scholarly journals Carbon and nitrogen pools in thermokarst-affected permafrost landscapes in Arctic Siberia

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 953-971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Fuchs ◽  
Guido Grosse ◽  
Jens Strauss ◽  
Frank Günther ◽  
Mikhail Grigoriev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Column ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
Permafrost Soil ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
N Storage ◽  
The North ◽  
C And N ◽  
Soil Accumulation

Abstract. Ice-rich yedoma-dominated landscapes store considerable amounts of organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) and are vulnerable to degradation under climate warming. We investigate the C and N pools in two thermokarst-affected yedoma landscapes – on Sobo-Sise Island and on Bykovsky Peninsula in the north of eastern Siberia. Soil cores up to 3 m depth were collected along geomorphic gradients and analysed for organic C and N contents. A high vertical sampling density in the profiles allowed the calculation of C and N stocks for short soil column intervals and enhanced understanding of within-core parameter variability. Profile-level C and N stocks were scaled to the landscape level based on landform classifications from 5 m resolution, multispectral RapidEye satellite imagery. Mean landscape C and N storage in the first metre of soil for Sobo-Sise Island is estimated to be 20.2 kg C m−2 and 1.8 kg N m−2 and for Bykovsky Peninsula 25.9 kg C m−2 and 2.2 kg N m−2. Radiocarbon dating demonstrates the Holocene age of thermokarst basin deposits but also suggests the presence of thick Holocene-age cover layers which can reach up to 2 m on top of intact yedoma landforms. Reconstructed sedimentation rates of 0.10–0.57 mm yr−1 suggest sustained mineral soil accumulation across all investigated landforms. Both yedoma and thermokarst landforms are characterized by limited accumulation of organic soil layers (peat). We further estimate that an active layer deepening of about 100 cm will increase organic C availability in a seasonally thawed state in the two study areas by  ∼  5.8 Tg (13.2 kg C m−2). Our study demonstrates the importance of increasing the number of C and N storage inventories in ice-rich yedoma and thermokarst environments in order to account for high variability of permafrost and thermokarst environments in pan-permafrost soil C and N pool estimates.

scholarly journals Carbon and nitrogen pools in thermokarst-affected permafrost landscapes in Arctic Siberia

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Fuchs ◽  
Guido Grosse ◽  
Jens Strauss ◽  
Frank Günther ◽  
Mikhail Grigoriev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Column ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
Permafrost Soil ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
N Storage ◽  
The North ◽  
C And N ◽  
Soil Accumulation

Abstract. Ice rich Yedoma-dominated landscapes store considerable amounts of organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) and are vulnerable to degradation under climate warming. We investigate the C and N pools in two thermokarst-affected Yedoma landscapes – on Sobo-Sise Island and on Bykovsky Peninsula in the North of East Siberia. Soil cores up to three meters depth were collected along geomorphic gradients and analysed for organic C and N contents. A high vertical sampling density in the profiles allowed the calculation of C and N stocks for short soil column intervals and enhanced understanding of within-core parameter variability. Profile-level C and N stocks were scaled to the landscape level based on landform classifications from five-meter resolution, multispectral RapidEye satellite imagery. Mean landscape C and N storage in the first meter of soil for Sobo-Sise Island is estimated to be 20.2 kg C m−2 and 1.8 kg N m−2 and for Bykovsky Peninsula 25.9 kg C m−2 and 2.2 kg N m−2. Radiocarbon dating demonstrates the Holocene age of thermokarst basin deposits but also suggests the presence of thick Holocene aged cover layers which can reach up to two meters on top of intact Yedoma landforms. Reconstructed sedimentation rates of 0.10 mm yr−1–0.57 mm yr−1 suggest sustained mineral soil accumulation across all investigated landforms. Both Yedoma and thermokarst landforms are characterized by limited accumulation of organic soil layers (peat). We further estimate that an active layer deepening by about 100 cm will increase organic C availability in a seasonally thawed state in the two study areas by ~ 5.8 Tg (13.2 kg C m−2). Our study demonstrates the importance of increasing the number of C and N storage inventories in ice-rich Yedoma and thermokarst environments in order to account for high variability of permafrost and thermokarst environments in pan-permafrost soil C and N pool estimates.

