exchange - in likely to change. In this thesis, the photosynthesis and the respiration of six European forests w