Carbon balance gradient in European forests: Interpreting EUROFLUX

A latitudinal trend in forest carbon uptake across Europe has been described by the EUROFLUX group, suggesting a considerable uptake in Italian Quercus ilex, Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies forests while a much lower C sink is reported in Scandinavian Picea abies forest. These results are discussed on the basis of the existing literature, and considered to be open to considerable doubt.