Articles | Volume 22, issue 16
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4107-2025
© Author(s) 2025. 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-22-4107-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
25 Aug 2025
Research article |
| 25 Aug 2025
| 25 Aug 2025
Drivers of soil organic carbon from temperate to alpine forests: a model-based analysis of the Swiss forest soil inventory with Yasso20
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Sia Gosheva-Oney
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Department of Evolutional Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Markus Didion
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Roman Flury
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Lorenz Walthert
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Stephan Zimmermann
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Brian J. Oney
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Pascal A. Niklaus
Department of Evolutional Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Esther Thürig
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Toni Viskari
Climate Research Programme, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
Jari Liski
Climate Research Programme, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
Frank Hagedorn
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
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Michael Zehnder, Annegret Udke, Katrin Meusburger, Frank Hagedorn, Andri Baltensweiler, and Christian Rixen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-835, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-835, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
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Most organic carbon in alpine ecosystems is stored belowground, yet its distribution is poorly known. By combining new soil measurements with existing data from across the Swiss Alps, we mapped soil carbon storage from the treeline to permafrost-affected regions. We found that alpine grasslands store large amounts of soil carbon, explained mainly by vegetation productivity, temperature, and terrain. The results provide a baseline to assess how alpine soil carbon may respond to climate change.
Luisa I. Minich, Dylan Geissbühler, Stefan Tobler, Annegret Udke, Alexander S. Brunmayr, Margaux Moreno Duborgel, Ciriaco McMackin, Lukas Wacker, Philip Gautschi, Negar Haghipour, Markus Egli, Ansgar Kahmen, Jens Leifeld, Timothy I. Eglinton, and Frank Hagedorn
Biogeosciences, 23, 811–829, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-811-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-811-2026, 2026
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We developed a conceptual framework using rates and 14C-derived ages of soil-respired CO2 and its sources (autotrophic, heterotrophic) to identify carbon cycling pathways in different land-use types. Rates, ages and sources of respired CO2 varied across forests, grasslands, croplands, and managed peatlands. Our results suggest that the relationship between rates and ages of respired CO2 serves as a robust indicator of carbon retention and loss from natural to disturbed systems.
Toni Viskari, Tristan Quaife, Fernando Fahl, Yao Zhang, and Emanuele Lugato
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4999, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4999, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geoscientific Model Development (GMD).
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In this work we examined how different assumptions regarding soil carbon model calibration affect the resulting model performance. We found that how the litter inputs are set have a meaningful impact on the calibrated model parameters. Furthermore, two calibration methods produced parameter sets that differed meaningfully from each other but fit the validation dataset equally well. These results raise meaningful questions how we evaluate soil carbon model performance.
Hui Tang, Samuli Launianen, Julius Vira, Liisa Kulmala, Taru Palosuo, Hermanni Aaltonen, Olli Nevalainen, Istem Fer, Henriikka Vekuri, Jari-Pekka Nousu, Mika Korkiakoski, and Jari Liski
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5972, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5972, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
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We present a modelling approach to study how crops in northern climates deal with water stress. By combining several years of field measurements with the modelling approach, we show that both oat and forage grasses use water cautiously, helping them preserve enough soil water to stay productive during dry periods. Our results highlight the need to better understand how northern crops use water for improving their food production in the future, when more frequent and severe drought will occur.
Chun Chung Yeung, Harald Bugmann, Frank Hagedorn, Margaux Moreno Duborgel, and Olalla Díaz-Yáñez
Biogeosciences, 22, 7535–7562, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-7535-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-7535-2025, 2025
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To shed light on the interactions between soil nitrogen (N) and carbon (C), we set up a model “experiment” in silico to test several hypothesized responses of decomposers to N. We found that decomposers were stimulated by N when decomposing high C:N detritus, but inhibited when decomposing low C:N, processed organic C. The consequence is that under exogenous N addition (e.g., contemporary N deposition), forests may accumulate light fraction C predominantly, at the expense of coarse detritus.
