Deep Unsaturated Zone Contributions to Carbon Cycling in Semiarid Environments

Wan, Jiamin; Tokunaga, Tetsu K.; Dong, Wenming; Williams, Kenneth H.; Kim, Yongman; Conrad, Mark E.; Bill, Markus; Riley, William J.; Hubbard, Susan S.

doi:10.1029/2018JG004669

Title: Deep Unsaturated Zone Contributions to Carbon Cycling in Semiarid Environments

Journal Article · Tue Sep 04 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JG004669· OSTI ID:1479368

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Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Earth and Environment Sciences Area

Abstract Understanding terrestrial carbon cycling has relied primarily on studies of topsoils that are typically characterized to depths shallower than 0.5 m. At a semiarid site instrumented down to 7 m, we measured seasonal‐ and depth‐resolved carbon inventories and fluxes and groundwater and unsaturated zone flow rates. Measurements showed that ~30% of the CO ₂ efflux to the atmosphere (60% in winter) originates from below 1 m, contrary to predictions of less than 1% by Earth System Model land modules. Respiration from deeper roots and deeper microbial communities is supported by favorable subsurface temperatures, moisture, and oxygen availability. Below 1 m, dissolved organic carbon fluxes from the overlying soil and C from deep roots and exudates are expected to be important in sustaining microbial respiration. Because these conditions are characteristic of semiarid climate regions, we contend that Earth System Model land modules should incorporate such deeper soil processes to improve CO ₂ flux predictions.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231; DE‐AC02‐05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1479368

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1472185

Journal Information:: Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences, Vol. 123, Issue 9; ISSN 2169-8953

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 13 works

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Depth‐ and Time‐Resolved Distributions of Snowmelt‐Driven Hillslope Subsurface Flow and Transport and Their Contributions to Surface Waters Tokunaga, Tetsu K.; Wan, Jiamin; Williams, Kenneth H. Water Resources Research, Vol. 55, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1029/2019wr025093	journal	November 2019
Microbial communities across a hillslope‐riparian transect shaped by proximity to the stream, groundwater table, and weathered bedrock Lavy, Adi; McGrath, David Geller; Matheus Carnevali, Paula B. Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 9, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5254	journal	May 2019

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