Articles | Volume 17, issue 13
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3367-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3367-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
03 Jul 2020
Research article |
| 03 Jul 2020
| 03 Jul 2020
From fibrous plant residues to mineral-associated organic carbon – the fate of organic matter in Arctic permafrost soils
Soil Science, Research Department Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
Sebastian Zubrzycki
Center for Earth System Research and
Sustainability, School of Integrated Climate and Earth System Sciences, Universität Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg,
Germany
Franz Buegger
Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München GmbH, German Research Center for Environmental Health, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
Lena C. Zoor-Füllgraff
Soil Science, Research Department Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
Gerrit Angst
Institute of Soil Biology and SoWa Research Infrastructure, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České
Budějovice, Czech Republic
Michael Dannenmann
Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Carsten W. Mueller
Soil Science, Research Department Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
Department of Geosciences and Natural
Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350
Copenhagen K, Denmark
Related authors
Lars A. Meier, Patryk Krauze, Isabel Prater, Fabian Horn, Carlos E. G. R. Schaefer, Thomas Scholten, Dirk Wagner, Carsten W. Mueller, and Peter Kühn
Biogeosciences, 16, 2481–2499, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2481-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2481-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
James Ross Island offers the opportunity to study the undisturbed interplay of microbial activity and pedogenesis. Soils from two sites representing coastal and inland conditions were chosen and analyzed with a wide range of techniques to describe soil properties. We are able to show that coastal conditions go along with more intense weathering and therefore favor soil formation and that microbial communities are initially more affected by weathering and structure than by chemical parameters.
Fawad Khan, Samuel Franco Luesma, Frederik Hartmann, Michael Dannenmann, Rainer Gasche, Clemens Scheer, Andreas Gattinger, Wiebke Niether, Elizabeth Gachibu Wangari, Ricky Mwangada Mwanake, Ralf Kiese, and Benjamin Wolf
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-292, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-292, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
Short summary
Crop rotations with legumes and use of organic and mineral fertilizers show potential to reduce agricultural N losses. This study examined N losses, including direct N2 flux, on two adjacent sites with different management history: organic farming (OF) with legume cultivation and integrated farming (IF) using synthetic and organic N inputs. IF increased soil organic carbon and nitrogen content, 15N recovery and showed a balanced N budget, i.e., more efficient N cycling compared to OF.
Nicolás Riveras-Muñoz, Steffen Seitz, Kristina Witzgall, Victoria Rodríguez, Peter Kühn, Carsten W. Mueller, Rómulo Oses, Oscar Seguel, Dirk Wagner, and Thomas Scholten
SOIL, 8, 717–731, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-717-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-717-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) stabilize the soil surface mainly in arid regions but are also present in Mediterranean and humid climates. We studied this stabilizing effect through wet and dry sieving along a large climatic gradient in Chile and found that the stabilization of soil aggregates persists in all climates, but their role is masked and reserved for a limited number of size fractions under humid conditions by higher vegetation and organic matter contents in the topsoil.
Fabian Kalks, Gabriel Noren, Carsten W. Mueller, Mirjam Helfrich, Janet Rethemeyer, and Axel Don
SOIL, 7, 347–362, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-347-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-347-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Sedimentary rocks contain organic carbon that may end up as soil carbon. However, this source of soil carbon is overlooked and has not been quantified sufficiently. We analysed 10 m long sediment cores with three different sedimentary rocks. All sediments contain considerable amounts of geogenic carbon contributing 3 %–12 % to the total soil carbon below 30 cm depth. The low 14C content of geogenic carbon can result in underestimations of soil carbon turnover derived from 14C data.
Lars A. Meier, Patryk Krauze, Isabel Prater, Fabian Horn, Carlos E. G. R. Schaefer, Thomas Scholten, Dirk Wagner, Carsten W. Mueller, and Peter Kühn
Biogeosciences, 16, 2481–2499, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2481-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2481-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
James Ross Island offers the opportunity to study the undisturbed interplay of microbial activity and pedogenesis. Soils from two sites representing coastal and inland conditions were chosen and analyzed with a wide range of techniques to describe soil properties. We are able to show that coastal conditions go along with more intense weathering and therefore favor soil formation and that microbial communities are initially more affected by weathering and structure than by chemical parameters.
Friederike Gerschlauer, Gustavo Saiz, David Schellenberger Costa, Michael Kleyer, Michael Dannenmann, and Ralf Kiese
Biogeosciences, 16, 409–424, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-409-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-409-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Mount Kilimanjaro is an iconic environmental asset under serious threat due to increasing human pressures and climate change constraints. We studied variations in the stable isotopic composition of carbon and nitrogen in plant, litter, and soil material sampled along a strong land-use and altitudinal gradient. Our results show that, besides management, increasing temperatures in a changing climate may promote carbon and nitrogen losses, thus altering the stability of Kilimanjaro ecosystems.
Sonja Kaiser, Mathias Göckede, Karel Castro-Morales, Christian Knoblauch, Altug Ekici, Thomas Kleinen, Sebastian Zubrzycki, Torsten Sachs, Christian Wille, and Christian Beer
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 333–358, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-333-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-333-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
A new consistent, process-based methane module that is integrated with permafrost processes is presented. It was developed within a global land surface scheme and evaluated at a polygonal tundra site in Samoylov, Russia. The calculated methane emissions show fair agreement with field data and capture detailed differences between the explicitly modelled gas transport processes and in the gas dynamics under varying soil water and temperature conditions during seasons and on different microsites.
Stephan John, Gerrit Angst, Kristina Kirfel, Sebastian Preusser, Carsten W. Mueller, Christoph Leuschner, Ellen Kandeler, and Janet Rethemeyer
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-11, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-11, 2016
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
In this manuscript we investigate chemical, biological and physical soil parameters and their influence on 14C contents and distribution in three nearby soil profiles under beech forest. We found a large heterogeneity in 14C contents in the profiles, mainly caused by the abundance of roots. Our results indicate that 14C analysis of individual soil profiles – as it is done in most studies – may lead to misleading assumptions of SOM turnover in soils when extrapolated on larger areas.
M. Liu, M. Dannenmann, S. Lin, G. Saiz, G. Yan, Z. Yao, D. E. Pelster, H. Tao, S. Sippel, Y. Tao, Y. Zhang, X. Zheng, Q. Zuo, and K. Butterbach-Bahl
Biogeosciences, 12, 4831–4840, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4831-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4831-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We demonstrate for the first time that a ground cover rice production system (GCRPS) significantly increased soil organic C and total N stocks at spatially representative paired sites under varying edaphic conditions. Our results suggest that GCRPS is a stable and sustainable technique that maintains key soil functions, while increasing rice yield and expanding the cultivation into regions where it has been hampered by low seasonal temperatures and/or a lack of irrigation water.
G. Hugelius, J. Strauss, S. Zubrzycki, J. W. Harden, E. A. G. Schuur, C.-L. Ping, L. Schirrmeister, G. Grosse, G. J. Michaelson, C. D. Koven, J. A. O'Donnell, B. Elberling, U. Mishra, P. Camill, Z. Yu, J. Palmtag, and P. Kuhry
Biogeosciences, 11, 6573–6593, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6573-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6573-2014, 2014
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides an updated estimate of organic carbon stored in the northern permafrost region. The study includes estimates for carbon in soils (0 to 3 m depth) and deeper sediments in river deltas and the Yedoma region. We find that field data is still scarce from many regions. Total estimated carbon storage is ~1300 Pg with an uncertainty range of between 1100 and 1500 Pg. Around 800 Pg carbon is perennially frozen, equivalent to all carbon dioxide currently in the Earth's atmosphere.
C. Werner, K. Reiser, M. Dannenmann, L. B. Hutley, J. Jacobeit, and K. Butterbach-Bahl
Biogeosciences, 11, 6047–6065, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6047-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6047-2014, 2014
Short summary
Short summary
Atmospheric loss of N from savanna soil was dominated by N2 emissions (82-99% of total N loss to atmosphere). Nitric oxide emissions significantly contributed at 50% WFPS; high temperatures and N2O emissions were negligible. Based on a simple upscale approach we estimated annual loss of N to the atmosphere at 7.5kg yr-1. N2O emission was low for most samples, but high for a small subset of cores at 75% WFPS (due to short periods where such conditions occur this has little effect on totals).