Marco M. Lehmann, Josie Geris, Ilja van Meerveld, Daniele Penna, Youri Rothfuss, Matteo Verdone, Pertti Ala-Aho, Matyas Arvai, Alise Babre, Philippe Balandier, Fabian Bernhard, Lukrecija Butorac, Simon D. Carrière, Natalie C. Ceperley, Zuosinan Chen, Alicia Correa, Haoyu Diao, David Dubbert, Maren Dubbert, Fabio Ercoli, Marius G. Floriancic, Alligin Ghazoul, Teresa E. Gimeno, Damien Gounelle, Frank Hagedorn, Christophe Hissler, Frédéric Huneau, Alberto Iraheta, Tamara Jakovljević, Nerantzis Kazakis, Zoltan Kern, Laura Kinzinger, Karl Knaebel, Johannes Kobler, Jiri Kocum, Charlotte Koeber, Gerbrand Koren, Angelika Kübert, Dawid Kupka, Samuel Le Gall, Aleksi Lehtonen, Thomas Leydier, Philippe Malagoli, Francesca Sofia Manca di Villahermosa, Chiara Marchina, Núria Martínez-Carreras, Nicolas Martin-StPaul, Hannu Marttila, Aline Meyer Oliveira, Gael Monvoisin, Natalie Orlowski, Kadi Palmik-Das, Aurel Persoiu, Andrei Popa, Egor Prikaziuk, Cécile Quantin, Katja T. Rinne-Garmston, Clara Rohde, Martin Sanda, Matthias Saurer, Daniel Schulz, Michael P. Stockinger, Christine Stumpp, Jean-Stéphane Vénisse, Lukas Vlcek, Stylianos Voudouris, Björn Weeser, Mark E. Wilkinson, Giulia Zuecco, and Katrin Meusburger
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 6129–6147, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6129-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6129-2025, 2025
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This study describes a unique large-scale isotope dataset to study water dynamics in European forests. Researchers collected data from 40 beech and spruce forest sites in spring and summer 2023, using a standardized method to ensure consistency. The results show that water sources for trees change between seasons and vary by tree species. This large dataset offers valuable information for understanding plant water use, improving ecohydrological models, and mapping water cycles across Europe.
Henri Kajasilta, Stephanie Gerin, Milla Niiranen, Miika Läpikivi, Maarit Liimatainen, David Kraus, Henriikka Vekuri, Mika Korkiakoski, Liisa Kulmala, Jari Liski, and Julius Vira
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4219, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4219, 2025
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We modelled different water table scenarios in drained agricultural peatlands to investigate the impact of water management on greenhouse gas emissions. Our results show that raising the water table reduces emissions, even in fields with thinner peat layers and conservative water management practices. Carbon dioxide emissions were more affected than nitrous oxide emissions. This study sheds light on the role of peatlands in mitigating emissions. Simulations were run using a process-based model.
Frank Hagedorn, Josephine Imboden, Pavel A. Moiseev, Decai Gao, Emmanuel Frossard, Patrick Schleppi, Daniel Christen, Konstantin Gavazov, and Jasmin Fetzer
Biogeosciences, 22, 2959–2977, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2959-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2959-2025, 2025
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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 becomes strongly enriched in nutrients. We show that these litter quality changes alter nutrient processing by soil microbes and increase nutrient release during decomposition in forests compared to tundra. The associated improvement in nutrient availability in forests potentially stimulates tree growth and treeline shifts.
Alexander S. Brunmayr, Frank Hagedorn, Margaux Moreno Duborgel, Luisa I. Minich, and Heather D. Graven
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 5961–5985, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5961-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5961-2024, 2024
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A new generation of soil models promises to more accurately predict the carbon cycle in soils under climate change. However, measurements of 14C (the radioactive carbon isotope) in soils reveal that the new soil models face similar problems to the traditional models: they underestimate the residence time of carbon in soils and may therefore overestimate the net uptake of CO2 by the land ecosystem. Proposed solutions include restructuring the models and calibrating model parameters with 14C data.
Tatjana C. Speckert, Jeannine Suremann, Konstantin Gavazov, Maria J. Santos, Frank Hagedorn, and Guido L. B. Wiesenberg
SOIL, 9, 609–621, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-609-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-609-2023, 2023
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Soil organic carbon (SOC) is key player in the global carbon cycle. Afforestation on pastures potentially alters organic matter input and SOC sequestration. We investigated the effects of a Picea abies L. afforestation sequence (0 to 130 years) on a former subalpine pasture on SOC stocks and dynamics. We found no difference in the SOC stock after 130 years of afforestation and thus no additional SOC sequestration. SOC composition was altered due to a modified SOC input following afforestation.
Thomas Baer, Gerhard Furrer, Stephan Zimmermann, and Patrick Schleppi
Biogeosciences, 20, 4577–4589, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4577-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4577-2023, 2023
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Nitrogen (N) deposition to forest ecosystems is a matter of concern because it affects their nutrient status and makes their soil acidic. We observed an ongoing acidification in a montane forest in central Switzerland even if the subsoil of this site contains carbonates and is thus well buffered. We experimentally added N to simulate a higher pollution, and this increased the acidification. After 25 years of study, however, we can see the first signs of recovery, also under higher N deposition.
