Insights into modelling of soil organic carbon from Irish grassland sites using ECOSSE model

Author(s):  
Alina Premrov ◽  
Jesko Zimmermann ◽  
Stuart Green ◽  
Reamonn Fealy ◽  
Matthew Saunders

<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>Grassland represents the dominant land use in Ireland, and the estimation of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and changes for Irish grasslands requires further improvements. This study uses the ECOSSE 6.2b process-based model in site-specific mode (Smith et al., 2010) to predict SOC stocks and changes associated with different grassland management practices. The work presented here aims to provide preliminary insights into SOC modelling procedures. Five Irish sites under different grassland management were selected from the 2009 LUCAS SOC database (JRC, 2018). Due to the lack of repeated SOC measurements over time, the initial SOC input values (required for the simulation initialisation) were assigned from the Irish NSDB database (EPA, 2007). This was done based on the site-specific information from both databases such as distance and matching land-use. The initial SOC values from the NSDB were assigned to 2002 (i.e. the start of simulation). Information on management was obtained from the Irish Integrated Administration and Control System database,LPIS (Zimmermann et al., 2016b), climate data were obtained from MÉRA (Met Éireann, 2018) and atmospheric N deposition from http://www.emep.int (Premrov et al. 2019). Fertilisation inputs were adapted from the literature and categorised based on stocking rates derived from Green et al. (2016). The 2009 yearly averaged SOC predicted values were compared to LUCAS measured SOC across five sites (r<sup>2 </sup>= 0.06), showing over- and under-estimation of simulated SOC, which could be due to potential poor matching NSDB and LUCAS data. This result indicates that the repeated SOC field-measurements over the time are needed for proper model-parameterisation. This was further supported by the observed strong relationship between initial SOC inputs and ECOSSE predicted SOC (r<sup>2</sup> = 0.85) indicating the high sensitivity of model SOC predictions to the initial SOC inputs.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Acknowledgements</strong></p><p>SOLUM project is funded under the Irish EPA Research programme 2014-2020. Thanks go to Dr Marta Dondini (U. Aberdeen) and Dr Rowan Fealy (Maynooth U.) for their support.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Literature</strong></p><p>EPA, 2007. National Soils Database (NSDB). Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ireland.</p><p>Green, S., et.al., 2016. Cattle stocking rates estimated in temperate intensive grasslands with a spring growth model derived from MODIS NDVI time-series. Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs. & Geoinfo. 52, 166-174.</p><p>JRC, 2018. LUCAS 2009 TOPSOIL data, European Soil data Centre. Joint Research Centre. European Commission.</p><p>Met Éireann, 2018. MÉRA: Met Éireann Re-Analysis – Climate Re-analysis.</p><p>Premrov, A., et al., 2019. Biogeochemical modelling of soil organic carbon-insights into the processing procedures of selected atmospheric input data: Part II. IGRM2019.UCD. Dublin.</p><p>Smith, J., et al., 2010. ECOSSE. User Manual.</p><p>Zimmermann, J., et al., 2016. The Irish Land-Parcels Identification System (LPIS). Experiences in ongoing and recent environmental research and land cover mapping. Biol. & Environm. Proceedings RIA 116B, 53-62.</p>

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia L. Jin ◽  
Kenneth N. Potter ◽  
Mari-Vaughn V. Johnson ◽  
R. Daren Harmel ◽  
Jeffrey G. Arnold

Mid- to long-term impacts of land applying biosolids will depend on application rate, duration, and method; biosolids composition; and site-specific characteristics (e.g., climate, soils). This study evaluates the effects of surface-broadcast biosolids application rate and duration on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, soil aggregate stability, and selected soil hydraulic properties in a municipally operated, no-till forage production system. Total SOC stocks (0–45 cm soil) increased nonlinearly with application rate in perennial grass fields treated for 8 years with 0, 20, 40, or 60 Mg of Class B biosolids (DM) ha−1 yr−1(midterm treatments). Soil organic C stocks in long-term treatment fields receiving 20 years of 20 Mg ha−1 yr−1were 36% higher than those in midterm fields treated at the same rate. Surface-applying biosolids had contrasting effects on soil physical properties. Soil bulk density was little affected by biosolids applications, but applications were associated with decreased water-stable soil aggregates, increased soil water retention, and increased available water-holding capacity. This study contrasts the potential for C storage in soils treated with surface-applied biosolids with application effects on soil physical properties, underscoring the importance of site-specific management decisions for the beneficial reuse of biosolids in agricultural settings.