S. Zubrzycki, L. Kutzbach, and E.-M. Pfeiffer
Solid Earth, 5, 595–609, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-5-595-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-5-595-2014, 2014
I. Antcibor, A. Eschenbach, S. Zubrzycki, L. Kutzbach, D. Bolshiyanov, and E.-M. Pfeiffer
Biogeosciences, 11, 1–15, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1-2014, 2014
J. Esperschütz, C. Zimmermann, A. Dümig, G. Welzl, F. Buegger, M. Elmer, J. C. Munch, and M. Schloter
Biogeosciences, 10, 5115–5124, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5115-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5115-2013, 2013
S. Zubrzycki, L. Kutzbach, G. Grosse, A. Desyatkin, and E.-M. Pfeiffer
Biogeosciences, 10, 3507–3524, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3507-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3507-2013, 2013
S. Höfle, J. Rethemeyer, C. W. Mueller, and S. John
Biogeosciences, 10, 3145–3158, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3145-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3145-2013, 2013
S. Schulz, M. Engel, D. Fischer, F. Buegger, M. Elmer, G. Welzl, and M. Schloter
Biogeosciences, 10, 1183–1192, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-1183-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-1183-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Biogeochemistry: Soils
A synthesis of Sphagnum litterbag experiments: initial leaching losses bias decomposition rate estimates
Effect of straw retention and mineral fertilization on P speciation and P-transformation microorganisms in water- extractable colloids of a Vertisol
A new approach to continuous monitoring of carbon use efficiency and biosynthesis in soil microbes from measurement of CO2 and O2
Diverse organic carbon dynamics captured by radiocarbon analysis of distinct compound classes in a grassland soil
The effects of land use on soil carbon stocks in the UK
Technical note: A validated correction method to quantify organic and inorganic carbon in soils using Rock-Eval® thermal analysis
Distinct changes in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling in the litter layer across two contrasting forest-tundra ecotones
A microbially-driven and depth-explicit soil organic carbon model constrained by carbon isotopes to reduce equifinality
Earth observation reveals reduced winter wheat growth and the importance of soil water storing capacity during drought
Vegetation patterns associated with nutrient availability and supply in high-elevation tropical Andean ecosystems
Technical note: An open-source, low-cost system for continuous monitoring of low nitrate concentrations in soil and open water
Plutonium concentrations link soil organic matter decline to wind erosion in ploughed soils of South Africa
Dissolved organic matter fosters core mercury-methylating microbiome for methylmercury production in paddy soils
Solubility characteristics of soil humic substances as a function of pH
Long-term fertilization increases soil but not plant or microbial N in a Chihuahuan Desert grassland
Factors controlling spatiotemporal variability of soil carbon accumulation and stock estimates in a tidal salt marsh
Exploring micro-scale heterogeneity as a driver of biogeochemical transformations and gas transport in peat
Moisture and temperature effects on the radiocarbon signature of respired carbon dioxide to assess stability of soil carbon in the Tibetan Plateau
Non-mycorrhizal root-associated fungi increase soil C stocks and stability via diverse mechanisms
Drought counteracts soil warming more strongly in the subsoil than in the topsoil according to a vertical microbial SOC model
Nine years of warming and nitrogen addition in the Tibetan grassland promoted loss of soil organic carbon but did not alter the bulk change in chemical structure
Soil priming effects and involved microbial community along salt gradients
Adjustments to the Rock-Eval® thermal analysis for soil organic and inorganic carbon quantification
Ecosystem-specific patterns and drivers of global reactive iron mineral-associated organic carbon
Dark septate endophytic fungi associated with pioneer grass inhabiting volcanic deposits and their functions in promoting plant growth
Global patterns and drivers of phosphorus fractions in natural soils
Reviews and syntheses: Iron – a driver of nitrogen bioavailability in soils?
How well does ramped thermal oxidation quantify the age distribution of soil carbon? Assessing thermal stability of physically and chemically fractionated soil organic matter
Differential temperature sensitivity of intracellular metabolic processes and extracellular soil enzyme activities
Mapping soil organic carbon fractions for Australia, their stocks, and uncertainty
Technical note: The recovery rate of free particulate organic matter from soil samples is strongly affected by the method of density fractionation
Deforestation for agriculture leads to soil warming and enhanced litter decomposition in subarctic soils
Temperature sensitivity of soil organic carbon respiration along a forested elevation gradient in the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda
The influence of elevated CO2 and soil depth on rhizosphere activity and nutrient availability in a mature Eucalyptus woodland
The paradox of assessing greenhouse gases from soils for nature-based solutions
Management-induced changes in soil organic carbon on global croplands
Pore network modeling as a new tool for determining gas diffusivity in peat
Temperature sensitivity of dark CO2 fixation in temperate forest soils
Effects of precipitation seasonality, irrigation, vegetation cycle and soil type on enhanced weathering – modeling of cropland case studies across four sites
Stable isotope profiles of soil organic carbon in forested and grassland landscapes in the Lake Alaotra basin (Madagascar): insights in past vegetation changes
Reviews and syntheses: The promise of big diverse soil data, moving current practices towards future potential
Dynamics of rare earth elements and associated major and trace elements during Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) litter degradation
To what extent can soil moisture and soil Cu contamination stresses affect nitrous species emissions? Estimation through calibration of a nitrification–denitrification model
Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stoichiometry of organic matter in Swedish forest soils and its relationship with climate, tree species, and soil texture
Soil geochemistry as a driver of soil organic matter composition: insights from a soil chronosequence
Leaching of inorganic and organic phosphorus and nitrogen in contrasting beech forest soils – seasonal patterns and effects of fertilization
Age and chemistry of dissolved organic carbon reveal enhanced leaching of ancient labile carbon at the permafrost thaw zone
Soil organic carbon stabilization mechanisms and temperature sensitivity in old terraced soils
Effect of organic carbon addition on paddy soil organic carbon decomposition under different irrigation regimes
Soil profile connectivity can impact microbial substrate use, affecting how soil CO2 effluxes are controlled by temperature
Henning Teickner, Edzer Pebesma, and Klaus-Holger Knorr
Biogeosciences, 22, 417–433, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-417-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-417-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Decomposition rates for Sphagnum mosses, the main peat-forming plants in northern peatlands, are often derived from litterbag experiments. Here, we estimate initial leaching losses from available Sphagnum litterbag experiments and analyze how decomposition rates are biased when initial leaching losses are ignored. Our analyses indicate that initial leaching losses range between 3 to 18 mass-% and that this may result in overestimated mass losses when extrapolated to several decades.
Shanshan Bai, Yifei Ge, Dongtan Yao, Yifan Wang, Jinfang Tan, Shuai Zhang, Yutao Peng, and Xiaoqian Jiang
Biogeosciences, 22, 135–151, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-135-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-135-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Mineral fertilization led to increases in total P, available P, high-activity inorganic P fractions, and organic P but reduced the abundance of P-cycling genes by decreasing soil pH and increasing P in bulk soil. Straw retention enhanced organic carbon, total P, and available P concentrations in water-extractable colloids (WECs). Abundances of the phoD gene and phoD-harboring Proteobacteria in WECs were elevated under straw retention, suggesting an increase in P-mineralization capacity.
Kyle E. Smart, Daniel O. Breecker, Christopher B. Blackwood, and Timothy M. Gallagher
Biogeosciences, 22, 87–101, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-87-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-87-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
When microbes consume carbon within soils, it is important to know how much carbon is respired and lost as carbon dioxide versus how much is used to make new biomass. We used a new approach of monitoring carbon dioxide and oxygen to track the fate of consumed carbon during a series of laboratory experiments where sugar was added to moistened soil. Our approach allowed us to estimate how much sugar was converted to dead microbial biomass, which is more likely to be preserved in soils.
Katherine E. Grant, Marisa N. Repasch, Kari M. Finstad, Julia D. Kerr, Maxwell Marple, Christopher J. Larson, Taylor A. B. Broek, Jennifer Pett-Ridge, and Karis J. McFarlane
Biogeosciences, 21, 4395–4411, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4395-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4395-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Soils store organic carbon composed of multiple compounds from plants and microbes for different lengths of time. To understand how soils store these different carbon types, we measure the time each carbon fraction is in a grassland soil profile. Our results show that the length of time each individual soil fraction is in our soil changes. Our approach allows a detailed look at the different components in soils. This study can help improve our understanding of soil dynamics.
Peter Levy, Laura Bentley, Peter Danks, Bridget Emmett, Angus Garbutt, Stephen Heming, Peter Henrys, Aidan Keith, Inma Lebron, Niall McNamara, Richard Pywell, John Redhead, David Robinson, and Alexander Wickenden
Biogeosciences, 21, 4301–4315, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4301-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4301-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We collated a large data set (15 790 soil cores) on soil carbon stock in different land uses. Soil carbon stocks were highest in woodlands and lowest in croplands. The variability in the effects was large. This has important implications for agri-environment schemes seeking to sequester carbon in the soil by altering land use because the effect of a given intervention is very hard to verify.
Marija Stojanova, Pierre Arbelet, François Baudin, Nicolas Bouton, Giovanni Caria, Lorenza Pacini, Nicolas Proix, Edouard Quibel, Achille Thin, and Pierre Barré
Biogeosciences, 21, 4229–4237, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4229-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4229-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Because of its importance for climate regulation and soil health, many studies focus on carbon dynamics in soils. However, quantifying organic and inorganic carbon remains an issue in carbonated soils. In this technical note, we propose a validated correction method to quantify organic and inorganic carbon in soils using Rock-Eval® thermal analysis. With this correction, the Rock-Eval® method has the potential to become the standard method for quantifying carbon in carbonate soils.
Frank Hagedorn, Joesphine Imboden, Pavel Moiseev, Decai Gao, Emmanuel Frossard, Daniel Christen, Konstantin Gavazov, and Jasmin Fetzer
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2622, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2622, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
At treeline, plant species change abruptly from low stature plants in tundra to trees in forests. Our study documents that from tundra towards forest, the litter layer gets strongly enriched in nutrients. We show that these litter quality changes alter nutrient processing by soil microbes and increase the nutrient release during decomposition in forest than in tundra. The associated improvement of nutrient availability in the forest potentially stimulates tree growth and treeline shifts.
Marijn Van de Broek, Gerard Govers, Marion Schrumpf, and Johan Six
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2205, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2205, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Soil organic carbon models are used to predict how soils affect the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. We show that equifinality – the phenomenon that different parameter values lead to correct overall model outputs, albeit with a different model behaviour – is an important source of model uncertainty. Our results imply that adding more complexity to soil organic carbon models is unlikely to lead to better predictions, as long as more data to constrain model parameters are not available.
Hanna Sjulgård, Lukas Valentin Graf, Tino Colombi, Juliane Hirte, Thomas Keller, and Helge Aasen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1872, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1872, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our results showed that crop development derived from satellite images was lower in a dry year compared to a normal year, and faster growth was found more important for higher biomass during drought. The magnitude of the drought impact differed between fields, where higher crop performance was related to more plant available water, suggesting that soil properties play a role in crop response to drought. Our results shows that satellite images can be used to assess plant-soil-weather interactions
Armando Molina, Veerle Vanacker, Oliver Chadwick, Santiago Zhiminaicela, Marife Corre, and Edzo Veldkamp
Biogeosciences, 21, 3075–3091, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3075-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3075-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The tropical Andes contains unique landscapes where forest patches are surrounded by tussock grasses and cushion-forming plants. The aboveground vegetation composition informs us about belowground nutrient availability: patterns in plant-available nutrients resulted from strong biocycling of cations and removal of soil nutrients by plant uptake or leaching. Future changes in vegetation distribution will affect soil water and solute fluxes and the aquatic ecology of Andean rivers and lakes.
Sahiti Bulusu, Cristina Prieto García, Helen E. Dahlke, and Elad Levintal
Biogeosciences, 21, 3007–3013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3007-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3007-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Do-it-yourself hardware is a new way to improve measurement resolution. We present a low-cost, automated system for field measurements of low nitrate concentrations in soil porewater and open water bodies. All data hardware components cost USD 1100, which is much cheaper than other available commercial solutions. We provide the complete building guide to reduce technical barriers, which we hope will allow easier reproducibility and set up new soil and environmental monitoring applications.
Joel Mohren, Hendrik Wiesel, Wulf Amelung, L. Keith Fifield, Alexandra Sandhage-Hofmann, Erik Strub, Steven A. Binnie, Stefan Heinze, Elmarie Kotze, Chris Du Preez, Stephen G. Tims, and Tibor J. Dunai
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1312, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1312, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We measured concentrations of fallout radionuclides (FRNs) in soil samples taken from arable land in South Africa. We find that during the second half of the 20th century CE, the FRN data strongly correlate with the soil organic matter (SOM) content of the soils. The finding implies that wind erosion strongly influenced SOM loss in the soils we investigated. Furthermore, the exponential decline of FRN concentrations and SOM content over time peaks shortly after native grassland is cultivated.
Qiang Pu, Bo Meng, Jen-How Huang, Kun Zhang, Jiang Liu, Yurong Liu, Mahmoud A. Abdelhafiz, and Xinbin Feng
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-590, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-590, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study examines the effect of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on microbial mercury (Hg) methylation in paddy soils. It uncovers that DOM regulates Hg methylation mainly through altering core Hg-methylating microbiome composition and boosting the growth of core Hg-methylating microorganisms. The study highlights that in the regulation of methylmercury formation in paddy soils, more attention should be paid to changes in DOM concentration and composition.
Xuemei Yang, Jie Zhang, Khan M. G. Mostofa, Mohammad Mohinuzzaman, H. Henry Teng, Nicola Senesi, Giorgio S. Senesi, Jie Yuan, Yu Liu, Si-Liang Li, Xiaodong Li, Baoli Wang, and Cong-Qiang Liu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2994, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2994, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The solubility characteristics of soil humic acids (HA), fulvic acids (FA), and protein-like substances (PLS) at different pH values remain uncertain. The key findings includes: HA solubility increases with increasing pH and decreases with decreasing pH; HApH6 and HApH1 contribute to 39.1–49.2 % and 3.1–24.1 % of total DOM, respectively; and HApH2, FA, and PLS are highly soluble at acidic pH values and are transported by ambient water. These issues are vital for sustainable soil management.
Violeta Mendoza-Martinez, Scott L. Collins, and Jennie R. McLaren
Biogeosciences, 21, 2655–2667, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2655-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2655-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We examine the impacts of multi-decadal nitrogen additions on a dryland ecosystem N budget, including the soil, microbial, and plant N pools. After 26 years, there appears to be little impact on the soil microbial or plant community and only minimal increases in N pools within the soil. While perhaps encouraging from a conservation standpoint, we calculate that greater than 95 % of the nitrogen added to the system is not retained and is instead either lost deeper in the soil or emitted as gas.
Sean Fettrow, Andrew Wozniak, Holly A. Michael, and Angelia L. Seyfferth
Biogeosciences, 21, 2367–2384, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2367-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2367-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Salt marshes play a big role in global carbon (C) storage, and C stock estimates are used to predict future changes. However, spatial and temporal gradients in C burial rates over the landscape exist due to variations in water inundation, dominant plant species and stage of growth, and tidal action. We quantified soil C concentrations in soil cores across time and space beside several porewater biogeochemical variables and discussed the controls on variability in soil C in salt marsh ecosystems.
Lukas Kohl, Petri Kiuru, Marjo Palviainen, Maarit Raivonen, Markku Koskinen, Mari Pihlatie, and Annamari Lauren
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1280, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1280, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present an assay to illuminate heterogeneity of biogeochemical transformations within peat samples. For this, we injected isotope labelled acetate into peat cores and monitoring the release of label-derived gases, which we compared to microtomography images. The fraction of label converted to CO2 and the rapidness of this conversion was linked to injection depth as well as air-filled porosity. Pore network metric did not provide predictive power over compared to porosity alone.
Andrés Tangarife-Escobar, Georg Guggenberger, Xiaojuan Feng, Guohua Dai, Carolina Urbina-Malo, Mina Azizi-Rad, and Carlos A. Sierra
Biogeosciences, 21, 1277–1299, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1277-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1277-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Soil organic matter stability depends on future temperature and precipitation scenarios. We used radiocarbon (14C) data and model predictions to understand how the transit time of carbon varies under environmental change in grasslands and peatlands. Soil moisture affected the Δ14C of peatlands, while temperature did not have any influence. Our models show the correspondence between Δ14C and transit time and could allow understanding future interactions between terrestrial and atmospheric carbon
Emiko K. Stuart, Laura Castañeda-Gómez, Wolfram Buss, Jeff R. Powell, and Yolima Carrillo
Biogeosciences, 21, 1037–1059, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1037-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1037-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We inoculated wheat plants with various types of fungi whose impacts on soil carbon are poorly understood. After several months of growth, we examined both their impacts on soil carbon and the underlying mechanisms using multiple methods. Overall the fungi benefitted the storage of carbon in soil, mainly by improving the stability of pre-existing carbon, but several pathways were involved. This study demonstrates their importance for soil carbon storage and, therefore, climate change mitigation.
Marleen Pallandt, Marion Schrumpf, Holger Lange, Markus Reichstein, Lin Yu, and Bernhard Ahrens
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-186, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-186, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
As soils get warmer due to climate change, SOC decomposes faster because of higher microbial activity, but only with sufficient soil moisture. We modelled how microbes decompose plant litter and microbial residues at different soil depths. We found that deep soil layers are more sensitive than topsoils. SOC is lost from the soil with warming, but this can be mitigated or worsened depending on the type of litter and its sensitivity to temperature. Droughts can reduce warming-induced SOC losses.
Huimin Sun, Michael W. I. Schmidt, Jintao Li, Jinquan Li, Xiang Liu, Nicholas O. E. Ofiti, Shurong Zhou, and Ming Nie
Biogeosciences, 21, 575–589, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-575-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-575-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A soil organic carbon (SOC) molecular structure suggested that the easily decomposable and stabilized SOC is similarly affected after 9-year warming and N treatments despite large changes in SOC stocks. Given the long residence time of some SOC, the similar loss of all measurable chemical forms of SOC under global change treatments could have important climate consequences.
Haoli Zhang, Doudou Chang, Zhifeng Zhu, Chunmei Meng, and Kaiyong Wang
Biogeosciences, 21, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Soil salinity mediates microorganisms and soil processes like soil organic carbon (SOC) cycling. We observed that negative priming effects at the early stages might be due to the preferential utilization of cottonseed meal. The positive priming that followed decreased with the increase in salinity.
Joséphine Hazera, David Sebag, Isabelle Kowalewski, Eric Verrecchia, Herman Ravelojaona, and Tiphaine Chevallier
Biogeosciences, 20, 5229–5242, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5229-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5229-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study adapts the Rock-Eval® protocol to quantify soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil inorganic carbon (SIC) on a non-pretreated soil aliquot. The standard protocol properly estimates SOC contents once the TOC parameter is corrected. However, it cannot complete the thermal breakdown of SIC amounts > 4 mg, leading to an underestimation of high SIC contents by the MinC parameter, even after correcting for this. Thus, the final oxidation isotherm is extended to 7 min to quantify any SIC amount.
Bo Zhao, Amin Dou, Zhiwei Zhang, Zhenyu Chen, Wenbo Sun, Yanli Feng, Xiaojuan Wang, and Qiang Wang
Biogeosciences, 20, 4761–4774, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4761-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4761-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study provided a comprehensive analysis of the spatial variability and determinants of Fe-bound organic carbon (Fe-OC) among terrestrial, wetland, and marine ecosystems and its governing factors globally. We illustrated that reactive Fe was not only an important sequestration mechanism for OC in terrestrial ecosystems but also an effective “rusty sink” of OC preservation in wetland and marine ecosystems, i.e., a key factor for long-term OC storage in global ecosystems.
Han Sun, Tomoyasu Nishizawa, Hiroyuki Ohta, and Kazuhiko Narisawa
Biogeosciences, 20, 4737–4749, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4737-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4737-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this research, we assessed the diversity and function of the dark septate endophytic (DSE) fungi community associated with Miscanthus condensatus root in volcanic ecosystems. Both metabarcoding and isolation were adopted in this study. We further validated effects on plant growth by inoculation of some core DSE isolates. This study helps improve our understanding of the role of Miscanthus condensatus-associated DSE fungi during the restoration of post-volcanic ecosystems.
Xianjin He, Laurent Augusto, Daniel S. Goll, Bruno Ringeval, Ying-Ping Wang, Julian Helfenstein, Yuanyuan Huang, and Enqing Hou
Biogeosciences, 20, 4147–4163, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4147-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4147-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We identified total soil P concentration as the most important predictor of all soil P pool concentrations, except for primary mineral P concentration, which is primarily controlled by soil pH and only secondarily by total soil P concentration. We predicted soil P pools’ distributions in natural systems, which can inform assessments of the role of natural P availability for ecosystem productivity, climate change mitigation, and the functioning of the Earth system.
Imane Slimani, Xia Zhu-Barker, Patricia Lazicki, and William Horwath
Biogeosciences, 20, 3873–3894, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3873-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3873-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
There is a strong link between nitrogen availability and iron minerals in soils. These minerals have multiple outcomes for nitrogen availability depending on soil conditions and properties. For example, iron can limit microbial degradation of nitrogen in aerated soils but has opposing outcomes in non-aerated soils. This paper focuses on the multiple ways iron can affect nitrogen bioavailability in soils.
Shane W. Stoner, Marion Schrumpf, Alison Hoyt, Carlos A. Sierra, Sebastian Doetterl, Valier Galy, and Susan Trumbore
Biogeosciences, 20, 3151–3163, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3151-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3151-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Soils store more carbon (C) than any other terrestrial C reservoir, but the processes that control how much C stays in soil, and for how long, are very complex. Here, we used a recent method that involves heating soil in the lab to measure the range of C ages in soil. We found that most C in soil is decades to centuries old, while some stays for much shorter times (days to months), and some is thousands of years old. Such detail helps us to estimate how soil C may react to changing climate.
Adetunji Alex Adekanmbi, Laurence Dale, Liz Shaw, and Tom Sizmur
Biogeosciences, 20, 2207–2219, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2207-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2207-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The decomposition of soil organic matter and flux of carbon dioxide are expected to increase as temperatures rise. However, soil organic matter decomposition is a two-step process whereby large molecules are first broken down outside microbial cells and then respired within microbial cells. We show here that these two steps are not equally sensitive to increases in soil temperature and that global warming may cause a shift in the rate-limiting step from outside to inside the microbial cell.
Mercedes Román Dobarco, Alexandre M. J-C. Wadoux, Brendan Malone, Budiman Minasny, Alex B. McBratney, and Ross Searle
Biogeosciences, 20, 1559–1586, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1559-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1559-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is of a heterogeneous nature and varies in chemistry, stabilisation mechanisms, and persistence in soil. In this study we mapped the stocks of SOC fractions with different characteristics and turnover rates (presumably PyOC >= MAOC > POC) across Australia, combining spectroscopy and digital soil mapping. The SOC stocks (0–30 cm) were estimated as 13 Pg MAOC, 2 Pg POC, and 5 Pg PyOC.
Frederick Büks
Biogeosciences, 20, 1529–1535, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1529-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1529-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Ultrasonication with density fractionation of soils is a commonly used method to separate soil organic matter pools, which is, e.g., important to calculate carbon turnover in landscapes. It is shown that the approach that merges soil and dense solution without mixing has a low recovery rate and causes co-extraction of parts of the retained labile pool along with the intermediate pool. An alternative method with high recovery rates and no cross-contamination was recommended.
Tino Peplau, Christopher Poeplau, Edward Gregorich, and Julia Schroeder
Biogeosciences, 20, 1063–1074, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1063-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1063-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We buried tea bags and temperature loggers in a paired-plot design in soils under forest and agricultural land and retrieved them after 2 years to quantify the effect of land-use change on soil temperature and litter decomposition in subarctic agricultural systems. We could show that agricultural soils were on average 2 °C warmer than forests and that litter decomposition was enhanced. The results imply that deforestation amplifies effects of climate change on soil organic matter dynamics.
Joseph Okello, Marijn Bauters, Hans Verbeeck, Samuel Bodé, John Kasenene, Astrid Françoys, Till Engelhardt, Klaus Butterbach-Bahl, Ralf Kiese, and Pascal Boeckx
Biogeosciences, 20, 719–735, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-719-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-719-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The increase in global and regional temperatures has the potential to drive accelerated soil organic carbon losses in tropical forests. We simulated climate warming by translocating intact soil cores from higher to lower elevations. The results revealed increasing temperature sensitivity and decreasing losses of soil organic carbon with increasing elevation. Our results suggest that climate warming may trigger enhanced losses of soil organic carbon from tropical montane forests.
Johanna Pihlblad, Louise C. Andresen, Catriona A. Macdonald, David S. Ellsworth, and Yolima Carrillo
Biogeosciences, 20, 505–521, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-505-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-505-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Elevated CO2 in the atmosphere increases forest biomass productivity when growth is not limited by soil nutrients. This study explores how mature trees stimulate soil availability of nitrogen and phosphorus with free-air carbon dioxide enrichment after 5 years of fumigation. We found that both nutrient availability and processes feeding available pools increased in the rhizosphere, and phosphorus increased at depth. This appears to not be by decomposition but by faster recycling of nutrients.
Rodrigo Vargas and Van Huong Le
Biogeosciences, 20, 15–26, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-15-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-15-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Quantifying the role of soils in nature-based solutions requires accurate estimates of soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes. We suggest that multiple GHG fluxes should not be simultaneously measured at a few fixed time intervals, but an optimized sampling approach can reduce bias and uncertainty. Our results have implications for assessing GHG fluxes from soils and a better understanding of the role of soils in nature-based solutions.
Kristine Karstens, Benjamin Leon Bodirsky, Jan Philipp Dietrich, Marta Dondini, Jens Heinke, Matthias Kuhnert, Christoph Müller, Susanne Rolinski, Pete Smith, Isabelle Weindl, Hermann Lotze-Campen, and Alexander Popp
Biogeosciences, 19, 5125–5149, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5125-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5125-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Soil organic carbon (SOC) has been depleted by anthropogenic land cover change and agricultural management. While SOC models often simulate detailed biochemical processes, the management decisions are still little investigated at the global scale. We estimate that soils have lost around 26 GtC relative to a counterfactual natural state in 1975. Yet, since 1975, SOC has been increasing again by 4 GtC due to a higher productivity, recycling of crop residues and manure, and no-tillage practices.
Petri Kiuru, Marjo Palviainen, Arianna Marchionne, Tiia Grönholm, Maarit Raivonen, Lukas Kohl, and Annamari Laurén
Biogeosciences, 19, 5041–5058, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5041-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5041-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Peatlands are large carbon stocks. Emissions of carbon dioxide and methane from peatlands may increase due to changes in management and climate. We studied the variation in the gas diffusivity of peat with depth using pore network simulations and laboratory experiments. Gas diffusivity was found to be lower in deeper peat with smaller pores and lower pore connectivity. However, gas diffusivity was not extremely low in wet conditions, which may reflect the distinctive structure of peat.
Rachael Akinyede, Martin Taubert, Marion Schrumpf, Susan Trumbore, and Kirsten Küsel
Biogeosciences, 19, 4011–4028, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4011-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4011-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Soils will likely become warmer in the future, and this can increase the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. As microbes can take up soil CO2 and prevent further escape into the atmosphere, this study compares the rate of uptake and release of CO2 at two different temperatures. With warming, the rate of CO2 uptake increases less than the rate of release, indicating that the capacity to modulate soil CO2 release into the atmosphere will decrease under future warming.