Jarmo Mäkelä, Laura Arppe, Hannu Fritze, Jussi Heinonsalo, Kristiina Karhu, Jari Liski, Markku Oinonen, Petra Straková, and Toni Viskari
Biogeosciences, 19, 4305–4313, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4305-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4305-2022, 2022
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Soils account for the largest share of carbon found in terrestrial ecosystems, and accurate depiction of soil carbon decomposition is essential in understanding how permanent these carbon storages are. We present a straightforward way to include carbon isotope concentrations into soil decomposition and carbon storages for the Yasso model, which enables the model to use 13C as a natural tracer to track changes in the underlying soil organic matter decomposition.
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
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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.
Weilin Huang, Peter M. van Bodegom, Toni Viskari, Jari Liski, and Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia
Biogeosciences, 19, 1469–1490, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1469-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1469-2022, 2022
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This work focuses on one of the essential pathways of mycorrhizal impact on C cycles: the mediation of plant litter decomposition. We present a model based on litter chemical quality which precludes a conclusive examination of mycorrhizal impacts on soil C. It improves long-term decomposition predictions and advances our understanding of litter decomposition dynamics. It creates a benchmark in quantitatively examining the impacts of plant–microbe interactions on soil C dynamics.
Toni Viskari, Janne Pusa, Istem Fer, Anna Repo, Julius Vira, and Jari Liski
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 1735–1752, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-1735-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-1735-2022, 2022
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We wanted to examine how the chosen measurement data and calibration process affect soil organic carbon model calibration. In our results we found that there is a benefit in using data from multiple litter-bag decomposition experiments simultaneously, even with the required assumptions. Additionally, due to the amount of noise and uncertainties in the system, more advanced calibration methods should be used to parameterize the models.
Olli Nevalainen, Olli Niemitalo, Istem Fer, Antti Juntunen, Tuomas Mattila, Olli Koskela, Joni Kukkamäki, Layla Höckerstedt, Laura Mäkelä, Pieta Jarva, Laura Heimsch, Henriikka Vekuri, Liisa Kulmala, Åsa Stam, Otto Kuusela, Stephanie Gerin, Toni Viskari, Julius Vira, Jari Hyväluoma, Juha-Pekka Tuovinen, Annalea Lohila, Tuomas Laurila, Jussi Heinonsalo, Tuula Aalto, Iivari Kunttu, and Jari Liski
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 11, 93–109, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-93-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-93-2022, 2022
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Better monitoring of soil carbon sequestration is needed to understand the best carbon farming practices in different soils and climate conditions. We, the Field Observatory Network (FiON), have therefore established a methodology for monitoring and forecasting agricultural carbon sequestration by combining offline and near-real-time field measurements, weather data, satellite imagery, and modeling. To disseminate our work, we built a website called the Field Observatory (fieldobservatory.org).
Laura Heimsch, Annalea Lohila, Juha-Pekka Tuovinen, Henriikka Vekuri, Jussi Heinonsalo, Olli Nevalainen, Mika Korkiakoski, Jari Liski, Tuomas Laurila, and Liisa Kulmala
Biogeosciences, 18, 3467–3483, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3467-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3467-2021, 2021
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CO2 and H2O fluxes were measured at a newly established eddy covariance site in southern Finland for 2 years from 2018 to 2020. This agricultural grassland site focuses on the conversion from intensive towards more sustainable agricultural management. The first summer experienced prolonged dry periods, and notably larger fluxes were observed in the second summer. The field acted as a net carbon sink during both study years.
Alexey N. Shiklomanov, Michael C. Dietze, Istem Fer, Toni Viskari, and Shawn P. Serbin
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 2603–2633, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-2603-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-2603-2021, 2021
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Airborne and satellite images are a great resource for calibrating and evaluating computer models of ecosystems. Typically, researchers derive ecosystem properties from these images and then compare models against these derived properties. Here, we present an alternative approach where we modify a model to predict what the satellite would see more directly. We then show how this approach can be used to calibrate model parameters using airborne data from forest sites in the northeastern US.
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Short summary
Predicting soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in forests is crucial to determining the C balance, yet drivers of SOC stocks remain uncertain at large scales. Across a broad environmental gradient in Switzerland, we compared measured SOC stocks with those modeled by Yasso, which is commonly used for greenhouse gas budgets. We show that soil mineral properties and climate are the main controls of SOC stocks, indicating that better accounting of these processes will advance the accuracy of SOC stock predictions.
Predicting soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in forests is crucial to determining the C balance,...
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