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Title: Modeling Global Soil Carbon and Soil Microbial Carbon by Integrating Microbial Processes into the Ecosystem Process Model TRIPLEX-GHG

Abstract

Microbial physiology plays a critical role in the biogeochemical cycles of the Earth system. However, most traditional soil carbon models are lacking in terms of the representation of key microbial processes that control the soil carbon response to global climate change. In this study, the improved process-based model TRIPLEX-GHG was developed by coupling it with the new MEND (Microbial-ENzyme-mediated Decomposition) model to estimate total global soil organic carbon (SOC) and global soil microbial carbon. The new model (TRIPLEX-MICROBE) shows considerable improvement over the previous version (TRIPLEX-GHG) in simulating SOC. We estimated the global soil carbon stock to be approximately 1195 Pg C, with 348 Pg C located in the high northern latitudes, which is in good agreement with the well-regarded Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD) and the Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database (NCSCD). We also estimated the global soil microbial carbon to be 21 Pg C, similar to the 23 Pg C estimated. We found that the microbial carbon quantity in the latitudinal direction showed reversions at approximately 30°N, near the equator and at 25°S. A sensitivity analysis suggested that the tundra ecosystem exhibited the highest sensitivity to a 1°C increase or decrease in temperature in terms of dissolved organicmore » carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MOC). Furthermore, our work represents the first step towards a new generation of ecosystem process models capable of integrating key microbial processes into soil carbon cycles.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1];  [3]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [4]
  1. Northwest A&F Univ., Shaanxi (China)
  2. Northwest A&F Univ., Shaanxi (China); Univ. of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, QC (Canada)
  3. Univ. of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, QC (Canada)
  4. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
OSTI Identifier:
1409257
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 9; Journal Issue: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 1942-2466
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; climate change; global terrestrial ecosystems; microbial decomposition; soil organic carbon; terrestrial ecosystem model

Citation Formats

Wang, Kefeng, Peng, Changhui, Zhu, Qiuan, Zhou, Xiaolu, Wang, Meng, Zhang, Kerou, and Wang, Gangsheng. Modeling Global Soil Carbon and Soil Microbial Carbon by Integrating Microbial Processes into the Ecosystem Process Model TRIPLEX-GHG. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1002/2017MS000920.
Wang, Kefeng, Peng, Changhui, Zhu, Qiuan, Zhou, Xiaolu, Wang, Meng, Zhang, Kerou, & Wang, Gangsheng. Modeling Global Soil Carbon and Soil Microbial Carbon by Integrating Microbial Processes into the Ecosystem Process Model TRIPLEX-GHG. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017MS000920
Wang, Kefeng, Peng, Changhui, Zhu, Qiuan, Zhou, Xiaolu, Wang, Meng, Zhang, Kerou, and Wang, Gangsheng. 2017. "Modeling Global Soil Carbon and Soil Microbial Carbon by Integrating Microbial Processes into the Ecosystem Process Model TRIPLEX-GHG". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017MS000920. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1409257.
@article{osti_1409257,
title = {Modeling Global Soil Carbon and Soil Microbial Carbon by Integrating Microbial Processes into the Ecosystem Process Model TRIPLEX-GHG},
author = {Wang, Kefeng and Peng, Changhui and Zhu, Qiuan and Zhou, Xiaolu and Wang, Meng and Zhang, Kerou and Wang, Gangsheng},
abstractNote = {Microbial physiology plays a critical role in the biogeochemical cycles of the Earth system. However, most traditional soil carbon models are lacking in terms of the representation of key microbial processes that control the soil carbon response to global climate change. In this study, the improved process-based model TRIPLEX-GHG was developed by coupling it with the new MEND (Microbial-ENzyme-mediated Decomposition) model to estimate total global soil organic carbon (SOC) and global soil microbial carbon. The new model (TRIPLEX-MICROBE) shows considerable improvement over the previous version (TRIPLEX-GHG) in simulating SOC. We estimated the global soil carbon stock to be approximately 1195 Pg C, with 348 Pg C located in the high northern latitudes, which is in good agreement with the well-regarded Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD) and the Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database (NCSCD). We also estimated the global soil microbial carbon to be 21 Pg C, similar to the 23 Pg C estimated. We found that the microbial carbon quantity in the latitudinal direction showed reversions at approximately 30°N, near the equator and at 25°S. A sensitivity analysis suggested that the tundra ecosystem exhibited the highest sensitivity to a 1°C increase or decrease in temperature in terms of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MOC). Furthermore, our work represents the first step towards a new generation of ecosystem process models capable of integrating key microbial processes into soil carbon cycles.},
doi = {10.1002/2017MS000920},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1409257}, journal = {Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems},
issn = {1942-2466},
number = 6,
volume = 9,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Sep 28 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Thu Sep 28 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}

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Cited by: 34 works
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Works referencing / citing this record:

The Molecular Basis for Understanding the Impacts of Ocean Warming
journal, July 2019


Niche differentiation is spatially and temporally regulated in the rhizosphere
journal, January 2020


Soil microbiomes and climate change
journal, October 2019


Dominant regions and drivers of the variability of the global land carbon sink across timescales
journal, May 2018


The global soil community and its influence on biogeochemistry
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Winter warming in Alaska accelerates lignin decomposition contributed by Proteobacteria
journal, June 2020