Model-Based Biospheric Greenhouse Gas Balance of Hungary

We present the first comprehensive overview about the state-of-the-art estimates of the Hungarian biospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) balance. Biogeochemical models, statistical time series, and literature data are used together to describe grassland, forest, and arable land specific GHG fluxes. The estimates are aggregated to the country level to approximate the net biospheric greenhouse gas balance for the first time. The results suggest that the overall biospheric GHG balance of Hungary is negative (−13.8 Mt CO2-equivalent year-1), which means net GHG release to the atmosphere. According to this finding, the biosphere does not mitigate anthropogenic GHG emission in the country. More research is needed to constrain the estimates, and to provide reliable uncertainty estimates to the fluxes and stocks. We try to point out important research priorities that can help us to ­better understand the biogeochemical processes of the biosphere in Hungary, and to provide mitigation opportunities for biospheric GHG emission.