Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Liujun Xiao, Guocheng Wang, Mingming Wang, Shuai Zhang, Carlos A. Sierra, Xiaowei Guo, Jinfeng Chang, Zhou Shi, Zhongkui Luo
Summary: This study quantifies the age of carbon atoms in soil carbon efflux and compares it with the age of carbon retained in corresponding soil layers. It reveals that younger carbon dominates soil carbon efflux and that older carbon dominates only under specific conditions. The study also highlights the spatial variability of the contribution of different age groups to carbon efflux and the importance of upper soil layers for long-term carbon storage.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Leiyi Chen, Yuanhe Yang
Summary: The study points out that overlooking the non-linear relationship between topsoil Delta C-14 and plant carbon input in Wu et al.'s analysis is the key reason for the disagreement between their findings and the findings of this study. Despite this, plant carbon input remains the main factor influencing topsoil carbon turnover.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Katherine Heckman, Caitlin E. Hicks Pries, Corey R. Lawrence, Craig Rasmussen, Susan E. Crow, Alison M. Hoyt, Sophie F. von Fromm, Zheng Shi, Shane Stoner, Casey McGrath, Jeffrey Beem-Miller, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Joseph C. Blankinship, Marco Keiluweit, Erika Marin-Spiotta, J. Grey Monroe, Alain F. Plante, Joshua Schimel, Carlos A. Sierra, Aaron Thompson, Rota Wagai
Summary: Understanding the factors controlling soil organic carbon (C) amount and persistence is crucial for predicting its sensitivity to global change. Different pools of soil organic C show varying degrees of persistence and relationships with environmental factors, with soil depth being the best predictor of C abundance and persistence. Climate, particularly temperature and wetness index, plays a significant role in determining soil C properties and potential loss from protected pools.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Peter M. J. Douglas, Emerald Stratigopoulos, Sanga Park, Benjamin Keenan
Summary: This study analyzed the isotopic composition of soil, stream and lake sediments, and aquatic plants and algae in a temperate forest lake catchment in Quebec. The results showed spatial differentiation in the sources of organic matter in sediments, with preferential deposition of terrestrial plant, aquatic plant, phytoplankton, and soil microbial biomass. The isotopic composition of sediments also varied with water depth, with shallow sediments characterized by plant-derived organic matter and deep sediments characterized by phytoplankton-derived organic matter. Downstream sediments had a greater input of aged microbial biomass from soils.
Article
Ecology
Leiyi Chen, Kai Fang, Bin Wei, Shuqi Qin, Xuehui Feng, Tianyu Hu, Chengjun Ji, Yuanhe Yang
Summary: Research indicates that plant carbon input plays a crucial role in regulating the persistence of soil organic matter, especially affecting the destabilization of carbon in topsoil. On the other hand, mineral protection, such as iron-aluminum oxides and cations, becomes more important in preserving SOM in deep soils. These insights offer valuable information for models to predict multi-layer soil carbon dynamics more accurately in changing environments.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xi Zhang, Yasong Wang, Zicheng Wang, Meixun Zhao, Yin Fang, Su Ding, Wenjie Xiao, Chenghao Yu, Xuejun Wang, Yunping Xu
Summary: Black carbon (BC) plays a crucial role in global carbon cycle and climate change. The source of BC and its burial flux in environments were investigated in this study using surface sediments from 22 Chinese lakes. The results indicate that fossil fuel combustion is the primary contributor to BC, with the highest contribution in developed Eastern China and the lowest contribution in the rural Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The BC burial flux in Chinese lakes is estimated to be 126.4 +/- 15.8 Gg year-1, and approximately 2987 +/- 1022 Gg year-1 in global lakes.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Guocheng Wang, Liujun Xiao, Ziqi Lin, Qing Zhang, Xiaowei Guo, Annette Cowie, Shuai Zhang, Mingming Wang, Songchao Chen, Ganlin Zhang, Zhou Shi, Wenjuan Sun, Zhongkui Luo
Summary: Plant root-derived carbon inputs are the main source of carbon in mineral bulk soil, but a fraction of these inputs may be quickly lost without contributing to long-term soil carbon storage. This study quantified the loss of root-derived carbon on a global scale and found that about 80% of the carbon inputs are lost rather than stored in the soil. The depth distribution of root-derived carbon inputs and their contribution to soil carbon storage were also determined, and a global map of the lost carbon and its distribution was created.
SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jennifer Mills, Gregory E. Maurer, Laura N. Lammers, Ronald Amundson
Summary: The Mojave Desert has experienced significant warming and aridification in the past 50 years, leading to accelerated cycling of carbon and nitrogen in the soil and their subsequent loss. This indicates chemical impacts on the coupled carbon and nitrogen cycles in response to climate change.
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Guoai Li, Xuxu Chai, Zheng Shi, Honghua Ruan
Summary: This study investigated the interactive effects of biotic and abiotic drivers on radiocarbon abundance in different soil carbon fractions from various biomes. The results showed significant interactions between climate, vegetation types, soil properties, and soil fractions, affecting carbon persistence. These findings are critical for accurately predicting soil carbon dynamics.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chi Chen, William J. Riley, I. Colin Prentice, Trevor F. Keenan
Summary: Global photosynthesis is increasing due to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations, primarily as a result of the CO2 fertilization effect. Soil moisture and specific humidity play important roles in plant hydraulics. The global CO2-induced GPP trend is stronger than previously modeled or observed, mainly because of variations in the magnitude of the CO2 fertilization effect in evergreen broad-leaf forests.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
S. A. Pedron, R. G. Jespersen, X. Xu, Y. Khazindar, J. M. Welker, C. I. Czimczik
Summary: Snow is crucial to the Arctic's energy budget, biogeochemistry, ecology, and people. While climate change shortens the snow cover period, snow mass has been increasing in many Arctic regions. Deeper snow thaws permafrost and releases ancient organic matter, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. However, more snow also leads to warmer soil temperatures and increased carbon loss, impacting Arctic ecosystems and accelerating permafrost carbon release.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jovan M. Tadic, Scot Miller, Vineet Yadav, Sebastien C. Biraud
Summary: The study estimated the magnitude and environmental predictors of CO2 and CH4 fluxes in Alaska using data from the ACME-V aircraft campaign, revealing a large CO2 flux in early summer balanced by CO2 uptake in late summer. Comparisons with other models showed higher CH4 flux estimates from the North Slope, and a significant contribution of North Slope tundra to Alaskan CH4 fluxes.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Shawn A. Pedron, J. M. Welker, E. S. Euskirchen, E. S. Klein, J. C. Walker, X. Xu, C. Czimczik
Summary: This study provides insights into the CO2 emissions from Arctic tundra during non-growing seasons, showing that rising soil temperatures lead to increased emissions during fall and winter, depleting aged soil carbon pools and accelerating climate change.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Xuxu Chai, Guoai Li, Zheng Shi, Honghua Ruan
Summary: Based on data from the International Soil Radiocarbon Database (ISRaD), this study analyzed the spatial distribution of radiocarbon abundance in forest ecosystems and identified the factors influencing soil carbon storage. The findings highlight the importance of climate and soil properties in determining soil organic matter stability and provide insights into soil carbon dynamics.
Article
Agronomy
Kuang-Yu Chang, William J. Riley, Trevor F. Keenan
Summary: Plant stomatal conductance regulates photosynthesis and transpiration, affecting ecosystem responses to microclimate. Ecosystem-scale water use efficiency (WUE) trends are more sensitive to hourly weather conditions than longer-term changes in atmospheric factors. Earth System Models have not fully captured the observed WUE sensitivity to microclimatic conditions.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Katherine A. Dynarski, Fiona M. Soper, Sasha C. Reed, William R. Wieder, Cory C. Cleveland
Summary: Plant element stoichiometry and stoichiometric flexibility play a crucial role in regulating ecosystem responses to global change. Our study investigated three potential mechanisms (climate, soil nutrients, and plant taxonomy) using foliar and soil nutrient data from forest sites across the USA. We found that foliar nitrogen and phosphorus patterns were influenced by different mechanisms, with plant taxonomy being a significant determinant of foliar nutrient stoichiometry and concentrations. Our findings demonstrate the complexity of factors influencing foliar chemistry and suggest that both nitrogen and phosphorus may be sensitive to global change drivers on different spatial and temporal scales, potentially impacting ecosystem nutrient ratios and associated ecological processes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zelalem A. Mekonnen, William J. Riley, James T. Randerson, Ian A. Shirley, Nicholas J. Bouskill, Robert F. Grant
