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forest ecosystems sequester large amounts of atmospheric co 2 , and the contribution from seasonally dry tropical forests is not negligible. thus, the objective of this study was to quantify and evaluate the seasonal and annual patterns of co 2 exchanges in the Caatinga biome, as well as to evaluate the ecosystem condition as carbon sink or source during years. in addition, we analyzed the climatic factors that control the seasonal variability of gross primary production (Gpp), ecosystem respiration (R eco) and net ecosystem co 2 exchange (nee). Results showed that the dynamics of the components of the co 2 fluxes varied depending on the magnitude and distribution of rainfall and, as a consequence, on the variability of the vegetation state. Annual cumulative NEE was significantly higher (p < 0.01) in 2014 (−169.0 g C m −2) when compared to 2015 (−145.0 g C m −2) and annual NEP/GPP ratio was 0.41 in 2014 and 0.43 in 2015. Global radiation, air and soil temperature were the main factors associated with the diurnal variability of carbon fluxes. Even during the dry season, the NEE was at equilibrium and the Caatinga acted as an atmospheric carbon sink during the years 2014 and 2015. CO 2 concentration has a high interannual variability due to its absorption by terrestrial ecosystems (carbon sinks) 1-5. However, despite this variability, data show a systematic increase in CO 2 throughout the years 6,7. In South America, the Amazon forest is an example of a terrestrial carbon sink (considering its 20-year mean behavior), although it has occasionally behaved as CO 2-neutral or even a carbon source in the last years 8. Interannual variability and trends in CO 2 sinks are controlled by different biogeographic regions. The annual mean behavior of sinks is controlled mainly by highly productive lands, such as wet tropical forests (i.e. the Amazon forest) 5. On the other hand, semiarid environments control the global scale trends observed in the last few decades 9,10. Despite its prominent role, there is still much to be studied and investigated regarding CO 2 exchanges in these regions, which are still much less understood than wet forests or croplands 5,10. According to the literature 10 , gaps in understanding CO 2 exchanges in these environments have limited our ability to understand and predict interannual and decadal variations on global scale carbon cycle. There are a few inherent difficulties when quantifying CO 2 exchanges in semiarid environments, such as the rapid expansion of some of its areas due to climate change and anthropic activities 11,12. Studies show that some regions in South America are becoming more arid, such as the Amazon 13,14 ; the Brazilian semiarid region, dominated by the Caatinga biome, which is a seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) 15-17 and the Cerrado, which is a Brazilian savanna-type vegetation 18 .

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Land evaporation, or evapotranspiration ( E ET ), is the phenomenon by which water is converted from a liquid into its vapor phase over land. It plays a significant role in the modulation of global climate feedbacks

Although seasonally dry tropical forests are considered invaluable to a greater understanding of global carbon fluxes, they remain as one of the ecosystems with the fewest observations. In this context, ecological and ecosystem models can be used as alternative methods to answer questions related to the interactions between the biosphere and the atmosphere in dry forests. The objective of this study was to calibrate the simple tropical ecosystem model (SITE) and evaluate its performance in characterizing the annual and seasonal behavior of the energy and carbon fluxes in a preserved fragment of the Caatinga biome. The SITE model exhibited reasonable applicability to simulate variations in CO2 and energy fluxes (r > 0.7). Results showed that the calibrated set of vegetation parameters adequately simulated gross primary productivity (GPP) and net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE). The SITE model was also able to accurately retrieve the time at which daily GPP and NEE peaked. The model was able to simulate the partition of the available energy into sensible and latent heat fluxes and soil heat flux when the calibrated parameters were used. Therefore, changes in the dynamics of dry forests should be taken into consideration in the modeling of ecosystem carbon balances.