Spatial and temporal variability of soil biological activity in the Province of Québec, Canada (45–58 °N, 1960–2009)—calculations based on climate records

• Published in: Climatic change 2013-04, Vol.117 (4), p.739-755
• Main Authors: Bolinder, M. A., Fortin, J. G., Anctil, F., Andrén, O., Kätterer, T., de Jong, R., Parent, L. E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Air temperature; Atmospheric Sciences; Biological; Biological activity; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon; Climate; Climate change; Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts; Decomposition; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Greenhouse gases; Markvetenskap; Mathematical models; Organic carbon; Precipitation; Soil (material); Soil Science; Soils; Temperature; Temporal logic; Trends; Weather stations; Winter
• ISSN: 0165-0009; 1573-1480; 1573-1480
• DOI: 10.1007/s10584-012-0602-6

Climate records of air temperature (AT) and total precipitation (TP) are standard inputs for soil carbon dynamic models, i.e., for calculating temperature and moisture effects on soil biological activity. In this study our objective was to determine both spatial and temporal differences in soil biological activity in the Province of Québec, Canada. Soil biological activity was here calculated on a daily basis with the ICBM re_clim parameter using data from weather stations. When keeping soil and crop properties constant, re_clim (unitless) allows us to assess relative differences in soil biological activity. The magnitude of the temporal changes in re_clim , AT and TP were analyzed using Sen’s slope, which is a nonparametric method used to determine the presence of a trend component. The re_clim varied across Québec from 0.50 (58 °N) to a high of 1.66 (45 °N). Considering only the area with significant agricultural production, re_clim varied from 0.99 at Gaspé (48 °N) to 1.66 at Philipsburg (45 °N), i.e., soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition rate is 68 % higher at the latter site (1.66/0.99) and correspondingly more C input is needed to maintain SOC. Soil biological activity increased from 1960 to 2009, with a mean slope variation in re_clim of about +10 %. The temporal variation in AT had more influence than that of TP. For 1980–2009 the mean annual slope of re_clim was significantly different from zero for 29 out of 49 climate records (mean = +14 %; N  = 29). We also emphasize that analysis of seasonal changes in AT is an issue that needs further attention, as well as modeling climate-induced changes in SOC dynamics based on future climate scenarios.