Winter climate controls soil carbon dynamics during summer in boreal forests
Boreal forests, characterized by distinct winter seasons, store a large proportion of the global terrestrial carbon (C) pool. We studied summer soil C-dynamics in a boreal forest in northern Sweden using a seven-year experimental manipulation of soil frost. We found that winter soil climate conditio...
| Published in: | Environmental Research Letters |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2013
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/2/024017 https://doaj.org/article/6b679d6d4c6c46878e13f70a19aea858 |
| Summary: | Boreal forests, characterized by distinct winter seasons, store a large proportion of the global terrestrial carbon (C) pool. We studied summer soil C-dynamics in a boreal forest in northern Sweden using a seven-year experimental manipulation of soil frost. We found that winter soil climate conditions play a major role in controlling the dissolution/mineralization of soil organic-C in the following summer season. Intensified soil frost led to significantly higher concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Intensified soil frost also led to higher rates of basal heterotrophic CO _2 production in surface soil samples. However, frost-induced decline in the in situ soil CO _2 concentrations in summer suggests a substantial decline in root and/or plant associated rhizosphere CO _2 production, which overrides the effects of increased heterotrophic CO _2 production. Thus, colder winter soils, as a result of reduced snow cover, can substantially alter C-dynamics in boreal forests by reducing summer soil CO _2 efflux, and increasing DOC losses. |
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