Comparison of carbon and nitrogen storage in mineral soils of graminoid and shrub tundra sites, western Greenland

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 165-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea L. Petrenko ◽  
Julia Bradley-Cook ◽  
Emily M. Lacroix ◽  
Andrew J. Friedland ◽  
Ross A. Virginia
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Soil C ◽  
N Storage ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Arctic Soils ◽  
C Pools ◽  
C And N

Shrub species are expanding across the Arctic in response to climate change and biotic interactions. Changes in belowground carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage are of global importance because Arctic soils store approximately half of global soil C. We collected 10 (60 cm) soil cores each from graminoid- and shrub-dominated soils in western Greenland and determined soil texture, pH, C and N pools, and C:N ratios by depth for the mineral soil. To investigate the relative chemical stability of soil C between vegetation types, we employed a novel sequential extraction method for measuring organo-mineral C pools of increasing bond strength. We found that (i) mineral soil C and N storage was significantly greater under graminoids than shrubs (29.0 ± 1.8 versus 22.5 ± 3.0 kg·C·m−2 and 1.9 ± .12 versus 1.4 ± 1.9 kg·N·m−2), (ii) chemical mechanisms of C storage in the organo-mineral soil fraction did not differ between graminoid and shrub soils, and (iii) weak adsorption to mineral surfaces accounted for 40%–60% of C storage in organo-mineral fractions — a pool that is relatively sensitive to environmental disturbance. Differences in these C pools suggest that rates of C accumulation and retention differ by vegetation type, which could have implications for predicting future soil C pool storage.

Manipulation of rhizosphere organisms to enhance glomalin production and C sequestration: Pitfalls and promises

2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 1025-1032 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. L. Walley ◽  
A. W. Gillespie ◽  
Adekunbi B. Adetona ◽  
J. J. Germida ◽  
R. E. Farrell
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Edge Structure ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
N Storage ◽  
C And N

Walley, F. L., Gillespie, A. W., Adetona, A. B., Germida, J. J. and Farrell, R. E. 2014. Manipulation of rhizosphere organisms to enhance glomalin production and C-sequestration: Pitfalls and promises. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 1025–1032. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) reportedly produce glomalin, a glycoprotein that has the potential to increase soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage. We hypothesized that interactions between rhizosphere microorganisms, such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), and AMF, would influence glomalin production. Our objectives were to determine the effects of AMF/PGPR interactions on plant growth and glomalin production in the rhizosphere of pea (Pisum sativum L.) with the goal of enhancing C and N storage in the rhizosphere. One component of the study focussed on the molecular characterization of glomalin and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) using complementary synchrotron-based N and C X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, pyrolysis field ionization mass spectrometry (Py-FIMS), and proteomics techniques to characterize specific organic C and N fractions associated with glomalin production. Our research ultimately led us to conclude that the proteinaceous material extracted, and characterized in the literature, as GRSP is not exclusively of AMF origin. Our research supports the established concept that GRSP is important to soil quality, and C and N storage, irrespective of origin. However, efforts to manipulate this important soil C pool will remain compromised until we more clearly elucidate the chemical nature and origin of this resource.