Summary: This study investigates the decomposition of organic carbon in Arctic and boreal permafrost soil and the impact of anthropogenic climate warming. The research finds that warming and increased atmospheric CO2 lead to plant biomass gains, but carbon losses from wildfires and rapid SOC decomposition outweigh the gains, resulting in a transition to a net carbon source by 2200.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Fa Li, Dalei Hao, Qing Zhu, Kunxiaojia Yuan, Renato K. Braghiere, Liming He, Xiangzhong Luo, Shanshan Wei, William J. Riley, Yelu Zeng, Min Chen
Summary: This study incorporated the clumping index (CI) of vegetation canopies into a terrestrial biosphere model and evaluated its impact on canopy absorbed radiation and gross primary production (GPP). The results showed that CI had significant effects on the light environment and photosynthesis of the canopy, and the uncertainty caused by different CI datasets was larger than that caused by seasonal variations.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lauren D. D. Somers, Alison Hoyt, Alexander R. R. Cobb, Suhailah Isnin, Muhammad Asri Akmal bin Haji Suhip, Rahayu S. S. Sukri, Laure Gandois, Charles Harvey
Summary: Most peat domes in Southeast Asia have drainage canals that carry high concentrations of dissolved methane, which can potentially contribute to atmospheric methane emissions. This study used a numerical model to simulate methane transport, degassing, and oxidation along a drainage canal in Brunei Darussalam. The results showed that the majority of methane entering the canal is oxidized within the canal, a portion is released to the atmosphere, and a small fraction is transported towards the ocean. The methane emissions from the canal are significant compared to emissions from the peat surface and vegetation, but the canal is not the dominant source of methane in the peatland.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mario Reichenbach, Peter Fiener, Alison Hoyt, Susan Trumbore, Johan Six, Sebastian Doetterl
Summary: Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in deeply weathered tropical soils are not well understood. In this study, we compared SOC stocks and turnover in montane tropical forest and cropland. We found that land use did not significantly alter SOC, but differences in SOC could be explained by soil physicochemical properties. Labile organo-mineral associations and exchangeable base cations were identified as the main controls over SOC stocks and turnover. Our findings suggest that increasing C inputs in deeply weathered soils may not lead to long-term SOC stabilization.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, Benjamin D. Stocker, Zhen Zhang, Avni Malhotra, Joe R. Melton, Benjamin Poulter, Jed O. Kaplan, Kees Klein Goldewijk, Stefan Siebert, Tatiana Minayeva, Gustaf Hugelius, Hans Joosten, Alexandra Barthelmes, Catherine Prigent, Filipe Aires, Alison M. Hoyt, Nick Davidson, C. Max Finlayson, Bernhard Lehner, Robert B. Jackson, Peter B. McIntyre
Summary: Wetlands have been drained for human use, causing significant impact on multiple aspects including greenhouse gas fluxes, flood control, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity. However, the extent of natural wetland loss globally has remained uncertain. In this study, the researchers reconstructed the spatial distribution and timing of wetland loss from 1700 to 2020, and estimated that approximately 3.4 million km2 of inland wetlands, primarily for croplands, have been lost since 1700, accounting for a net loss of 21% of global wetland area. The study highlights the concentration of wetland loss in Europe, the United States, and China, and provides a valuable historical baseline for assessing the impact of wetland loss and guiding conservation planning and restoration efforts.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Qing Zhu, William Riley, Jinyun Tang, Susannah Burrows, Bryce Harrop, Xiaoying Shi, Xiaojuan Yang, Mathew Maltrud, Katherine Calvin
Summary: The coupling between land and the near surface atmosphere is influenced by interactions between soil conditions, vegetation dynamics, turbulent fluxes, and atmospheric properties. Understanding how this coupling responds to warming and elevated CO2 is crucial for comprehending the carbon, energy, and water cycles of the land surface.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shuang Ma, A. Anthony Bloom, Jennifer D. Watts, Gregory R. Quetin, Zona Donatella, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Alexander J. Norton, Yi Yin, Paul A. Levine, Renato K. Braghiere, Nicholas C. Parazoo, John R. Worden, David S. Schimel, Charles E. Miller
Summary: This study investigates the exchange of CO2 and CH4 in the Boreal-Arctic region and finds that current climate trends induce positive C-climate feedback at tundra sites and negative C-climate feedback at boreal and shrub fen sites.