Agriculture ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deb Aryal ◽  
Danilo Morales Ruiz ◽  
César Tondopó Marroquín ◽  
René Pinto Ruiz ◽  
Francisco Guevara Hernández ◽  
...  

Land use change from forests to grazing lands is one of the important sources of greenhouse gas emissions in many parts of the tropics. The objective of this study was to analyze the extent of soil organic carbon (SOC) loss from the conversion of native forests to pasturelands in Mexico. We analyzed 66 sets of published research data with simultaneous measurements of soil organic carbon stocks between native forests and pasturelands in Mexico. We used a generalized linear mixed effect model to evaluate the effect of land use change (forest versus pasture), soil depth, and original native forest types. The model showed that there was a significant reduction in SOC stocks due to the conversion of native forests to pasturelands. The median loss of SOC ranged from 31.6% to 52.0% depending upon the soil depth. The highest loss was observed in tropical mangrove forests followed by highland tropical forests and humid tropical forests. Higher loss was detected in upper soil horizon (0–30 cm) compared to deeper horizons. The emissions of CO2 from SOC loss ranged from 46.7 to 165.5 Mg CO2 eq. ha−1 depending upon the type of original native forests. In this paper, we also discuss the effect that agroforestry practices such as silvopastoral arrangements and other management practices like rotational grazing, soil erosion control, and soil nutrient management can have in enhancing SOC stocks in tropical grasslands. The results on the degree of carbon loss can have strong implications in adopting appropriate management decisions that recover or retain carbon stocks in biomass and soils of tropical livestock production systems.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 6483-6493 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Ferré ◽  
R. Comolli ◽  
A. Leip ◽  
G. Seufert

Abstract. Effects of forest conversion to poplar plantation on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks were investigated by sampling paired plots in an alluvial area of the Ticino River in Northern Italy. According to land registers and historical aerial photographs, the two sites were part of a larger area of a 200 yr old natural forest that was partly converted to poplar plantation in 1973. The soil sampling of three layers down to a depth of 100 cm was performed at 90 and 70 points in the natural forest (NF) and in the nearby poplar plantation (PP) respectively. The substitution of the natural forest with the poplar plantation strongly modified soil C stock down to a depth of 55 cm, although the management practices at PP were not intensive. After calculation of equivalent soil masses and of SOC stocks in individual texture classes, the comparison of C stocks showed an overall decrease in SOC of 5.7 kg m−2 or 40% in consequence of 37 years of poplar cultivation. Our case study provides further evidence that (i) spatial heterogeneity of SOC is an important feature in paired plot studies requiring a careful sampling strategy and high enough number of samples; (ii) land use changes through tillage are creating a more homogeneous spatial structure of soil properties and may require the application of dedicated spatial statistics to tackle eventual problems of pseudo-replicates and auto-correlation; (iii) short rotation forests are not properly represented in current reporting schemes for changes of SOC after land use change and may better be considered as cropland.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongrui Di ◽  
Guangwei Huang

Abstract Backgrounds A multitude of studies have applied different methods to study the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC), but the differential impact of artificial and natural afforestation on SOC dynamic are still poorly understood. Methods and aims We investigated the SOC dynamics following artificial and natural afforestation in Loess Plateau of China, characterizing soil structure and stoichiometry using stable isotope carbon and radiocarbon models. We aim to compare SOC dynamics, clarify SOC source under different afforestation, examine comparability of the study areas and find how soil aggregate size classes control SOC dynamics, finally to evaluate effect of reforestation project.Results The 0-10cm and 10-20 cm SOC stocks were significant higher than other two land-use system. At other depths, there is no significant difference among the three land-use system. Total top soil SOC stocks, C:N and C:P of differently sized soil aggregates significantly increased following afforestation. 13C results and Radiocarbon models indicated that the SOC decomposition rate and new SOC input rate were lower under natural afforestation than artificial afforestation. Conclusions Afforestation can accumulate SOC in top soils mainly resulting from in topsoil changing. SOC resource is mainly from macroaggregate formation provided by fresh plant residues. SOC loss from soil respiration was derived from microaggregates during afforestation. The“space-for-time substitution” method is suitable for comparability of the study areas.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 862
Author(s):  
Medha Bulusu ◽  
Christopher Martius ◽  
Jessica Clendenning

