Search Menu
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Search Scholarly Publications

Title: Deep Vadose Zone Respiration Contributions to Carbon Dioxide Fluxes from a Semiarid Floodplain

Abstract

Core Ideas A significant fraction of CO 2 fluxes from a semiarid floodplain originates from below the root zone. Measured and calculated field CO 2 fluxes are consistent. Laboratory‐measured respiration rates are consistent with field results. Although CO 2 fluxes from soils are often assumed to originate within shallow soil horizons (<1‐m depth), relatively little is known about respiration rates at greater depths. We compared measured and calculated CO 2 fluxes at the Rifle floodplain along the Colorado River and measured CO 2 production rates of floodplain sediments to determine the relative importance of deeper vadose zone respiration. Calculations based on measured CO 2 gradients and estimated effective diffusion coefficients yielded fluxes that are generally consistent with measurements obtained at the soil surface (326 g C m −2 yr −1 ). Carbon dioxide production from the 2.0‐ to 3.5‐m depth interval was calculated to contribute 17% of the total floodplain respiration, with rates that were larger than some parts of the shallower vadose zone and underlying aquifer. Microbial respiration rates determined from laboratory incubation tests of the sediments support this conclusion. The deeper unsaturated zone typically maintains intermediate water and air saturations, lacks extreme temperatures and salinities, and is annuallymore » resupplied with organic carbon from snowmelt‐driven recharge and by water table decline. This combination of favorable conditions supports deeper unsaturated zone microbial respiration throughout the year.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Earth and Environmental Sciences Area Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley CA 94720
Publication Date:
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1582103
Resource Type:
Publisher's Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Vadose Zone Journal
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Vadose Zone Journal Journal Volume: 15 Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 1539-1663
Publisher:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Citation Formats

Tokunaga, Tetsu K., Kim, Yongman, Conrad, Mark E., Bill, Markus, Hobson, Chad, Williams, Kenneth H., Dong, Wenming, Wan, Jiamin, Robbins, Mark J., Long, Philip E., Faybishenko, Boris, Christensen, John N., and Hubbard, Susan S. Deep Vadose Zone Respiration Contributions to Carbon Dioxide Fluxes from a Semiarid Floodplain. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.2136/vzj2016.02.0014.
Copy to clipboard
Tokunaga, Tetsu K., Kim, Yongman, Conrad, Mark E., Bill, Markus, Hobson, Chad, Williams, Kenneth H., Dong, Wenming, Wan, Jiamin, Robbins, Mark J., Long, Philip E., Faybishenko, Boris, Christensen, John N., & Hubbard, Susan S. Deep Vadose Zone Respiration Contributions to Carbon Dioxide Fluxes from a Semiarid Floodplain. United States. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2016.02.0014
Copy to clipboard
Tokunaga, Tetsu K., Kim, Yongman, Conrad, Mark E., Bill, Markus, Hobson, Chad, Williams, Kenneth H., Dong, Wenming, Wan, Jiamin, Robbins, Mark J., Long, Philip E., Faybishenko, Boris, Christensen, John N., and Hubbard, Susan S. Thu . "Deep Vadose Zone Respiration Contributions to Carbon Dioxide Fluxes from a Semiarid Floodplain". United States. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2016.02.0014.
Copy to clipboard
@article{osti_1582103,
title = {Deep Vadose Zone Respiration Contributions to Carbon Dioxide Fluxes from a Semiarid Floodplain},
author = {Tokunaga, Tetsu K. and Kim, Yongman and Conrad, Mark E. and Bill, Markus and Hobson, Chad and Williams, Kenneth H. and Dong, Wenming and Wan, Jiamin and Robbins, Mark J. and Long, Philip E. and Faybishenko, Boris and Christensen, John N. and Hubbard, Susan S.},
abstractNote = {Core Ideas A significant fraction of CO 2 fluxes from a semiarid floodplain originates from below the root zone. Measured and calculated field CO 2 fluxes are consistent. Laboratory‐measured respiration rates are consistent with field results. Although CO 2 fluxes from soils are often assumed to originate within shallow soil horizons (<1‐m depth), relatively little is known about respiration rates at greater depths. We compared measured and calculated CO 2 fluxes at the Rifle floodplain along the Colorado River and measured CO 2 production rates of floodplain sediments to determine the relative importance of deeper vadose zone respiration. Calculations based on measured CO 2 gradients and estimated effective diffusion coefficients yielded fluxes that are generally consistent with measurements obtained at the soil surface (326 g C m −2 yr −1 ). Carbon dioxide production from the 2.0‐ to 3.5‐m depth interval was calculated to contribute 17% of the total floodplain respiration, with rates that were larger than some parts of the shallower vadose zone and underlying aquifer. Microbial respiration rates determined from laboratory incubation tests of the sediments support this conclusion. The deeper unsaturated zone typically maintains intermediate water and air saturations, lacks extreme temperatures and salinities, and is annually resupplied with organic carbon from snowmelt‐driven recharge and by water table decline. This combination of favorable conditions supports deeper unsaturated zone microbial respiration throughout the year.},
doi = {10.2136/vzj2016.02.0014},
journal = {Vadose Zone Journal},
number = 7,
volume = 15,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jul 28 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Thu Jul 28 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}
Copy to clipboard
Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Accepted Manuscript (Publisher)
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2016.02.0014
Copyright Statement
Other availability
Search WorldCat Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 20 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science
Save / Share:
Export Metadata
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.