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Hanbo Yun, Qing Zhu, Jing Tang, Wenxin Zhang, Deliang Chen, Philippe Ciais, Qingbai Wu, Bo Elberling
Summary: This study quantified the effects of warming and permafrost thawing on nitrogen availability and plant growth in permafrost-affected ecosystems. The results showed that most sites on the Tibetan Plateau have experienced warming and thawing, leading to increased inorganic nitrogen availability. Deep-rooted plant species were able to utilize the added nitrogen, and a feedback mechanism of climate warming was identified, where released nitrogen favored deep-rooted plants. These findings explain the important changes in plant composition and growth observed across the study sites.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Cuijuan Liao, Xingjie Lu, Yuanyuan Huang, Feng Tao, David M. Lawrence, Charles D. Koven, Keith W. Oleson, William R. Wieder, Erik Kluzek, Xiaomeng Huang, Yiqi Luo
Summary: This study introduces a new Semi-Analytical Spin-Up (SASU) method to tackle the problem of steady state initialization in global biogeochemical cycle models. The experiments at the Brazil site showed that SASU is computationally 7 times more efficient than the traditional native dynamics (ND) spin-up method and globally it is 8 times more efficient than the accelerated decomposition spin-up and 50 times more efficient than ND. In summary, SASU achieves the highest computational efficiency for spin-up compared to other methods, making computationally costly studies possible for a better understanding of biogeochemical cycling under climate change.
JOURNAL OF ADVANCES IN MODELING EARTH SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Meng Luo, Fa Li, Dalei Hao, Qing Zhu, Hamid Dashti, Min Chen
Summary: Land use and land cover change (LULCC) affects the carbon cycle in ecosystems. To predict future LULCC and carbon cycle changes, scientists use spatial downscaling methods to create detailed LULCC maps. However, different methods can lead to different results and can impact carbon cycle projections. Our study found that using different spatial downscaling methods can contribute to a large portion of the uncertainty in future projections of LULCC and carbon cycle over the Arctic-Boreal region.
Article
Environmental Sciences
K. R. Jay, W. R. Wieder, S. C. Swenson, J. F. Knowles, S. C. Elmendorf, H. Holland-Moritz, K. N. Suding
Summary: This study simulated the response of alpine tundra ecosystems using a land model and found that topography and aspect play important roles in mediating patterns of snow, productivity, soil moisture, and soil temperature. The study also revealed that climate change will have uneven effects on alpine vegetation, with dry, wind-scoured, and south facing areas being more vulnerable.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
R. K. Braghiere, Y. Wang, A. Gagne-Landmann, P. G. Brodrick, A. A. Bloom, A. J. Norton, S. Ma, P. Levine, M. Longo, K. Deck, P. Gentine, J. R. Worden, C. Frankenberg, T. Schneider
Summary: Earth system models often simplify land surface spectral albedo representation to two values, which may introduce biases in radiative forcing and simulations of the carbon and water cycles. This study investigates the impact of incorporating hyperspectral albedo information into the models and reveals systematic radiative-forcing differences, especially in the blue and far-red regions. Coupled land-atmosphere simulations show significant differences in net solar flux at the top of the atmosphere, which can affect global energy fluxes, rainfall, temperature, and photosynthesis. Furthermore, considering hyperspectrally resolved soil reflectance leads to increased maximum daily temperatures under current and future CO2 concentrations.
Article
Ecology
Alexander J. Norton, A. Anthony Bloom, Nicholas C. Parazoo, Paul A. Levine, Shuang Ma, Renato K. Braghiere, T. Luke Smallman
Summary: This study combines two formulations for leaf area index phenology with a terrestrial biosphere model and finds that one model formulation with direct environmental controls performs better in predicting photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration, leading to more accurate predictions of carbon cycling and climate change response.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Emma Hauser, William R. Wieder, Gordon B. Bonan, Cory C. Cleveland
Summary: Increased plant growth under elevated CO2 can slow climate warming, but changes in vegetation C:N ratios may diminish this effect. Incorporating CO2-driven increases in foliar stoichiometry into land models showed a decrease in projected C sink and altered Earth's hydrologic cycle, highlighting the importance of further research on the effects of changing foliar stoichiometry.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)