14 C Dating and Soil Organic Matter Dynamics in Arctic and Subarctic Ecosystems

The carbon content, pH and 14 C concentration of humic acids were determined for three soil series of Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems. The measured 14 C ages were interpreted in the light of an equilibrium model of humus formation and of mineralization processes in recent soils, and the coefficient...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Radiocarbon
Main Author: Cherkinsky, A. E.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1996
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033822200017616
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033822200017616
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Summary:The carbon content, pH and 14 C concentration of humic acids were determined for three soil series of Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems. The measured 14 C ages were interpreted in the light of an equilibrium model of humus formation and of mineralization processes in recent soils, and the coefficient of renovation, K r , was calculated for humic acids. The comparison of K r for series formed under different climatic conditions suggested that global warming could accelerate decomposition of soil organic matter and possibly increase productivity of ecosystems of the Arctic region.