Spatial variability models of CO 2 emissions from soils colonized by grass ( Deschampsia antarctica ) and moss ( Sanionia uncinata ) in Admiralty Bay, King George Island

• Published in: Antarctic Science
• Main Authors: Mendonça, Eduardo de Sá, La Scala, Newton, Panosso, Alan Rodrigo, Simas, Felipe N.B., Schaefer, Carlos E.G.R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2010
• Subjects: Geology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Oceanography; King George Island; Admiralty Bay; Antarc*; Antarctic Science; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954102010000581; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954102010000581

Abstract Soil CO 2 emission is an important part of the terrestrial carbon cycling and is influenced by several factors, such as type and distribution of vegetation. In this work we evaluated the spatial variability of soil CO 2 emission in terrestrial ecosystems of maritime Antarctica, under two contrasting vegetation covers: 1) grass areas of Deschampsia antarctica Desv., and 2) moss carpets of Sanionia uncinata (Hedw.) Loeske. Highest mean emission was obtained for the Deschampsia (4.13 μmol m -2 s -1 ) developed on organic-rich soil with a strong penguin influence. The overall results indicate that soil temperature is not directly related to the spatial pattern of soil CO 2 emission at the sites studied. Emission adjusted models were Gaussian and exponential with ranges varying from 1.3 to 2.8 m, depending on the studied site and vegetation cover.