Miombo woodlands are extensive dry forest ecosystems in central and southern Africa covering ≈2.7 million km2. Despite their vast expanse and global importance for carbon storage, the long-term carbon stocks and dynamics have been poorly researched. The objective of this paper was to present and summarize the evidence gathered on aboveground carbon (AGC) and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks of miombo woodlands from the 1960s to mid-2018 through a literature review. We reviewed the data to find out to what extent aboveground carbon and soil organic carbon stocks are found in miombo woodlands and further investigated if are there differences in carbon stocks based on woodland categories (old-growth, disturbed and re-growth). A review protocol was used to identify 56 publications from which quantitative data on AGC and SOC stocks were extracted. We found that the mean AGC in old-growth miombo (45.8 ± 17.8 Mg C ha−1), disturbed miombo (26.7 ± 15 Mg C ha−1), and regrowth miombo (18.8 ± 16.8 Mg C ha−1) differed significantly. Data on rainfall, stand age, and land-use suggested that the variability in aboveground carbon is site-specific, relating to climatic and geographic conditions as well as land-use history. SOC stocks in both old-growth and re-growth miombo were found to vary widely. It must be noted these soil data are provided only for information; they inconsistently refer to varying soil depths and are thus difficult to interpret. The wide range reported suggests a need for further studies which are much more systematic in method and reporting. Other limitations of the dataset include the lack of systematic sampling and lack of data in some countries, viz. Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2016
Author(s):  
Alexandra Crème ◽  
Cornelia Rumpel ◽  
Sparkle L. Malone ◽  
Nicolas P. A. Saby ◽  
Emmanuelle Vaudour ◽  
...  

Introduction of temporary grasslands into cropping cycles could be a sustainable management practice leading to increased soil organic carbon (SOC) to contribute to climate change adaption and mitigation. To investigate the impact of temporary grassland management practices on SOC storage of croplands, we used a spatially resolved sampling approach combined with geostatistical analyses across an agricultural experiment. The experiment included blocks (0.4- to 3-ha blocks) of continuous grassland, continuous cropping and temporary grasslands with different durations and N-fertilizations on a 23-ha site in western France. We measured changes in SOC storage over this 9-year experiment on loamy soil and investigated physicochemical soil parameters. In the soil profiles (0–90 cm), SOC stocks ranged from 82.7 to 98.5 t ha−1 in 2005 and from 81.3 to 103.9 t ha−1 in 2014. On 0.4-ha blocks, the continuous grassland increased SOC in the soil profile with highest gains in the first 30 cm, while losses were recorded under continuous cropping. Where temporary grasslands were introduced into cropping cycles, SOC stocks were maintained. These observations were only partly confirmed when changing the scale of observation to 3-ha blocks. At the 3-ha scale, most grassland treatments exhibited both gains and losses of SOC, which could be partly related to soil physicochemical properties. Overall, our data suggest that both management practices and soil characteristics determine if carbon will accumulate in SOC pools. For detailed understanding of SOC changes, a combination of measurements at different scales is necessary.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 363-400
Author(s):  
M. Köchy ◽  
A. Don ◽  
M. K. van der Molen ◽  
A. Freibauer

