Nature Communications, March, 2023

Joan Casas-Ruiz, Pascal Bodmer, Kelly Ann Bona, David Butman, Mathilde Couturier, Erik J.S. Emilson, Kerri Finlay, Helene Genet, Daniel B. Hayes, Jan Karlsson, David Paré, Changhui Peng, Robert G. Striegl, Jackie Webb, Xinyuan Wei, Sue Ziegler, and Paul Del Giorgio

In this Perspective, we put forward an integrative framework to improve estimates of land-atmosphere carbon exchange based on the accumulation of carbon in the landscape as constrained by its lateral export through rivers. The framework uses the watershed as the fundamental spatial unit and integrates all terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems as well as their hydrologic carbon exchanges. Application of the framework should help bridge the existing gap between land and atmosphere-based approaches and offers a platform to increase communication and synergy among the terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric research communities that is paramount to advance landscape carbon budget assessments.