Effect of timber harvest on soil carbon storage at Blodgett Experimental Forest, California

1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1385-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.A. Black ◽  
J.W. Harden
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Site Preparation ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Total N ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C And N

Four plots from a mixed conifer forest were similarly cleared, burned, and replanted at various times over 17 years; a plot logged 79 years before sampling was used as a control. The plots had similar slope (2 to 15%, midslope position), aspect (south to southeast), and soil type (Holland series: mesic Haploxeralf; a Gray Brown Luvisol in the Canadian classification system). Twenty sites at each plot were sampled volumetrically by horizon to 20 cm below the organic–mineral soil boundary. Samples were analyzed for bulk density, organic C, and total N. There was an initial loss (15%) of organic C from the soil within 1 to 7 years, likely the result of oxidation (burning and decomposition) and erosion. For 17 years of forest regrowth, the soil continued to lose C (another 15%), probably owing to decomposition of slash material and possibly erosion, despite the slight accumulation of new litter and roots. After 80 years of regrowth, rates of carbon accumulation exceeded rates of loss, but carbon storage had declined and was not likely to recover to preharvest levels. Timber harvest and site preparation dramatically altered soil C and N distribution, in which C/N ratios after site preparation were initially high throughout the upper 20 cm. Subsequently, C/N ratios became lower with depth and with recovery age. Although stocks of C and N varied considerably among the plots and did not change consistently as a function of recovery age, the C/N ratios did vary systematically with recovery age. We hypothesize that the amount of C ultimately stored in the soil at steady state depends largely on N reserves and potentials, which appear to vary with erosion, intensity of burning, and site treatment.

Soil carbon and nitrogen eroded after severe wildfire and erosion mitigation treatments

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek N. Pierson ◽  
Peter R. Robichaud ◽  
Charles C. Rhoades ◽  
Robert E. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
Ecosystem Recovery ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Soil C And N ◽  
C And N ◽  
Erosion Mitigation

Erosion of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) following severe wildfire may have deleterious effects on downstream resources and ecosystem recovery. Although C and N losses in combustion and runoff have been studied extensively, soil C and N transported by post-fire erosion has rarely been quantified in burned landscapes. To better understand the magnitude and temporal pattern of these losses, we analysed the C and N content of sediment collected in severely burned hillslopes and catchments across the western USA over the first 4 post-fire years. We also compared soil C and N losses from areas receiving common erosion-mitigation treatments and untreated, burned areas. The concentrations of C and N in the eroded material (0.23–0.98gCkg−1 and 0.01–0.04gNkg−1) were similar to those of mineral soils rather than organic soil horizons or combusted vegetation. Losses of eroded soil C and N were highly variable across sites, and were highest the first 2 years after fire. Cumulative erosional losses from untreated, burned areas ranged from 73 to 2253kgCha−1 and from 3.3 to 110kgNha−1 over 4 post-fire years. Post-fire erosion-mitigation treatments reduced C and N losses by up to 75% compared with untreated areas. Losses in post-fire erosion are estimated to be <10% of the total soil C and N combusted during severe wildfire and <10% of post-fire soil C and N stocks remaining in the upper 20cm of mineral soil. Although loss of soil C and N in post-fire erosion is unlikely to impair the productivity of recovering vegetation, export of C and N may influence downstream water quality and aquatic ecosystems.

The effects of cultivation method, fertilizer input and previous sward type on organic C and N storage and gaseous losses under spring and winter barley following long-term leys

2002 ◽  
Vol 139 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. A. VINTEN ◽  
B. C. BALL ◽  
M. F. O'SULLIVAN ◽  
J. K. HENSHALL
Keyword(s):  
Spring Barley ◽  
Balance Sheet ◽  
N Fertilizer ◽  
Net N Mineralization ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Confidence Limits ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C And N

The effects of ploughing or no-tillage of long-term grass and grass-clover swards on changes in organic C and N pools and on CO2 and denitrified gas emissions were investigated in a 3-year field experiment in 1996–99 near Penicuik, Scotland. The decrease in soil C content between 1996 and 1999 was 15·3 t/ha (95% confidence limits were 1·7–28·9 t/ha). Field estimates of CO2 losses from deep-ploughed, normal-ploughed and no-tillage plots were 3·1, 4·5 and 4·6 t/ha over the sampling periods (a total of 257 days) in 1996–98. The highest N2O fluxes were from the fertilized spring barley under no-tillage. Thus no-tillage did not reduce C emissions, caused higher N2O emissions, and required larger inputs of N fertilizer than ploughing. By contrast, deep ploughing led to smaller C and N2O emissions but had no effect on yields, suggesting that deep ploughing might be an appropriate means of conserving C and N when leys are ploughed in. Subsoil denitrification losses were estimated to be 10–16 kg N/ha per year by measurement of 15N emissions from incubated intact cores. A balance sheet of N inputs and outputs showed that net N mineralization over 3 years was lower from plots receiving N fertilizer than from plots receiving no fertilizer.

