Temperature and moisture are minor drivers of regional-scale soil organic carbon dynamics.

ABSTRACT: Storing large amounts of organic carbon, soils are a key but uncertain component of the global carbon cycle, and accordingly, of Earth System Models (ESMs). Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics are regulated by a complex interplay of drivers. Climate, generally represented by temperature and moisture, is regarded as one of the fundamental controls. Here, we use 54 forest sites in Switzerland, systematically selected to span near-independent gradients in temperature and moisture, to disentangle the effects of climate, soil properties, and landform on SOC dynamics. We estimated two SOC turnover times, based on bulk soil ¹⁴C measurements (τ_14C) and on a 6-month laboratory soil incubation (τ_i). In addition, upon incubation, we measured the ¹⁴C signatur

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez-Dominguez B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6478928 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature