CO sub(2) Emissions from Soil in Response to Climatic Warming Are Overestimated-The Decomposition of Old Soil Organic Matter Is Tolerant of Temperature

Changes in soil carbon storage in response to the greenhouse effect will depend on how net primary productivity and decomposition rates are altered relative to each other. Recent investigations have suggested that decomposition will accelerate more than net primary productivity, so soil C storage sh...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ambio 1999-03, Vol.28 (2), p.171-171
Main Authors: Liski, Jari, Ilvesniemi, Hannu, Makela, Annikki, Westman, Carl Johan
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Changes in soil carbon storage in response to the greenhouse effect will depend on how net primary productivity and decomposition rates are altered relative to each other. Recent investigations have suggested that decomposition will accelerate more than net primary productivity, so soil C storage should decrease. However, studies conducted in Finland have shown that C storage in soil of both high- and low-productivity forest types increased with temperature. The data suggest that the decomposition of old soil organic matter was substantially more tolerant of temperature change than that of young litter. This phenomenon is examined here using a soil C model that consists of five compartments. Modeling results imply that present predictions, which assume the decomposition of all soil organic matter to be as sensitive to temperature as young litter, overestimate the release of C from soil to the atmosphere in response to climate change.
ISSN:0044-7447