Biogeosciences www.biogeosciences.net 1726-4170 1726-4189 5 5 2008 10.5194/bg-5-1259-2008 http://www.biogeosciences.net/5/1259/2008/ http://www.biogeosciences.net/5/1259/2008/bg-5-1259-2008.html http://www.biogeosciences.net/5/1259/2008/bg-5-1259-2008.pdf 1259 1271 2008-09-05 The impact of lateral carbon fluxes on the European carbon balance P. Ciais philippe.ciais@cea.fr A. V. Borges G. Abril M. Meybeck G. Folberth D. Hauglustaine I. A. Janssens Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, IPSL/LSCE CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Gif sur Yvette, France Chemical Oceanography Unit, University of Liège, Belgium Environnements et Paléoenvironnements OCéaniques, Université de Bordeaux 1. CNRS-UMR 5805, Avenue des Facultés, Talence, France SISYPHE, Université Paris VI Jussieu, Paris, France School of Earth and Ocean Science, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada Department of Biology, Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerpen, Belgium To date, little is known about the impact of processes which cause lateral carbon fluxes over continents, and from continents to oceans on the CO₂ – and carbon budgets at local, regional and continental scales. Lateral carbon fluxes contribute to regional carbon budgets as follows: Ecosystem CO₂ sink=Ecosystem carbon accumulation+Lateral carbon fluxes. We estimated the contribution of wood and food product trade, of emission and oxidation of reduced carbon species, and of river erosion and transport as lateral carbon fluxes to the carbon balance of Europe (EU-25). The analysis is completed by new estimates of the carbon fluxes of coastal seas. 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