Abstract. Despite the importance of soil as a large component of the terrestrial ecosystems, the soil compartments are not well represented in the Land Surface Models (LSMs). Indeed, soils in current LSMs are generally represented based on a very simplified schema that can induce a misrepresentation of the deep dynamics of soil carbon. Here, we present a new version of the IPSL-Land Surface Model called ORCHIDEE-SOM, incorporating the 14C dynamic in the soil. ORCHIDEE-SOM, first, simulates soil carbon dynamics for different layers, down to 2 m depth. Second, concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and its transport are modeled. Finally, soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition is considered taking into account the priming effect. After implementing the 14C in the soil module of the model, we evaluated model outputs against observations of soil organic carbon and 14C activity (F14C) for different sites with different characteristics. The model managed to reproduce the soil organic carbon stocks and the F14C along the vertical profiles. However, an overestimation of the total carbon stock was noted, but was mostly marked on the surface. Then, thanks to the introduction of 14C, it has been possible to highlight an underestimation of the age of carbon in the soil. Thereafter, two different tests on this new version have been established. The first was to increase carbon residence time of the passive pool and decrease the flux from the slow pool to the passive pool. The second was to establish an equation of diffusion, initially constant throughout the profile, making it vary exponentially as a function of depth. The first modifications did not improve the capacity of the model to reproduce observations whereas the second test showed a decrease of the soil carbon stock overestimation, especially at the surface and an improvement of the estimates of the carbon age. This assumes that we should focus more on vertical variation of soil parameters as a function of depth, mainly for diffusion, in order to upgrade the representation of global carbon cycle in LSMs, thereby helping to improve predictions of the future response of soil organic carbon to global warming.
Allocation pattern and accumulation potential of carbon stock in natural spruce forests in northwest China
