Complex Network Dynamics of Climate Interactions Driving Carbon Source–Sink Transitions

Complex Network Dynamics of Climate Interactions Driving Carbon Source–Sink Transitions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Complex Network Dynamics of Climate Interactions Driving Carbon Source–Sink Transitions Mohamed Mounton, J. S.A. Eyebe Fouda This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9258588/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Climate change alters the regulation of carbon fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems, raising fundamental questions about the collective dynamics of climate drivers. Here, we develop a stochastic network-based framework to investigate how complex interactions among climatic variables control carbon source–sink dynamics. Using data from the FLUXNET (global flux network) database, we construct seasonal interaction networks based on statistically significant correlations among ecosystem and atmospheric variables in two contrasting biomes. A spectral ranking algorithm inspired by PageRank is applied to estimate the steady-state contribution of each variable within the network dynamics. Results reveal distinct emergent behaviors: the grassland system exhibits strong seasonal reorganization, while the forest maintains a more stable network structure. Air temperature acts as a dominant driver promoting carbon source dynamics, whereas relative humidity reinforces sink behavior. The cumulative annual contributions highlight a structural asymmetry in climate regulation, with source-driving mechanisms outweighing sink-enhancing effects. These findings demonstrate that accounting for full network topology uncovers emergent regulatory patterns and provides a transferable framework for analyzing carbon dynamics in complex ecological systems. Complex networks Stochastic dynamics Spectral ranking Climate interactions Carbon source-sink dynamics Emergent behavior Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 09 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 06 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 01 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 29 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 29 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 29 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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