Stability of black carbon in soils across a climatic gradient
The recalcitrant properties of black carbon (BC) grant it to be a significant pool of stable C in soils. Up to now, however, the longevity of BC under different climates is still unclear. In this study, we used BC samples from historical charcoal blast furnace sites to examine the stability of BC across a climatic gradient of mean annual temperatures (MAT) from 3.9 to 17.2ºC. The results showed that C concentration and C storage in the BC-containing soils at a soil depth of 0 - 0.2 m were 9.0 and 4.7 times higher than those in adjacent soils, respectively. Carbon in the BC-containing soils was more stable, with a significantly lower amount of labile C fraction (4.4 mg g C-1 vs. 27.5 mg g C-1) and longer half-life of the recalcitrant C fraction (59 years vs. 9 years) than the adjacent soils determined from incubation experiments. The stability of BC was primarily due to its inherently recalcitrant chemical composition as suggested by short-term incubation and solid state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of isolated BC particles. A significant negative relationship between C storage and MAT (-0.62; P<0.01) further indicated that C storage was decreased with warmer climate. However, the lack of a relationship between MAT and BC mineralization (P>0.05) suggested that the stability of the remaining BC was similar between sites with very different MAT. Despite the fact that warming or cooling result in immediate consequences for BC stocks, it may have little impact on the stability of the remaining BC over the period studied.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 936195
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-58177; 13303; KP1504020; TRN: US200818%%585
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences, 113(G2):Art. No. G02027, Vol. 113, Issue G2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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