Giuseppe Cipolla, Salvatore Calabrese, Amilcare Porporato, and Leonardo V. Noto
Biogeosciences, 19, 3877–3896, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3877-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3877-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Enhanced weathering (EW) is a promising strategy for carbon sequestration. Since models may help to characterize field EW, the present work applies a hydro-biogeochemical model to four case studies characterized by different rainfall seasonality, vegetation and soil type. Rainfall seasonality strongly affects EW dynamics, but low carbon sequestration suggests that an in-depth analysis at the global scale is required to see if EW may be effective to mitigate climate change.
Vao Fenotiana Razanamahandry, Marjolein Dewaele, Gerard Govers, Liesa Brosens, Benjamin Campforts, Liesbet Jacobs, Tantely Razafimbelo, Tovonarivo Rafolisy, and Steven Bouillon
Biogeosciences, 19, 3825–3841, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3825-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3825-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
In order to shed light on possible past vegetation shifts in the Central Highlands of Madagascar, we measured stable isotope ratios of organic carbon in soil profiles along both forested and grassland hillslope transects in the Lake Alaotra region. Our results show that the landscape of this region was more forested in the past: soils in the C4-dominated grasslands contained a substantial fraction of C3-derived carbon, increasing with depth.
Katherine E. O. Todd-Brown, Rose Z. Abramoff, Jeffrey Beem-Miller, Hava K. Blair, Stevan Earl, Kristen J. Frederick, Daniel R. Fuka, Mario Guevara Santamaria, Jennifer W. Harden, Katherine Heckman, Lillian J. Heran, James R. Holmquist, Alison M. Hoyt, David H. Klinges, David S. LeBauer, Avni Malhotra, Shelby C. McClelland, Lucas E. Nave, Katherine S. Rocci, Sean M. Schaeffer, Shane Stoner, Natasja van Gestel, Sophie F. von Fromm, and Marisa L. Younger
Biogeosciences, 19, 3505–3522, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3505-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3505-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Research data are becoming increasingly available online with tantalizing possibilities for reanalysis. However harmonizing data from different sources remains challenging. Using the soils community as an example, we walked through the various strategies that researchers currently use to integrate datasets for reanalysis. We find that manual data transcription is still extremely common and that there is a critical need for community-supported informatics tools like vocabularies and ontologies.
Alessandro Montemagno, Christophe Hissler, Victor Bense, Adriaan J. Teuling, Johanna Ziebel, and Laurent Pfister
Biogeosciences, 19, 3111–3129, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3111-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3111-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated the biogeochemical processes that dominate the release and retention of elements (nutrients and potentially toxic elements) during litter degradation. Our results show that toxic elements are retained in the litter, while nutrients are released in solution during the first stages of degradation. This seems linked to the capability of trees to distribute the elements between degradation-resistant and non-degradation-resistant compounds of leaves according to their chemical nature.
Laura Sereni, Bertrand Guenet, Charlotte Blasi, Olivier Crouzet, Jean-Christophe Lata, and Isabelle Lamy
Biogeosciences, 19, 2953–2968, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2953-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2953-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study focused on the modellisation of two important drivers of soil greenhouse gas emissions: soil contamination and soil moisture change. The aim was to include a Cu function in the soil biogeochemical model DNDC for different soil moisture conditions and then to estimate variation in N2O, NO2 or NOx emissions. Our results show a larger effect of Cu on N2 and N2O emissions than on the other nitrogen species and a higher effect for the soils incubated under constant constant moisture.
Marie Spohn and Johan Stendahl
Biogeosciences, 19, 2171–2186, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2171-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2171-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We explored the ratios of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) of organic matter in Swedish forest soils. The N : P ratio of the organic layer was most strongly related to the mean annual temperature, while the C : N ratios of the organic layer and mineral soil were strongly related to tree species even in the subsoil. The organic P concentration in the mineral soil was strongly affected by soil texture, which diminished the effect of tree species on the C to organic P (C : OP) ratio.
Moritz Mainka, Laura Summerauer, Daniel Wasner, Gina Garland, Marco Griepentrog, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, and Sebastian Doetterl
Biogeosciences, 19, 1675–1689, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1675-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1675-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The largest share of terrestrial carbon is stored in soils, making them highly relevant as regards global change. Yet, the mechanisms governing soil carbon stabilization are not well understood. The present study contributes to a better understanding of these processes. We show that qualitative changes in soil organic matter (SOM) co-vary with alterations of the soil matrix following soil weathering. Hence, the type of SOM that is stabilized in soils might change as soils develop.
Jasmin Fetzer, Emmanuel Frossard, Klaus Kaiser, and Frank Hagedorn
Biogeosciences, 19, 1527–1546, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1527-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1527-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
As leaching is a major pathway of nitrogen and phosphorus loss in forest soils, we investigated several potential drivers in two contrasting beech forests. The composition of leachates, obtained by zero-tension lysimeters, varied by season, and climatic extremes influenced the magnitude of leaching. Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization varied with soil nutrient status and sorption properties, and leaching from the low-nutrient soil was more sensitive to environmental factors.
Karis J. McFarlane, Heather M. Throckmorton, Jeffrey M. Heikoop, Brent D. Newman, Alexandra L. Hedgpeth, Marisa N. Repasch, Thomas P. Guilderson, and Cathy J. Wilson
Biogeosciences, 19, 1211–1223, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1211-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1211-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Planetary warming is increasing seasonal thaw of permafrost, making this extensive old carbon stock vulnerable. In northern Alaska, we found more and older dissolved organic carbon in small drainages later in summer as more permafrost was exposed by deepening thaw. Younger and older carbon did not differ in chemical indicators related to biological lability suggesting this carbon can cycle through aquatic systems and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions as warming increases permafrost thaw.
Pengzhi Zhao, Daniel Joseph Fallu, Sara Cucchiaro, Paolo Tarolli, Clive Waddington, David Cockcroft, Lisa Snape, Andreas Lang, Sebastian Doetterl, Antony G. Brown, and Kristof Van Oost
Biogeosciences, 18, 6301–6312, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6301-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6301-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the factors controlling the soil organic carbon (SOC) stability and temperature sensitivity of abandoned prehistoric agricultural terrace soils. Results suggest that the burial of former topsoil due to terracing provided an SOC stabilization mechanism. Both the soil C : N ratio and SOC mineral protection regulate soil SOC temperature sensitivity. However, which mechanism predominantly controls SOC temperature sensitivity depends on the age of the buried terrace soils.
Heleen Deroo, Masuda Akter, Samuel Bodé, Orly Mendoza, Haichao Li, Pascal Boeckx, and Steven Sleutel
Biogeosciences, 18, 5035–5051, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5035-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5035-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We assessed if and how incorporation of exogenous organic carbon (OC) such as straw could affect decomposition of native soil organic carbon (SOC) under different irrigation regimes. Addition of exogenous OC promoted dissolution of native SOC, partly because of increased Fe reduction, leading to more net release of Fe-bound SOC. Yet, there was no proportionate priming of SOC-derived DOC mineralisation. Water-saving irrigation can retard both priming of SOC dissolution and mineralisation.
Frances A. Podrebarac, Sharon A. Billings, Kate A. Edwards, Jérôme Laganière, Matthew J. Norwood, and Susan E. Ziegler
Biogeosciences, 18, 4755–4772, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4755-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4755-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Soil respiration is a large and temperature-responsive flux in the global carbon cycle. We found increases in microbial use of easy to degrade substrates enhanced the temperature response of respiration in soils layered as they are in situ. This enhanced response is consistent with soil composition differences in warm relative to cold climate forests. These results highlight the importance of the intact nature of soils rarely studied in regulating responses of CO2 fluxes to changing temperature.
Cited articles
Ågren, G. I., Bosatta, E., and Balesdent, J.: Isotope discrimination during
decomposition of organic matter – a theoretical analysis, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 60, 1121–1126, 1996.
Altshuler, I., Ronholm, J., Layton, A., Onstott, T. C., Greer, C. W., and
Whyte, L. G.: Denitrifiers, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and N2O soil gas flux
in high Arctic ice-wedge polygon cryosols, FEMS Microbiol. Ecol., 95,
1–12, https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiz049, 2019.
Baldock, J. A., Oades, J. M., Nelson, P. N., Skene, T. M., Golchin, A., and
Clarke, P.: Assessing the extent of decomposition of natural organic
materials using solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy, Aust. J. Soil Res., 35,
1061–83, https://doi.org/10.1071/S97004, 1997.
Baldock, J. A., Masiello, C. A., Gélinas, Y., and Hedges, J. I.: Cycling
and composition of organic matter in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, Mar.
Chem., 92, 39–64, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2004.06.016, 2004.
Bedard-Haughn, A., Van Groenigen, J. W., and Van Kessel, C.: Tracing 15N
through landscapes: Potential uses and precautions, J. Hydrol., 272,
175–190, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(02)00263-9, 2003.
Benner, R., Fogel, M. L., Sprague, E. K., and Hodson, R. E.: Depletion of C
in lignin and its implications for stable carbon isotope studies, Nature,
329, 708–710, https://doi.org/10.1038/329708a0, 1987.
Beudert, G., Kögel-Knabner, I., and Zech, W.: Micromorphological,
wet-chemical and 13C NMR spectroscopic characterization of density
fractionated forest soils, Sci. Total Environ., 81/82, 401–408, 1989.