Douglas-fir soil C and N properties a decade after termination of urea fertilization

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 2225-2236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter S Homann ◽  
Bruce A Caldwell ◽  
H N Chappell ◽  
Phillip Sollins ◽  
Chris W Swanston
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Cellulase Activity ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Soil Organic C ◽  
Total N ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Second Growth ◽  
Heavy Fractions ◽  
Urea Fertilization

Chemical and microbial soil properties were assessed in paired unfertilized and urea fertilized (>89 g N·m–2) plots in 13 second-growth Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) stands distributed throughout western Washington and Oregon. A decade following the termination of fertilization, fertilized plots averaged 28% higher total N in the O layer than unfertilized plots, 24% higher total N in surface (0–5 cm) mineral soil, and up to four times the amount of extractable ammonium and nitrate. Decreased pH (0.2 pH units) caused by fertilization may have been due to nitrification or enhanced cation uptake. In some soil layers, fertilization decreased cellulase activity and soil respiration but increased wood decomposition. There was no effect of fertilization on concentrations of light and heavy fractions, labile carbohydrates, and phosphatase and xylanase activities. No increase in soil organic C was detected, although variability precluded observing an increase of less than ~15%. Lack of a regionwide fertilization influence on soil organic C contrasts with several site-specific forest and agricultural studies that have shown C increases resulting from fertilization. Overall, the results indicate a substantial residual influence on soil N a decade after urea fertilization but much more limited influence on soil C processes and pools.

scholarly journals Nitrogen fertilizer regulates soil respiration by altering the organic carbon storage in root and topsoil in alpine meadow of the north-eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Li ◽  
Jinlan Wang ◽  
Xiaolong Li ◽  
Shilin Wang ◽  
Wenhui Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
N Storage ◽  
The North ◽  
C Storage ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
C And N

Abstract Soil respiration (Rs) plays a critical role in the global carbon (C) balance, especially in the context of globally increasing nitrogen (N) deposition. However, how N-addition influences C cycle remains unclear. Here, we applied seven levels of N application (0 (N0), 54 (N1), 90 (N2), 126 (N3), 144 (N4), 180 (N5) and 216 kg N ha−1 yr−1 (N6)) to quantify their impacts on Rs and its components (autotrophic respiration (Ra) and heterotrophic respiration (Rh)) and C and N storage in vegetation and soil in alpine meadow on the northeast margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. We used a structural equation model (SEM) to explore the relative contributions of C and N storage, soil temperature and soil moisture and their direct and indirect pathways in regulating soil respiration. Our results revealed that the Rs, Ra and Rh, C and N storage in plant, root and soil (0–10 cm and 10–20 cm) all showed initial increases and then tended to decrease at the threshold level of 180 kg N ha−1 yr−1. The SEM results indicated that soil temperature had a greater impact on Rs than did volumetric soil moisture. Moreover, SEM also showed that C storage (in root, 0–10 and 10–20 cm soil layers) was the most important factor driving Rs. Furthermore, multiple linear regression model showed that the combined root C storage, 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layer C storage explained 97.4–97.6% variations in Rs; explained 94.5–96% variations in Ra; and explained 96.3–98.1% in Rh. Therefore, the growing season soil respiration and its components can be well predicted by the organic C storage in root and topsoil in alpine meadow of the north-eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Our study reveals the importance of topsoil and root C storage in driving growing season Rs in alpine meadow on the northeast margin of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Autumn and spring applications of ammonium nitrate and urea to bromegrass influence total and light fraction organic C and N in a thin Black Chernozem