Abstract. Global biosphere models vary greatly in their projections of future changes of global soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and aggregated global SOC masses in response to climate change. We estimated the certainty (likelihood) and quantity of increases and decreases on a half-degree grid. We assessed the effect of changes in controlling factors, including net primary productivity (NPP), litter quality, soil acidity, water-saturation, depth of permafrost, land use, temperature, and aridity, in a temporally implicit model that uses categorized driver variables associated by probabilities (Bayesian Network). The probability-weighted results show that, globally, climate effects on NPP had the strongest impact on SOC stocks and the certainty of change after 75 years. Actual land use had the greatest effect locally because the assumed certainty of land use change per unit area was small. The probability-weighted contribution of climate to decomposition was greatest in the humid tropics because of greater absolute effects on decomposition fractions at higher temperatures. In contrast, climate effects on decomposition fractions were small in cold regions. Differences in decomposition rates between contemporary and future climate were greatest in arid subtropical regions because of projected strong increases in precipitation. Warming in boreal and arctic regions increased NPP, balancing or outweighing potential losses from thawing of permafrost. Across contrasting NPP scenarios tropical mountain forests were identified as hotspots of future highly certain C losses. Global soil C mass will increase by 1% with a certainty of 75% if NPP increases due to carbon-dioxide fertilization. At a certainty level of 75%, soil C mass will not change if CO2-induced increase of NPP is limited by nutrients.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 8253-8268 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Muñoz-Rojas ◽  
A. Jordán ◽  
L. M. Zavala ◽  
F. A. González-Peñaloza ◽  
D. De la Rosa ◽  
...  

Abstract. Global climate change, as a consequence of the increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 concentration, may significantly affect both soil organic C storage and soil capacity for C sequestration. CarboSOIL is an empirical model based on regression techniques and developed as a geographical information system tool to predict soil organic carbon (SOC) contents at different depths. This model is a new component of the agro-ecological decision support system for land evaluation MicroLEIS, which assists decision-makers in facing specific agro-ecological problems, particularly in Mediterranean regions. In this study, the CarboSOIL model was used to study the effects of climate change on SOC dynamics in a Mediterranean region (Andalusia, S Spain). Different downscaled climate models were applied based on BCCR-BCM2, CNRMCM3, and ECHAM5 and driven by SRES scenarios (A1B, A2 and B2). Output data were linked to spatial data sets (soil and land use) to quantify SOC stocks. The CarboSOIL model has proved its ability to predict the short-, medium- and long-term trends (2040s, 2070s and 2100s) of SOC dynamics and sequestration under projected future scenarios of climate change. Results have shown an overall trend towards decreasing of SOC stocks in the upper soil sections (0–25 cm and 25–50 cm) for most soil types and land uses, but predicted SOC stocks tend to increase in the deeper soil section (0–75 cm). Soil types as Arenosols, Planosols and Solonchaks and land uses as "permanent crops" and "open spaces with little or no vegetation" would be severely affected by climate change with large decreases of SOC stocks, in particular under the medium–high emission scenario A2 by 2100. The information developed in this study might support decision-making in land management and climate adaptation strategies in Mediterranean regions, and the methodology could be applied to other Mediterranean areas with available soil, land use and climate data.


SOIL ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 123-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen de Blécourt ◽  
Marife D. Corre ◽  
Ekananda Paudel ◽  
Rhett D. Harrison ◽  
Rainer Brumme ◽  
...  