Boike, J., Grüber, M., Langer, M., Piel, K., and Scheritz, M.:
Orthomosaic of Samoylov Island, Lena Delta, Siberia, Alfred Wegener Inst. –
Research Unit Potsdam, PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.786073,
2012.
Boike, J., Kattenstroth, B., Abramova, K., Bornemann, N., Chetverova, A., Fedorova, I., Fröb, K., Grigoriev, M., Grüber, M., Kutzbach, L., Langer, M., Minke, M., Muster, S., Piel, K., Pfeiffer, E.-M., Stoof, G., Westermann, S., Wischnewski, K., Wille, C., and Hubberten, H.-W.: Baseline characteristics of climate, permafrost and land cover from a new permafrost observatory in the Lena River Delta, Siberia (1998–2011), Biogeosciences, 10, 2105–2128, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2105-2013, 2013.
Bonanomi, G., Incerti, G., Giannino, F., Mingo, A., Lanzotti, V., and
Mazzoleni, S.: Litter quality assessed by solid state 13C NMR spectroscopy
predicts decay rate better than C∕N and lignin ∕ N ratios, Soil Biol.
Biochem., 56, 40–48, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2012.03.003, 2013.
Casciotti, K. L.: Inverse kinetic isotope fractionation during bacterial
nitrite oxidation, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 73, 2061–2076,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2008.12.022, 2009.
Chang, R., Wang, G., Yang, Y., and Chen, X.: Experimental warming increased
soil nitrogen sink in the Tibetan permafrost, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 122, 1870–1879, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JG003827, 2017.
Connin, S. L., Feng, X., and Virginia, R. A.: Isotopic discrimination during
long-term decomposition in an arid land ecosystem, Soil Biol. Biochem., 33,
41–51, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-0717(00)00113-9, 2001.
Costa, O. Y. A., Raaijmakers, J. M., and Kuramae, E. E.: Microbial
extracellular polymeric substances: Ecological function and impact on soil
aggregation, Front. Microbiol., 9, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01636,
2018.
Dao, T. T., Gentsch, N., Mikutta, R., Sauheitl, L., Shibistova, O., Wild, B., Schnecker, J., Bárta, J., Čapek, P., Gittel, A., Lashchinskiy, N., Urich, T., Šantrůčková, H., Richter, A., and
Guggenberger, G.: Fate of carbohydrates and lignin in north-east Siberian
permafrost soils, Soil Biol. Biochem., 116, 311–322,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.10.032, 2018.
Davidson, E. A. and Janssens, I. A.: Temperature sensitivity of soil carbon
decomposition and feedbacks to climate change, Nature, 440, 165–173,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04514, 2006.
Diochon, A., Gregorich, E. G., and Tarnocai, C.: Evaluating the quantity and
biodegradability of soil organic matter in some Canadian Turbic Cryosols,
Geoderma, 202–203, 82–87, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2013.03.013, 2013.
Dutta, K., Schuur, E. A. G., Neff, J. C., and Zimov, S. A.: Potential carbon
release from permafrost soils of Northeastern Siberia, Glob. Chang. Biol.,
12, 2336–2351, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01259.x, 2006.
Elberling, B., Christiansen, H. H., and Hansen, B. U.: High nitrous oxide
production from thawing permafrost, Nat. Geosci., 3, 332–335,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo803, 2010.
Frank, D. A., Pontes, A. W., and McFarlane, K. J.: Controls on soil organic
carbon stocks and turnover among North American ecosystems, Ecosystems, 15,
604–615, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-012-9534-2, 2012.
Fuchs, M., Grosse, G., Strauss, J., Günther, F., Grigoriev, M., Maximov, G. M., and Hugelius, G.: Carbon and nitrogen pools in thermokarst-affected permafrost landscapes in Arctic Siberia, Biogeosciences, 15, 953–971, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-953-2018, 2018.
Gentsch, N., Mikutta, R., Shibistova, O., Wild, B., Schnecker, J., Richter, A., Urich, T., Gittel, A., Šantrůčková, H., Bárta, J.,
Lashchinskiy, N., Mueller, C. W., Fuß, R., and Guggenberger, G.:
Properties and bioavailability of particulate and mineral-associated organic
matter in Arctic permafrost soils, Lower Kolyma Region, Russia, Eur. J. Soil
Sci., 66, 722–734, https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12269, 2015.
Golchin, A., Oades, J. M., Skjemstad, J. O., and Clarke, P.: Study of free
and occluded particulate organic matter in soils by solid state 13C CP/MAS
NMR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, Aust. J. Soil Res., 32,
285–309, 1994.
Graf-Rosenfellner, M., Kayser, G., Guggenberger, G., Kaiser, K., Büks, F., Kaiser, M., Mueller, C. W., Schrumpf, M., Rennert, T., Welp, G., and
Lang, F.: Replicability of aggregate disruption by sonication – an
inter-laboratory test using three different soils from Germany, J. Plant
Nutr. Soil Sc., 181, 894–904, https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.201800152, 2018.
Granhall, U. and Selander, H.: Nitrogen fixation in a Subarctic mire, Oikos,
24, 8–15, 1973.
Harden, J. W., Koven, C. D., Ping, C. L., Hugelius, G., David McGuire, A.,
Camill, P., Jorgenson, T., Kuhry, P., Michaelson, G. J., O'Donnell, J. A.,
Schuur, E. A. G., Tarnocai, C., Johnson, K., and Grosse, G.: Field
information links permafrost carbon to physical vulnerabilities of thawing,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L15704, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL051958, 2012.
Herndon, E. M., Yang, Z., Bargar, J., Janot, N., Regier, T. Z., Graham, D. E., Wullschleger, S. D., Gu, B., and Liang, L.: Geochemical drivers of
organic matter decomposition in Arctic tundra soils, Biogeochemistry, 126,
397–414, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-015-0165-5, 2015.
Hobbie, E. A. and Hobbie, J. E.: Natural abundance of 15N in
nitrogen-limited forests and tundra can estimate nitrogen cycling through
mycorrhizal fungi: A review, Ecosystems, 11, 815–830,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-008-9159-7, 2008.
Hoefs, J.: Stable isotope geochemistry, 7th Edn., Springer International
Publishing, Cham, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London, 2015.
Höfle, S., Rethemeyer, J., Mueller, C. W., and John, S.: Organic matter composition and stabilization in a polygonal tundra soil of the Lena Delta, Biogeosciences, 10, 3145–3158, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3145-2013, 2013.
Hole, L. R., Christensen, J. H., Ruoho-Airola, T., Tørseth, K., Ginzburg, V., and Glowacki, P.: Past and future trends in concentrations of sulphur and
nitrogen compounds in the Arctic, Atmos. Environ., 43, 928–939,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2008.10.043, 2009.
Hugelius, G., Strauss, J., Zubrzycki, S., Harden, J. W., Schuur, E. A. G., Ping, C.-L., Schirrmeister, L., Grosse, G., Michaelson, G. J., Koven, C. D., O'Donnell, J. A., Elberling, B., Mishra, U., Camill, P., Yu, Z., Palmtag, J., and Kuhry, P.: Estimated stocks of circumpolar permafrost carbon with quantified uncertainty ranges and identified data gaps, Biogeosciences, 11, 6573–6593, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6573-2014, 2014.
Hultman, J., Waldrop, M. P., Mackelprang, R., David, M. M., McFarland, J.,
Blazewicz, S. J., Harden, J., Turetsky, M. R., McGuire, A. D., Shah, M. B.,
VerBerkmoes, N. C., Lee, L. H., Mavrommatis, K., and Jansson, J. K.:
Multi-omics of permafrost, active layer and thermokarst bog soil
microbiomes, Nature, 521, 208–212, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14238, 2015.
IUSS Working Group WRB: World reference base for soil resources 2014.
International soil classification system for naming soils and creating
legends for soil maps, FAO, Rome, 2014.
Jilling, A., Keiluweit, M., Contosta, A. R., Frey, S., Schimel, J.,
Schnecker, J., Smith, R. G., Tiemann, L., and Grandy, A. S.: Minerals in the
rhizosphere: Overlooked mediators of soil nitrogen availability to plants
and microbes, Biogeochemistry, 139, 103–122, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-018-0459-5,
2018.
Jongejans, L. L., Strauss, J., Lenz, J., Peterse, F., Mangelsdorf, K., Fuchs, M., and Grosse, G.: Organic matter characteristics in yedoma and thermokarst deposits on Baldwin Peninsula, west Alaska, Biogeosciences, 15, 6033–6048, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6033-2018, 2018.
Kaiser, C., Meyer, H., Biasi, C., Rusalimova, O., Barsukov, P., and Richter, A.: Conservation of soil organic matter through cryoturbation in Arctic
soils in Siberia, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 112, G02017,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JG000258, 2007.
Kartoziia, A.: Assessment of the ice wedge polygon current state by means of
UAV imagery analysis (Samoylov Island, the Lena Delta), Remote Sens.,
11, 1627, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11131627, 2019.
