Aspects of spatial and temporal aggregation in estimating regional carbon dioxide fluxes from temperate forest soils

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Abstract
We examine the influence of aggregation errors on developing estimates of regional soil‐CO2 flux from temperate forests. We find daily soil‐CO2 fluxes to be more sensitive to changes in soil temperatures (Q10 = 3.08) than air temperatures (Q10 = 1.99). The direct use of mean monthly air temperatures with a daily flux model underestimates regional fluxes by approximately 4%. Temporal aggregation error varies with spatial resolution. Overall, our calibrated modeling approach reduces spatial aggregation error by 9.3% and temporal aggregation error by 15.5%. After minimizing spatial and temporal aggregation errors, mature temperate forest soils are estimated to contribute 12.9 Pg C yr−1 to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Georeferenced model estimates agree well with annual soil‐CO2 fluxes measured during chamber studies in mature temperate forest stands around the globe.