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
S S Malhi ◽  
J T Harapiak ◽  
M. Nyborg ◽  
K S Gill ◽  
N A Flore
Keyword(s):  
Ammonium Nitrate ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Light Fraction ◽  
Total N ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Soil C And N ◽  
C And N ◽  
Light Fraction Organic C ◽  
Total Organic C

An adequate level of organic matter is needed to sustain the productivity, improve the quality of soils and increase soil C. Grassland improvement is considered to be one of the best ways to achieve these goals. A field experiment, in which bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss) was grown for hay, was conducted from 1974 to 1996 on a thin Black Chernozemic soil near Crossfield, Alberta. Total organic C (TOC) and total N (TN), and light fraction organic C (LFOC) and light fraction N (LFN) of soil for the treatments receiving 23 annual applications of 112 kg N ha-1 as ammonium nitrate (AN) or urea in early autumn, late autumn, early spring or late spring were compared to zero-N check. Soil samples from 0- to 5- cm (layer 1), 5- to 10- cm (layer 2), 10- to 15- cm (layer 3) and 15- to 30-cm depths were taken in October 1996. Mass of TOC, TN, LFOC and LFN was calculated using equivalent mass technique. The concentration and mass of TOC and LFOC, TN and LFN in the soil were increased by N fertilization compared to the zero-N check. The majority of this increase in C and N occurred in the surface 5-cm depth and predominantly occurred in the light fraction material. In layer 1, the average increase from N fertilization was 3.1 Mg C ha-1 for TOC, 1.82 Mg C ha-1 for LFOC, 0.20 Mg N ha-1 for TN and 0.12 Mg N ha-1 for LFN. The LFOC and LFN were more responsive to N fertilization compared to the TOC and TN. Averaged across application times, more TOC, LFOC, TN and LFN were stored under AN than under urea in layer 1, by 1.50, 1.21, 0.06 and 0.08 Mg ha-1, respectively. Lower volatilization loss and higher plant uptake of surfaced-broadcast N were probable reasons from more soil C and N storage under AN source. Time of N application had no effect on the soil characteristics studied. In conclusion, most of the N-induced increase in soil C and N occurred in the 0- to 5-cm depth (layer 1) and in the light fraction material, with the increases being greater under AN than urea. Key words: Bromegrass, light fraction C and N, N source, soil, total organic C and N

Management effects on the dynamics and storage rates of organic matter in long-term crop rotations

2004 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Paul ◽  
H. P. Collins ◽  
K. Paustian ◽  
E. T. Elliott ◽  
S. Frey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Site Analysis ◽  
Laboratory Incubation ◽  
C And N ◽  
A Site ◽  
Management Effects

Factors controlling soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics in soil C sequestration and N fertility were determined from multi-site analysis of long-term, crop rotation experiments in Western Canada. Analyses included bulk density, organic and inorganic C and N, particulate organic C (POM-C) and N (POM -N), and CO2-C evolved during laboratory incubation. The POM-C and POM-N contents varied with soil type. Differences in POM-C contents between treatments at a site (δPOM-C) were related (r2= 0.68) to treatment differences in soil C (δSOC). The CO2-C, evolved during laboratory incubation, was the most sensitive indicator of management effects. The Gray Luvisol (Breton, AB) cultivated plots had a fivefold difference in CO2-C release relative to a twofold difference in soil organic carbon (SOC). Soils from cropped, Black Chernozems (Melfort and Indian Head, SK) and Dark Brown Chernozems (Lethbridge, AB) released 50 to 60% as much CO2-C as grassland soils. Differences in CO2 evolution from the treatment with the lowest SOM on a site and that of other treatments (δCO2-C) in the early stages of the incubation were correlated to δPOM-C and this pool reflects short-term SOC storage. Management for soil fertility, such as N release, may differ from management for C sequestration. Key words: Multi-site analysis, soil management, soil C and N, POM-C and N, CO2 evolution

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