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Title: Does elevated atmospheric CO2 affect soil carbon burial and soil weathering in a forest ecosystem?

Journal Article · · PeerJ
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5356 · OSTI ID:1461935
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [4];  [5]
  1. Univ. of Illinois, Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Biological Sciences and Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences
  2. Univ. of Illinois, Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Biological Sciences and Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences; Skolkovo Inst. of Science and Technology, Moscow (Russia). Space Center
  3. Univ. of Illinois, Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Biological Sciences and Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences; Univ. of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico). Dept. of Agro-environmental Sciences
  4. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Environmental Science Division and Climate Change Science Inst.
  5. Univ. of Illinois, Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Biological Sciences and Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences; Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States). Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences
+ Show Author Affiliations

Most experimental studies measuring the effects of climate change on terrestrial C cycling have focused on processes that occur at relatively short time scales (up to a few years). However, climate-soil C interactions are influenced over much longer time scales by bioturbation and soil weathering affecting soil fertility, ecosystem productivity, and C storage. Elevated CO2 can increase belowground C inputs and stimulate soil biota, potentially affecting bioturbation, and can decrease soil pH which could accelerate soil weathering rates. To determine whether we could resolve any changes in bioturbation or C storage, we investigated soil profiles collected from ambient and elevated-CO2 plots at the Free-Air Carbon-Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) forest site at Oak Ridge National Laboratory after 11 years of 13C-depleted CO2 release. Profiles of organic carbon concentration,δ13C values, and activities of 137Cs,210Pb, and 226Ra were measured to ~30 cm depth in replicated soil cores to evaluate the effects of elevated CO2on these parameters. Bioturbation models based on fitting advection-diffusion equations to137Cs and 210Pb profiles showed that ambient and elevated-CO2plots had indistinguishable ranges of apparent biodiffusion constants, advection rates, and soil mixing times, although apparent biodiffusion constants and advection rates were larger for137Cs than for210Pb as is generally observed in soils. Temporal changes in profiles of δ13C values of soil organic carbon (SOC) suggest that addition of new SOC at depth was occurring at a faster rate than that implied by the net advection term of the bioturbation model. Ratios of (210Pb/226Ra) may indicate apparent soil mixing cells that are consistent with biological mechanisms, possibly earthworms and root proliferation, driving C addition and the mixing of soil between ~4 cm and ~18 cm depth. Lastly, burial of SOC by soil mixing processes could substantially increase the net long-term storage of soil C and should be incorporated in soil-atmosphere interaction models.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER) (SC-23); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1461935
Journal Information:
PeerJ, Journal Name: PeerJ Vol. 6; ISSN 2167-8359
Publisher:
PeerJ Inc.Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Bioturbation
Elevated CO2
Isotope
Soil C
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cesium-137
lead-210