Keiluweit, M., Wanzek, T., Kleber, M., Nico, P., and Fendorf, S.: Anaerobic
microsites have an unaccounted role in soil carbon stabilization, Nat.
Commun., 8, 1771, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01406-6, 2017.
Keuper, F., Dorrepaal, E., van Bodegom, P. M., van Logtestijn, R.,
Venhuizen, G., van Hal, J., and Aerts, R.: Experimentally increased nutrient
availability at the permafrost thaw front selectively enhances biomass
production of deep-rooting subarctic peatland species, Glob. Change Biol.,
23, 4257–4266, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13804, 2017.
Kleber, M., Sollins, P., and Sutton, R.: A conceptual model of organo-mineral
interactions in soils: Self-assembly of organic molecular fragments into
zonal structures on mineral surfaces, Biogeochemistry, 85, 9–24,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-007-9103-5, 2007.
Koegel-Knabner, I.: The macromolecular organic composition of plant and
microbial residues as inputs to soil organic matter, Soil Biol. Biochem.,
34, 139–162, 2002.
Koelbl, A. and Koegel-Knabner, I.: Content and composition of free and
occluded particulate organic matter in a differently textured arable
Cambisol as revealed by solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy, J. Plant Nutr.
Soil Sc., 167, 45–53, https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.200321185, 2004.
Kopittke, P. M., Hernandez-Soriano, M. C., Dalal, R. C., Finn, D., Menzies, N. W., Hoeschen, C., and Mueller, C. W.: Nitrogen-rich microbial products
provide new organo-mineral associations for the stabilization of soil
organic matter, Glob. Change Biol., 24, 1762–1770, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14009,
2018.
Kopittke, P. M., Dalal, R. C., Hoeschen, C., Li, C., Menzies, N. W., and
Mueller, C. W.: Soil organic matter is stabilized by organo-mineral
associations through two key processes: The role of the carbon to nitrogen
ratio, Geoderma, 357, 113974, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2019.113974, 2020.
Kramer, M. G., Sollins, P., Sletten, R. S., and Swart, P. K.: N isotope
fractionation and measures of organic matter alternation during
decomposition, Ecology, 84, 2021–2025, 2003.
Krüger, J. P., Leifeld, J., and Alewell, C.: Degradation changes stable carbon isotope depth profiles in palsa peatlands, Biogeosciences, 11, 3369–3380, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-3369-2014, 2014.
Kuhry, P., Bárta, J., Blok, D., Elberling, B., Faucherre, S., Hugelius, G., Jørgensen, C. J., Richter, A., Šantrůčková, H., and Weiss, N.: Lability classification of soil organic matter in the northern permafrost region, Biogeosciences, 17, 361–379, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-361-2020, 2020.
Kuzyakov, Y. and Blagodatskaya, E.: Microbial hotspots and hot moments in
soil: Concept and review, Soil Biol. Biochem., 83, 184–199,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.01.025, 2015.
Lê, S., Josse, J., and Husson, F.: FactoMineR: An R package for
multivariate analysis, available at:
http://factominer.free.fr/index.html (last access: 23 January 2020), 2008.
Lehmann, J. and Kleber, M.: The contentious nature of soil organic matter,
Nature, 528, 60–68, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature16069, 2015.
Mackelprang, R., Waldrop, M. P., Deangelis, K. M., David, M. M., Chavarria, K. L., Blazewicz, S. J., Rubin, E. M., and Jansson, J. K.: Metagenomic
analysis of a permafrost microbial community reveals a rapid response to
thaw, Nature, 480, 368–371, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10576, 2011.
Marushchak, M. E., Pitkämäki, A., Koponen, H., Biasi, C.,
Seppälä, M., and Martikainen, P. J.: Hot spots for nitrous oxide
emissions found in different types of permafrost peatlands, Glob. Change
Biol., 17, 2601–2614, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02442.x, 2011.
Meredith, M., Sommerkorn, M., Cassotta, S., Derksen, C., Ekaykin, A.,
Hollowed, A., Kofinas, G., Mackintosh, A., Melbourne-Thomas, J., Muelbert, M. M. C., Ottersen, G., Pritchard, H., and Schuur, E. A. G.: Polar regions,
in: IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate,
edited by: Pörtner, H.-O., Roberts, D. C., Masson-Delmotte, V., Zhai, P.,
Tignor, M., Poloczanska, E., Mintenbeck, K., Alegria, A., Nicolai, M., Okem, A.,
Petzold, J., Rama, B., and Weyer, N. M., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2019.
Miltner, A., Bombach, P., Schmidt-Brücken, B., and Kästner, M.: SOM
genesis: Microbial biomass as a significant source, Biogeochemistry, 111,
41–55, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-011-9658-z, 2012.
Mueller, C. W. and Koegel-Knabner, I.: Soil organic carbon stocks,
distribution, and composition affected by historic land use changes on
adjacent sites, Biol. Fert. Soils, 45, 347–359,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-008-0336-9, 2009.
Mueller, C. W., Rethemeyer, J., Kao-Kniffin, J., Löppmann, S., Hinkel, K. M., and Bockheim, J. G.: Large amounts of labile organic carbon in
permafrost soils of northern Alaska, Glob. Change Biol., 21, 2804–2817,
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12876, 2015.
Mueller, C. W., Hoeschen, C., Steffens, M., Buddenbaum, H., Hinkel, K.,
Bockheim, J. G., and Kao-Kniffin, J.: Microscale soil structures foster
organic matter stabilization in permafrost soils, Geoderma, 293, 44–53,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2017.01.028, 2017.
Nel, J. A., Craine, J. M., and Cramer, M. D.: Correspondence between δ13C and
δ15N in soils suggests coordinated fractionation processes for soil C and N,
Plant Soil, 423, 257–271, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3500-x, 2018.
Nelson, P. N. and Baldock, J. A.: Estimating the molecular composition of
a diverse range of natural organic materials from solid-state 13C NMR and
elemental analyses, Biogeochemistry, 72, 1–34,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-004-0076-3, 2005.
Oades, J. M.: The Retention of organic matter in soils, Biogeochemistry, 5,
35–70, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02180317, 1988.
Oechel, W. C., Hastings, S. J., Vourlitis, G., Jenkins, M., Riechers, G., and
Grulke, N.: Recent change of Arctic tundra ecosystems from a net carbon
dioxide sink to a source, Nature, 361, 520–523,
https://doi.org/10.1038/361520a0, 1993.
Parmentier, F. J. W., Christensen, T. R., Rysgaard, S., Bendtsen, J., Glud, R. N., Else, B., van Huissteden, J., Sachs, T., Vonk, J. E., and Sejr, M. K.:
A synthesis of the Arctic terrestrial and marine carbon cycles under
pressure from a dwindling cryosphere, Ambio, 46, 53–69,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-016-0872-8, 2017.
Ping, C. L., Jastrow, J. D., Jorgenson, M. T., Michaelson, G. J., and Shur, Y. L.: Permafrost soils and carbon cycling, Soil, 1, 147–171,
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-147-2015, 2015.
Plaza, C., Pegoraro, E., Bracho, R., Celis, G., Crummer, K. G., Hutchings, J. A., Hicks Pries, C. E., Mauritz, M., Natali, S. M., Salmon, V. G.,
Schädel, C., Webb, E. E., and Schuur, E. A. G.: Direct observation of
permafrost degradation and rapid soil carbon loss in tundra, Nat. Geosci.,
12, 627–631, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0387-6, 2019.
Post, W. M., Emanuel, W. R., Zinke, P. J., and Stangenberger, A. G.: Soil
carbon pools and world life zones, Nature, 298, 156–159,
https://doi.org/10.1038/298156a0, 1982.
R Development Core Team: R, available at:
http://www.r-project.org (last access: 23 January 2020), 2017.
Roshydromet: World Weather Information Service, available at:
http://www.worldweather.org/en/city.html?cityId=1040 (last access: 21 January 2020), 2019.
Rousk, K., Sorensen, P. L., and Michelsen, A.: Nitrogen fixation in the High
Arctic: A source of “new” nitrogen?, Biogeochemistry, 136, 213–222,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-017-0393-y, 2017.
Rousk, K., Sorensen, P. L., and Michelsen, A.: What drives biological
nitrogen fixation in High Arctic tundra: Moisture or temperature?,
Ecosphere, 9, e02117, https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2117, 2018.
RStudio Team: RStudio: Integrated Development Environment for R, available at:
http://www.rstudio.com (last access: 18 November 2019), 2016.
Salmon, V. G., Soucy, P., Mauritz, M., Celis, G., Natali, S. M., Mack, M. C.
and Schuur, E. A. G.: Nitrogen availability increases in a tundra ecosystem
during five years of experimental permafrost thaw, Glob. Change Biol., 22,
1927–1941, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13204, 2016.
Schimel, J. P. and Bennett, J.: Nitrogen mineralization: Challenges of
a changing paradigm, Ecology, 85, 591–602,
https://doi.org/10.1890/03-8002, 2004.
Schimel, J. P. and Schaeffer, S. M.: Microbial control over carbon cycling
in soil, Front. Microbiol., 3, 348, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2012.00348, 2012.
