*Carbon in Live Vegetation in Global Ecosystems
| Ecosystem | Median
C Estimate Kg C/m2 ** |
Actual
C Estimate Kg C/m2 |
Minimum
C Estimate Kg C/m2 |
Maximum
C Estimate Kg C/m2 |
| Conifers | 16.00 | 13.00 | 12.00 | 20.00 |
| Tropical/Subtropical Broad-Leaved Humid Forest | 15.00 | 12.00 | 4.00 | 25.00 |
| Mid-Latitude Mixed Woods (Deciduous/ Evergreen/Conifer) | 10.00 | 7.00 | 6.00 | 14.00 |
| Mid-Latitude Temperate Broad-Leaved Forest | 10.00 | 9.00 | 8.00 | 14.00 |
| Boreal Taiga | 8.00 | 6.00 | 4.00 | 11.00 |
| Heath and Moorland | 1.50 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 2.00 |
| Warm or Hot Shrub and Grassland | 1.30 | 0.90 | 0.50 | 3.00 |
| Cool or Cold Farms, Towns | 1.00 | 0.70 | 0.40 | 2.00 |
| Warm/Hot Farms, Towns, Cool Grass/Scrub | 1.00 | 0.80 | 0.60 | 2.00 |
| Cool Semidesert Scrub | 0.60 | 0.60 | 0.30 | 1.00 |
| Tundra, Arctic Desert and Ice | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.00 | 1.20 |
| Non-Polar Desert and Semidesert, Sparse Vegetation | 0.40 | 0.30 | 0.20 | 1.00 |
*Data obtained from Olson, J. S., J. A. Watts, and L. J. Allison, 1985. Major World Ecosystem Complexes Ranked by Carbon in Live Vegetation. NDP017, Carbon Dioxide Information Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Olson, J. S., J. A. Watts, and L. J. Allison. 1983. Carbon in Live Vegetation of Major World Ecosystems, ORNL-5862, ESD Pub No. 1997, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Online source page: http://cdiac.ESD.ORNL.GOV/ftp/ndp017/table.html
**Kg C/m2 = kilograms of carbon per square meter. To convert to pounds per square foot, multiply by 4.8824. To convert to (short) tons per acre, multiply by 0.2242.
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