Search

ABSTRACT The current estimate of the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool in the northern permafrost region of 1672 Petagrams (Pg) C is much larger than previously reported and needs to be incorporated in global soil carbon (C) inventories. The Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database (NCSCD), extended to include the range 0-300 cm, is now available online for wider use by the scientific community. An important future aim is to provide quantitative uncertainty ranges for C pool estimates. Recent studies have greatly improved understanding of the regional patterns, landscape distribution and vertical (soil horizon) partitioning of the permafrost C pool in the upper 3 m of soils. However, the deeper C pools in unconsolidated Quaternary deposits need to be better constrained. A general lability classification of the permafrost C pool should be developed to address potential C release upon thaw. The permafrost C pool and its dynamics are beginning to be incorporated into Earth System models, although key periglacial processes such as thermokarst still need to be properly represented to obtain a better quantification of the full permafrost C feedback on global climate change. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the estimation of carbon dynamics of boreal forest in Yukon River Basin (YRB) in Alaska. It states that carbon transfer rate of boreal forest ecosystems have substantial consequences for efforts to moderate the rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide. It further highlights that regional assessment indicates that forest vegetation carbon storage has increased but reports that the total soil carbon storage has remained unchanged.

We combined year-round eddy covariance with biometry and biomass harvests along a chronosequence of boreal forest stands that were 1, 6, 15, 23, 40, ∼74, and ∼154 years old to understand how ecosystem production and carbon stocks change during recovery from stand-replacing crown fire. Live biomass (C) was low in the 1- and 6-year-old stands, and increased following a logistic pattern to high levels in the 74- and 154-year-old stands. Carbon stocks in the forest floor (C) and coarse woody debris (C) were comparatively high in the 1-year-old stand, reduced in the 6- through 40-year-old stands, and highest in the 74- and 154-year-old stands. Total net primary production (TNPP) was reduced in the 1- and 6-year-old stands, highest in the 23- through 74-year-old stands and somewhat reduced in the 154-year-old stand. The NPP decline at the 154-year-old stand was related to increased autotrophic respiration rather than decreased gross primary production (GPP). Net ecosystem production (NEP), calculated by integrated eddy covariance, indicated the 1- and 6-year-old stands were losing carbon, the 15-year-old stand was gaining a small amount of carbon, the 23- and 74-year-old stands were gaining considerable carbon, and the 40- and 154-year-old stands were gaining modest amounts of carbon. The recovery from fire was rapid; a linear fit through the NEP observations at the 6- and 15-year-old stands indicated the transition from carbon source to sink occurred within 11-12 years. The NEP decline at the 154-year-old stand appears related to increased losses from C by tree mortality and possibly from C by decomposition. Our findings support the idea that NPP, carbon production efficiency (NPP/GPP), NEP, and carbon storage efficiency (NEP/TNPP) all decrease in old boreal stands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fate of carbon (C) contained within permafrost in boreal forest environments is an important consideration for the current and future carbon cycle as soils warm in northern latitudes. Currently, little is known about the microbiology or chemistry of permafrost soils that may affect its decomposition once soils thaw. We tested the hypothesis that low microbial abundances and activities in permafrost soils limit decomposition rates compared with active layer soils. We examined active layer and permafrost soils near Fairbanks, AK, the Yukon River, and the Arctic Circle. Soils were incubated in the lab under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Gas fluxes at −5 and 5 °C were measured to calculate temperature response quotients ( Q10). The Q10 was lower in permafrost soils (average 2.7) compared with active layer soils (average 7.5). Soil nutrients, leachable dissolved organic C (DOC) quality and quantity, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the soils revealed that the organic matter within permafrost soils is as labile, or even more so, than surface soils. Microbial abundances (fungi, bacteria, and subgroups: methanogens and Basidiomycetes) and exoenzyme activities involved in decomposition were lower in permafrost soils compared with active layer soils, which, together with the chemical data, supports the reduced Q10 values. CH4 fluxes were correlated with methanogen abundance and the highest CH4 production came from active layer soils. These results suggest that permafrost soils have high inherent decomposability, but low microbial abundances and activities reduce the temperature sensitivity of C fluxes. Despite these inherent limitations, however, respiration per unit soil C was higher in permafrost soils compared with active layer soils, suggesting that decomposition and heterotrophic respiration may contribute to a positive feedback to warming of this eco region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the concept of net ecosystem production (NEP) which refers to a measure of carbon accumulation in the ecosystem that consider the balance between gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration. It highlights the proposed net biome productivity (NBP) for the loss of carbon in the ecosystem due to during the environmental disturbance. Also cites the influence of the biogeochemical processes to the balance of carbon in the terrestrial ecosystems.

Abstract In order to quantify the historical changes in carbon storage that result from agricultural conversion, this study compared the carbon dynamics of two sites in the loess region of Iowa: a native prairie and a cropland. Field data were obtained to determine present-day carbon storage and its variability within a landscape (a stable ridgetop vs. eroding upper-midslope vs. depositional lower slope). Models were used to recreate the historical carbon budget of these sites and determine the cropland's potential to be a net CO2 source or sink, relative to the atmosphere. Regardless of slope position, the cropland site contains approximately half the amount of carbon as prairie. Variability in soil carbon storage within a site as a consequence of slope position is as large or larger (variations of 200–300%) than temporal variation (∼200% at all slope positions). The most extreme difference in soil carbon storage between the cropland and prairie sites is found in the soil at the upper-midslope, which is the area of greatest erosion. The models estimate that 93–172% of the carbon in the original topsoil has been lost from the cropland's eroding midslope. Much of this carbon is derived from deeper soil horizons. Either a small sink or strong source of carbon to the atmosphere is created, depending on the fate of the eroded sediment and its associated carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]