Abstract. Presently, the lack of data on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in relation to land-use types and biophysical characteristics prevents reliable estimates of ecosystem carbon stocks in montane landscapes of mainland SE Asia. Our study, conducted in a 10 000 ha landscape in Xishuangbanna, SW China, aimed at assessing the spatial variability in SOC concentrations and stocks, as well as the relationships of SOC with land-use types, soil properties, vegetation characteristics and topographical attributes at three spatial scales: (1) land-use types within a landscape (10 000 ha), (2) sampling plots (1 ha) nested within land-use types (plot distances ranging between 0.5 and 12 km), and (3) subplots (10 m radius) nested within sampling plots. We sampled 27 one-hectare plots – 10 plots in mature forests, 11 plots in regenerating or highly disturbed forests, and 6 plots in open land including tea plantations and grasslands. We used a sampling design with a hierarchical structure. The landscape was first classified according to land-use types. Within each land-use type, sampling plots were randomly selected, and within each plot we sampled within nine subplots. SOC concentrations and stocks did not differ significantly across the four land-use types. However, within the open-land category, SOC concentrations and stocks in grasslands were higher than in tea plantations (P < 0.01 for 0–0.15 m, P = 0.05 for 0.15–0.30 m, P = 0.06 for 0–0.9 m depth). The SOC stocks to a depth of 0.9 m were 177.6 ± 19.6 (SE) Mg C ha−1 in tea plantations, 199.5 ± 14.8 Mg C ha−1 in regenerating or highly disturbed forests, 228.6 ± 19.7 Mg C ha−1 in mature forests, and 236.2 ± 13.7 Mg C ha−1 in grasslands. In this montane landscape, variability within plots accounted for more than 50 % of the overall variance in SOC stocks to a depth of 0.9 m and the topsoil SOC concentrations. The relationships of SOC concentrations and stocks with land-use types, soil properties, vegetation characteristics, and topographical attributes varied across spatial scales. Variability in SOC within plots was determined by litter layer carbon stocks (P < 0.01 for 0–0.15 m and P = 0.03 for 0.15–0.30 and 0–0.9 m depth) and slope (P ≤ 0.01 for 0–0.15, 0.15–0.30, and 0–0.9 m depth) in open land, and by litter layer carbon stocks (P < 0.001 for 0–0.15, 0.15–0.30 and 0–0.9 m depth) and tree basal area (P < 0.001 for 0–0.15 m and P = 0.01 for 0–0.9 m depth) in forests. Variability in SOC among plots in open land was related to the differences in SOC concentrations and stocks between grasslands and tea plantations. In forests, the variability in SOC among plots was associated with elevation (P < 0.01 for 0–0.15 m and P = 0.09 for 0–0.9 m depth). The scale-dependent relationships between SOC and its controlling factors demonstrate that studies that aim to investigate the land-use effects on SOC need an appropriate sampling design reflecting the controlling factors of SOC so that land-use effects will not be masked by the variability between and within sampling plots.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamayun Shaheen ◽  
Shahzad Naseer Awan ◽  
Raja Waqar Ahmed Khan ◽  
A Rehman Khalid ◽  
Waqas Ahmed ◽  
...  

Abstract Quantification of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in different land uses holds vital significance because of its implications regarding carbon sequestration as the largest terrestrial carbon pool. The current study was conducted to quantify and compare SOC stocks in forest land, agricultural land, and barren land-use categories in the subtropical ecosystems of the Himalayan foothills in Kashmir. Results showed the highest SOC value in the forest soil (75 ± 11.1 Mg C ha−1) followed by agricultural soil (58 ± 7.0 Mg C ha−1) and barren land (44 ± 6.5 Mg C ha−1). SOC stocks in different land uses showed broad variations with values as high as 106 ± 11.3 Mg C ha−1 (forest soils) and as low as 14.1 ± 7.1 Mg C ha−1 (barren land). The forest SOC values responded significantly to species composition with the highest values in Pinus roxburghii Sarg. pure stands as compared with broad leaved forests. Multivariate ordination analyses revealed that the variations in SOC stocks were significantly correlated with vegetation type, altitude, and soil bulk density. The study has identified anthropogenic disturbances as a major factor deteriorating local SOC stocks and recommends immediate soil restoration efforts to enhance the ecological significance of soils as vital regional carbon sinks. Study Implications The current study was designed to investigate the soil organic carbon (SOC) levels in different land uses of the Kashmir Himalayas, Pakistan. Results revealed forest soils as the major carbon sinks of the region, attributed to diverse species composition having a significant quantity of organic residues, followed by agricultural soils. Barren land-use class exhibited the lowest SOC values due to minimum vegetation cover, erosion, and degradation. Significant correlations of SOC stocks with geographical and edaphic variables were identified by multivariate ordination analysis in the investigated land-use classes. Results validate the significance of forests in enhancing SOC stocks, demanding forest restoration in the area by controlling the forest losses as well as afforestation. This article provides vital information required for better understanding of SOC stocks in different land-use classes in the subtropical ecosystems of the Kashmir region.


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