Schmidt, H.-L. and Gleixner, G.: Carbon isotope effects on key reactions in
plant metabolism and 13C-patterns in natural compounds, in: Stable
Isotopes–The Integration of Biological, Ecological and Geochemical
Processes, edited by: Griffiths, H., CRC Press, Oxford, 1997.
Schmidt, M. W. I., Torn, M. S., Abiven, S., Dittmar, T., Guggenberger, G.,
Janssens, I. A., Kleber, M., Kögel-Knabner, I., Lehmann, J., Manning, D. A. C., Nannipieri, P., Rasse, D. P., Weiner, S., and Trumbore, S. E.:
Persistence of soil organic matter as an ecosystem property, Nature, 478,
49–56, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10386, 2011.
Schuur, E. A. G., McGuire, A. D., Schädel, C., Grosse, G., Harden, J. W., Hayes, D. J., Hugelius, G., Koven, C. D., Kuhry, P., Lawrence, D. M.,
Natali, S. M., Olefeldt, D., Romanovsky, V. E., Schaefer, K., Turetsky, M. R., Treat, C. C., and Vonk, J. E.: Climate change and the permafrost carbon
feedback, Nature, 520, 171–179, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14338, 2015.
Sharp, Z.: Principles of stable isotope geochemistry, Pearson Education, Albuquerque, New Mexico,
2007.
Sistla, S. A., Moore, J. C., Simpson, R. T., Gough, L., Shaver, G. R., and
Schimel, J. P.: Long-term warming restructures Arctic tundra without
changing net soil carbon storage, Nature, 497, 615–617,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12129, 2013.
Six, J., Conant, R. T., Paul, E. A., and Paustian, K.: Stabilization
mechanisms of protected versus unprotected soil organic matter: Implications
for C-saturation of soils, Plant Soil, 241, 155–176,
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016125726789, 2002.
Soil Survey Staff: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 12th Edn., USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC, 2014.
Strauss, J., Schirrmeister, L., Grosse, G., Fortier, D., Hugelius, G.,
Knoblauch, C., Romanovsky, V., Schädel, C., Schneider von Deimling, T.,
Schuur, E. A. G., Shmelev, D., Ulrich, M., and Veremeeva, A.: Deep Yedoma
permafrost: A synthesis of depositional characteristics and carbon
vulnerability, Earth-Sci. Rev., 172, 75–86,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.07.007, 2017.
Tarnocai, C., Canadell, J. G., Schuur, E. A. G., Kuhry, P., Mazhitova, G.
and Zimov, S.: Soil organic carbon pools in the northern circumpolar
permafrost region, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 23, GB2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GB003327,
2009.
Tesi, T., Muschitiello, F., Smittenberg, R. H., Jakobsson, M., Vonk, J. E.,
Hill, P., Andersson, A., Kirchner, N., Noormets, R., Dudarev, O., Semiletov, I., and Gustafsson, Ö.: Massive remobilization of permafrost carbon
during post-glacial warming, Nat. Commun., 7, 13653, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13653, 2016.
Tisdall, J. M. and Oades, J. M.: Organic matter and water-stable aggregates
in soils, J. Soil Sci., 33, 141–163,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.1982.tb01755.x, 1982.
Torn, M. S., Kleber, M., Zavaleta, E. S., Zhu, B., Field, C. B., and Trumbore, S. E.: A dual isotope approach to isolate soil carbon pools of different turnover times, Biogeosciences, 10, 8067–8081, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-8067-2013, 2013.
Turetsky, M. R.: Decomposition and organic matter quality in continental
peatlands: The ghost of permafrost past, Ecosystems, 7, 740–750,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-004-0247-z, 2004.
Vitousek, P. M., Hättenschwiler, S., Olander, L., and Allison, S.:
Nitrogen and nature, Ambio, 31, 97–101, 2002.
Voigt, C., Marushchak, M. E., Lamprecht, R. E., Jackowicz-Korczyński, M., Lindgren, A., Mastepanov, M., Granlund, L., Christensen, T. R.,
Tahvanainen, T., Martikainen, P. J., and Biasi, C.: Increased nitrous oxide
emissions from Arctic peatlands after permafrost thaw, P. Natl. Acad.
Sci. USA, 114, 6238–6243, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1702902114, 2017.
von Lützow, M., Kögel-Knabner, I., Ekschmitt, K., Matzner, E.,
Guggenberger, G., Marschner, B., and Flessa, H.: Stabilization of organic
matter in temperate soils: Mechanisms and their relevance under different
soil conditions – a review, Eur. J. Soil Sci., 57, 426–445,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.2006.00809.x, 2006.
Wagai, R., Mayer, L. M., and Kitayama, K.: Nature of the “occluded”
low-density fraction in soil organic matter studies: A critical review, Soil
Sci. Plant Nut., 55, 13–25, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-0765.2008.00356.x, 2009.
Weintraub, M. N. and Schimel, J. P.: Nitrogen cycling and the spread of
shrubs control changes in the carbon balance of Arctic tundra ecosystems,
Bioscience, 55, 408–415,
https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2005)055[0408:NCATSO]2.0.CO;2, 2005.
Weiss, N. and Kaal, J.: Characterization of labile organic matter in
Pleistocene permafrost (NE Siberia), using thermally assisted hydrolysis and
methylation (THM-GC-MS), Soil Biol. Biochem., 117, 203–213,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.10.001, 2018.
Werner, R. A. and Brand, W. A.: Referencing strategies and techniques in
stable isotope ratio analysis, Rapid Commun. Mass Sp., 15, 501–519,
https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.258, 2001.
Wild, B., Gentsch, N., Capek, P., Diáková, K. K., Alves, R. J. E. E., Bárta, J. J. J., Gittel, A., Hugelius, G., Knoltsch, A., Kuhry, P.,
Lashchinskiy, N., Mikutta, R., Palmtag, J., Schleper, C., Schnecker, J.,
Shibistova, O., Takriti, M., Torsvik, V. L., Urich, T., Watzka, M.,
Šantrūcková, H., Guggenberger, G., Richter, A., Čapek, P.,
Diáková, K. K., Alves, R. J. E. E., Bárta, J. J. J., Gittel, A.,
Hugelius, G., Knoltsch, A., Kuhry, P., Lashchinskiy, N., Mikutta, R.,
Palmtag, J., Schleper, C., Schnecker, J., Shibistova, O., Takriti, M.,
Torsvik, V. L., Urich, T., Watzka, M., Šantrůčková, H.,
Guggenberger, G., and Richter, A.: Plant-derived compounds stimulate the
decomposition of organic matter in Arctic permafrost soils, Sci. Rep., 6, 25607,
https://doi.org/10.1038/srep25607, 2016.
Wilkerson, J., Dobosy, R., Sayres, D. S., Healy, C., Dumas, E., Baker, B., and Anderson, J. G.: Permafrost nitrous oxide emissions observed on a landscape scale using the airborne eddy-covariance method, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 4257–4268, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4257-2019, 2019.
Xu, C., Guo, L., Dou, F., and Ping, C. L.: Potential DOC production from
size-fractionated Arctic tundra soils, Cold Reg. Sci. Technol., 55,
141–150, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2008.08.001, 2009.
Xue, K., Yuan, M. M., Shi, Z. J., Qin, Y., Deng, Y., Cheng, L., Wu, L., He, Z., Van Nostrand, J. D., Bracho, R., Natali, S., Schuur, E. A. G., Luo, C.,
Konstantinidis, K. T., Wang, Q., Cole, J. R., Tiedje, J. M., Luo, Y., and
Zhou, J.: Tundra soil carbon is vulnerable to rapid microbial decomposition
under climate warming, Nat. Clim. Change, 6, 595–600,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2940, 2016.
Zimov, S. A., Davydov, S. P., Zimova, G. M., Davydova, A. I., Schuur, E. A. G., Dutta, K., and Chapin, I. S.: Permafrost carbon: Stock and
decomposability of a globally significant carbon pool, Geophys. Res. Lett.,
33, L20502, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL027484, 2006.
Zubrzycki, S.: Organic Carbon Pools in Permafrost-Affected Soils of Siberian
Arctic Regions, Universität Hamburg, 2013.
Zubrzycki, S., Kutzbach, L., Grosse, G., Desyatkin, A., and Pfeiffer, E.-M.: Organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks in soils of the Lena River Delta, Biogeosciences, 10, 3507–3524, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3507-2013, 2013.
Zubrzycki, S., Kutzbach, L., and Pfeiffer, E.-M.: Permafrost-affected soils and their carbon pools with a focus on the Russian Arctic, Solid Earth, 5, 595–609, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-5-595-2014, 2014.
Short summary
Large amounts of soil organic matter stored in permafrost-affected soils from Arctic Russia are present as undecomposed plant residues. This large fibrous organic matter might be highly vulnerable to microbial decay, while small mineral-associated organic matter can most probably attenuate carbon mineralization in a warmer future. Labile soil fractions also store large amounts of nitrogen, which might be lost during permafrost collapse while fostering the decomposition of soil organic matter.
Large amounts of soil organic matter stored in permafrost-affected soils from Arctic Russia are...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint