Montane Meadows: A Soil Carbon Sink or Source?

Ecosystems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cody C. Reed ◽  
Amy G. Merrill ◽  
W. Mark Drew ◽  
Beth Christman ◽  
Rachel A. Hutchinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Montane Meadows

scholarly journals Is the Change of Soil Carbon Capacity Persistence Rising or Remain Stable With Maturity of Vegetation Restoration?

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Liu ◽  
Peipei Wang ◽  
Zhijing Xue ◽  
Zhengchao Zhou ◽  
Jun'e Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Ecological Restoration ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Vegetation Restoration ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Soc Stock

Emerging consensus is that land-use change resulting through the “Grain for Green” project has had a significant impacted on soil organic carbon (SOC), thereby probably enhancing the carbon sequestration capacity of terrestrial ecosystems. However, it remains largely unknown whether a watershed acts as a source or sink of soil carbon during the later period of ecological restoration. This study comprehensively investigated the changes of SOC stock in 2005, 2010, and 2017 along different land-use types. It was aimed to evaluate the dynamics to SOC storage capacity over different vegetation restoration maturity in the Shanghuang Watershed, China. The results showed that restoration increased the accumulation of organic carbon pools in the early stage. Significant increases in SOC stock were observed in shrubland and grassland in comparison to that in other land uses, and these two land-use types represented the optimal combination for ecological restoration in the basin. The SOC stock did not increase indefinitely during the long-term vegetation restoration process, but rather first increased rapidly with vegetation planting and reached a peak, following which it declined slightly. Therefore, pure vegetation restoration cannot maintain a permanent soil carbon sink, some measures to maintain the stability of carbon and to prolong soil C persistence are essential to take.

scholarly journals Soils apart from equilibrium – consequences for soil carbon balance modelling

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Wutzler ◽  
M. Reichstein
Keyword(s):  
Decay Rate ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Transient State ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Small Current ◽  
Soil Carbon Stocks

Abstract. Many projections of the soil carbon sink or source are based on kinetically defined carbon pool models. Para\\-meters of these models are often determined in a way that the steady state of the model matches observed carbon stocks. The underlying simplifying assumption is that observed carbon stocks are near equilibrium. This assumption is challenged by observations of very old soils that do still accumulate carbon. In this modelling study we explored the consequences of the case where soils are apart from equilibrium. Calculation of equilibrium states of soils that are currently accumulating small amounts of carbon were performed using the Yasso model. It was found that already very small current accumulation rates cause big changes in theoretical equilibrium stocks, which can virtually approach infinity. We conclude that soils that have been disturbed several centuries ago are not in equilibrium but in a transient state because of the slowly ongoing accumulation of the slowest pool. A first consequence is that model calibrations to current carbon stocks that assume equilibrium state, overestimate the decay rate of the slowest pool. A second consequence is that spin-up runs (simulations until equilibrium) overestimate stocks of recently disturbed sites. In order to account for these consequences, we propose a transient correction. This correction prescribes a lower decay rate of the slowest pool and accounts for disturbances in the past by decreasing the spin-up-run predicted stocks to match an independent estimate of current soil carbon stocks. Application of this transient correction at a Central European beech forest site with a typical disturbance history resulted in an additional carbon fixation of 5.7±1.5 tC/ha within 100 years. Carbon storage capacity of disturbed forest soils is potentially much higher than currently assumed. Simulations that do not adequately account for the transient state of soil carbon stocks neglect a considerable amount of current carbon accumulation.

scholarly journals Vegetation distribution and terrestrial carbon cycle in a carbon-cycle configuration of JULES4.6 with new plant functional types

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna B. Harper ◽  
Andrew J. Wiltshire ◽  
Peter M. Cox ◽  
Pierre Friedlingstein ◽  
Chris D. Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Vegetation Distribution ◽  
Terrestrial Carbon ◽  
Terrestrial Carbon Cycle ◽  
Vegetation Carbon ◽  
Global Vegetation ◽  
Global Carbon

Abstract. Dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) are used for studying historical and future changes to vegetation and the terrestrial carbon cycle. JULES (the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator) represents the land surface in the Hadley Centre climate models and in the UK Earth System Model. Recently the number of plant functional types (PFTs) in JULES were expanded from 5 to 9 to better represent functional diversity in global ecosystems. Here we introduce a more mechanistic representation of vegetation dynamics in TRIFFID, the dynamic vegetation component of JULES, that allows for any number of PFTs to compete based solely on their height, removing the previous hardwired dominance hierarchy where dominant types are assumed to outcompete subdominant types. With the new set of 9 PFTs, JULES is able to more accurately reproduce global vegetation distribution compared to the former 5 PFT version. Improvements include the coverage of trees within tropical and boreal forests, and a reduction in shrubs, which dominated at high latitudes. We show that JULES is able to realistically represent several aspects of the global carbon cycle. The simulated gross primary productivity (GPP) is within the range of observations, but simulated net primary productivity (NPP) is slightly too high. GPP in JULES from 1982–2011 was 133 PgC yr−1, compared to observation-based estimates between 123±8 (over the same time period) and 150–175 PgC yr−1. NPP from 2000–2013 was 72 PgC yr−1, compared to satellite-derived NPP of 55 PgC yr−1 over the same period and independent estimates of 56.2±14.3 PgC yr−1. The simulated carbon stored in vegetation is 542 PgC, compared to an observation-based range of 400–600 PgC. Soil carbon is much lower (1422 PgC) than estimates from measurements (>2400 PgC), with large underestimations of soil carbon in the tropical and boreal forests. We also examined some aspects of the historical terrestrial carbon sink as simulated by JULES. Between the 1900s and 2000s, increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels enhanced vegetation productivity and litter inputs into the soils, while land-use change removed vegetation and reduced soil carbon. The result was a simulated increase in soil carbon of 57 PgC but a decrease in vegetation carbon by of PgC. JULES simulated a loss of soil and vegetation carbon of 14 and 124 PgC, respectively, due to land-use change from 1900–2009. The simulated land carbon sink was 2.0±1.0 PgC yr−1 from 2000–2009, in close agreement to estimates from the IPCC and Global Carbon Project.

scholarly journals Litter and Soil Carbon Stock in Cultivated and Natural Area of Intergrated Forest for Conservation Education of Wan Abdul Rachman Great Forest Park

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 171-178
Author(s):  
Leoni Dellta Ellannia ◽  
Agus Setiawan ◽  
Ainin Niswati
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Carbon Stock ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Conservation Education ◽  
Natural Area ◽  
Soil Carbon Stock ◽  
Forest Park ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference

Intergrated Forest for Conservation Education of Wan Abdul Rachman (IFCE WAR) Great Forest Park is a conservation forest zone which has natural area and cultivated area.  The natural area in Wan Abdul Rachman Great Forest Park consists of secondary forest, whereas the cultivated area consists of agroforestry with cacao plants and agroforestry with coffee plants. The different land use in both areas caused the difference in carbon sink specifically in litter and soil. The research was aimed to study the difference of litter and soil carbon stock in natural and cultivated area in IFCE WAR Great Forest Park.  The observation plots included in the current study was determined using purposive sampling method. The research was conducted in June until August 2015. Data was analyzed using analysis of variance and continued with honestly significant difference test. The results showed that there was no difference of litter carbon stock in cultivated area and natural area in IFCE WAR Great Forest Park, whereas the soil carbon stock in natural area was higher than that in cultivated area.

scholarly journals Reforestation to enhance the soil carbon sink

Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 360 (6385) ◽  
pp. 167.5-168
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Sugden
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Carbon Sink

scholarly journals Soils apart from equilibrium – consequences for soil carbon balance modelling

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 1679-1714 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Wutzler ◽  
M. Reichstein
Keyword(s):  
Decay Rate ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Transient State ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Small Current ◽  
Soil Carbon Stocks

Abstract. Many projections of the soil carbon sink or source are based on kinetically defined carbon pool models. Parameters of these models are often determined in a way that the steady state of the model matches observed carbon stocks. The underlying simplifying assumption is that observed carbon stocks are near equilibrium. This assumption is challenged by observations of very old soils that do still accumulate carbon. In this modelling study we explored the consequences of the case where soils are apart from equilibrium. Calculation of equilibrium states of soils that are currently accumulating small amounts of carbon were performed using the Yasso model. It was found that already very small current accumulation rates cause big changes in theoretical equilibrium stocks, which can virtually approach infinity. We conclude that soils that have been disturbed several centuries ago are not in equilibrium but in a transient state because of the slowly ongoing accumulation of the slowest pool. A first consequence is that model calibrations to current carbon stocks that assume equilibrium state, overestimate the decay rate of the slowest pool. A second consequence is that spin-up runs (simulations until equilibrium) overestimate stocks of recently disturbed sites. In order to account for these consequences, we propose a transient correction. This correction prescribes a lower decay rate of the slowest pool and accounts for disturbances in the past by decreasing the spin-up-run predicted stocks to match an independent estimate of current soil carbon stocks. Application of this transient correction at a Central European beech forest site with a typical disturbance history resulted in an additional carbon fixation of 5.7±1.5 tC/ha within 100 years. Carbon storage capacity of forest soils is potentially much higher than currently assumed. Simulations that do not adequately account for the transient state of soil carbon stocks neglect a substantial amount of current carbon accumulation.

scholarly journals Root-To-Shoot Ratios of Flood-Tolerant Perennial Grasses Depend on Harvest and Fertilization Management: Implications for Quantification of Soil Carbon Input

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Kalla Nielsen ◽  
Uffe Jørgensen ◽  
Poul Erik Lærke
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Festuca Arundinacea ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Harvest Frequency

Quantifying soil organic carbon stocks (SOC) is a critical task in decision support related to climate and land management. Carbon inputs in soils are affected by development of belowground (BGB) and aboveground (AGB) biomass. However, uncertain fixed values of root:shoot ratios (R/S) are widely used for calculating SOC inputs in agroecosystems. In this study, we 1) assessed the effect of harvest frequency (zero, one, two, and five times annually) on the root and shoot development of the perennial grasses Phalaris arundinacea (RCG), Festuca arundinacea (TF), and Festulolium (FL); 2) determined the effect of management on the carbon and nitrogen content in AGB and BGB; and 3) assessed the implications of R/S for SOC quantification. We found the highest yields of BGB in zero-cut treatments with 59% (FL)–70% (RCG) of total biomass. AGB yield was highest in the five-cut treatments with 54% (RCG)–60% (FL), resulting in a decreasing R/S with frequent management, ranging from 1.6–2.3 (zero cut) to 0.6–0.8 (five cuts). No differences in R/S between species were observed. Total carbon yield ranged between 5.5 (FL, one cut) and 18.9 t ha−1 year−1 (FL, zero cut), with a higher carbon content in AGB (45%) than BGB (40%). We showed that the input of total organic carbon into soil was highest in the zero-cut treatments, ranging between 6.6 and 7.6 t C ha−1 year−1, although, in the context of agricultural management the two-cut treatments showed the highest potential for carbon input (3.4–5.4 t C ha−1 year−1). Our results highlighted that using default values for R/S resulted in inaccurate modeling estimations of the soil carbon input, as compared to a management-specific application of R/S. We conclude that an increasing number of annual cuts significantly lowered the R/S for all grasses. Given the critical role of BGB carbon input, our study highlights the need for comprehensive long-term experiments regarding the development of perennial grass root systems under AGB manipulation by harvest. In conclusion, we indicated the importance of using more accurate R/S for perennial grasses depending on management to avoid over- and underestimation of the carbon sink functioning of grassland ecosystems.

Introducing the VESBO Project - Impact assessment of vascular plant encroachment on water and carbon cycling in a Sphagnum dominated bog

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Welpelo ◽  
Maren Dubbert ◽  
Bärbel Tiemeyer ◽  
Ullrich Dettmann ◽  
Thomas Beuster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Plant Functional Groups ◽  
Final Conclusion ◽  
Sink Strength ◽  
Peat Extraction ◽  
The Impact

<p>Boreal and temperate peatlands cover less than 3% of the earth's surface but store nearly 30% of the terrestrial carbon. Natural raised bogs are characterized by a Sphagnum-moss dominated vegetation cover. The majority of bogs has been used for peat extraction or agriculture for centuries, but in the last decades the focus on restoration to protect climate and biodiversity was increasing. This includes the re-establishment of quasi-natural hydrological conditions as well as of ecosystem-typical vegetation.</p><p>Recently, a change in species composition of restored bogs from Sphagnum-dominated bryophyte communities to multi-layered tree and graminoid vegetation was observed. Current investigations report contradictory effects for the impact on throughfall, evapotranspiration (ET), gross primary productivity, respiration, net CO<sub>2</sub> balance (NEE) as well as soil carbon sink strength. A final conclusion with respect to altered ecosystem functioning through changing conditions for vegetation development in the light of climate change is missing.</p><p>The VESBO project aims at the mechanistic analysis of ET, NEE and soil carbon sink strength of a restored, atlantic-temperate raised bog during vascular plant encroachment. The two study areas are former peat extraction sites, with one being Sphagnum-dominated while the other one has been populated by Betula pubescens during the last years. Focus will be placed on the partitioning of total ecosystem ET and NEE fluxes by Eddy Covariance and chamber measurements in situ into bryophyte, graminoid and tree contributions. Results are used to parameterize a modern soil-vegetation-atmosphere-transport model able to simulate bryophyte and vascular plant layers on peat soil. The model, jointly with the empirical data, is used to quantify seasonal changes in plant functional group flux contributions depending on altered environmental conditions. The holistic process understanding is of high relevance for the NEE estimation of restored bog ecosystems under changing climatic conditions and vegetation compositions. The knowledge about different interactions of plant functional groups with mass and energy fluxes of the bog ecosystem will be valorised by the assessment of restoration and emission mitigation measures throughout Europe.</p>

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