Works referenced in this record:

Production of CO 2 in the capillary fringe of a deep phreatic aquifer
journal, May 1998

  • Affek, Hagit P.; Ronen, Daniel; Yakir, Dan
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 34, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1029/98WR00095

Mineralization of dissolved organic carbon in mineral soil solution of two forest soils
journal, October 2003

  • Schwesig, David; Kalbitz, Karsten; Matzner, Egbert
  • Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Vol. 166, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1002/jpln.200321103

Stimulating the In Situ Activity of Geobacter Species To Remove Uranium from the Groundwater of a Uranium-Contaminated Aquifer
journal, October 2003

Total carbon and nitrogen in the soils of the world
journal, June 1996

Microbial Processes in the Vadose Zone
journal, January 2005

Microbial biomass response to a rapid increase in water potential when dry soil is wetted
journal, January 1987

Particle Size Analysis by Hydrometer: A Simplified Method for Routine Textural Analysis and a Sensitivity Test of Measurement Parameters
journal, September 1979

Impact of land degradation on soil respiration in a steppe (Stipa tenacissima L.) semi-arid ecosystem in the SE of Spain
journal, February 2011

Relationships between co2 evolution, moisture content and temperature for a range of soil types
journal, November 1993

Surface Water-Groundwater Connection at the Los Alamos Canyon Weir Site: Part 1. Monitoring Site Installation and Tracer Tests
journal, August 2005

  • Levitt, Daniel G.; Newell, Dennis L.; Stone, William J.
  • Vadose Zone Journal, Vol. 4, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.2136/vzj2004.0167

Physico-Chemical Heterogeneity of Organic-Rich Sediments in the Rifle Aquifer, CO: Impact on Uranium Biogeochemistry
journal, December 2015

  • Janot, Noémie; Lezama Pacheco, Juan S.; Pham, Don Q.
  • Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 50, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b03208

Advances in Tensiometry for Long-Term Monitoring of soil Water Pressures
journal, November 2002

  • Sisson, J. B.; Gee, G. W.; Hubbell, J. M.
  • Vadose Zone Journal, Vol. 1, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.2136/vzj2002.3100

Gas diffusivity and production of CO2 in deep soils of the eastern Amazon
journal, November 1995

Sources of and processes controlling CO2 emissions change with the size of streams and rivers
journal, August 2015

  • Hotchkiss, E. R.; Hall Jr, R. O.; Sponseller, R. A.
  • Nature Geoscience, Vol. 8, Issue 9
  • DOI: 10.1038/ngeo2507

Cycling downwards – dissolved organic matter in soils
journal, September 2012

Retention of Riverine Sediment and Nutrient Loads by Coastal Plain Floodplains
journal, May 2009

Carbon mineralization in semi-arid northeastern Australia: the role of termites
journal, August 1987

Application of a Darcian Approach to Estimate Liquid Flux in a Deep Vadose Zone
journal, May 2004

  • Hubbell, J. M.; Nicholl, M. J.; Sisson, J. B.
  • Vadose Zone Journal, Vol. 3, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.2136/vzj2004.0560

In situ measurement of microbial activity and controls on microbial CO 2 production in the unsaturated zone
journal, March 1993

  • Wood, Brian D.; Keller, C. Kent; Johnstone, Donald L.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 29, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1029/92WR02315

Factors affecting carbon-14 activity of unsaturated zone CO2 and implications for groundwater dating
journal, November 2014

Microbial respiratory quotient during basal metabolism and after glucose amendment in soils and litter
journal, January 2001

Vegetation and soil respiration: Correlations and controls
journal, January 2000

Predicting the Gas Diffusion Coefficient in Repacked Soil
journal, January 2000

Separation of Root Respiration from Total Soil Respiration Using Carbon-13 Labeling during Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE)
journal, January 1999

  • Andrews, Jeffrey A.; Harrison, Kevin G.; Matamala, Roser
  • Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 63, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.2136/sssaj1999.6351429x

Geochemical, mineralogical and microbiological characteristics of sediment from a naturally reduced zone in a uranium-contaminated aquifer
journal, August 2012

Dissolved organic matter: artefacts, definitions, and functions
journal, May 2003

Aquifer environment selects for microbial species cohorts in sediment and groundwater
journal, February 2015

  • Hug, Laura A.; Thomas, Brian C.; Brown, Christopher T.
  • The ISME Journal, Vol. 9, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2015.2

Mind the gap: non-biological processes contributing to soil CO 2 efflux
journal, February 2015

The CO2-Vadose Project: Dynamics of the natural CO2 in a carbonate vadose zone
journal, May 2013

  • Loisy, Corinne; Cohen, Grégory; Laveuf, Cédric
  • International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 14
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.ijggc.2012.12.017

CO 2 dynamics in the Amargosa Desert: Fluxes and isotopic speciation in a deep unsaturated zone : CO
journal, February 2005

  • Walvoord, Michelle A.; Striegl, Robert G.; Prudic, David E.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 41, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1029/2004WR003599

Soil water content and temperature as independent or confounded factors controlling soil respiration in a temperate mixed hardwood forest
journal, February 1998

Assessment of the soil CO 2 gradient method for soil CO 2 efflux measurements: comparison of six models in the calculation of the relative gas diffusion coefficient
journal, January 2010

Floodplain influence on dissolved organic matter composition and export from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River system to the Gulf of Mexico
journal, July 2012

Warming Reduces Carbon Losses from Grassland Exposed to Elevated Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
journal, August 2013

Acetate Availability and its Influence on Sustainable Bioremediation of Uranium-Contaminated Groundwater
journal, June 2011

A sensor array system for profiling moisture in unsaturated rock and soil
journal, April 2011

3.2.4 Miscellaneous Methods for Measuring Matric or Water Potential
book, January 2002

  • Scanlon, Bridget R.; Andraski, Brian J.; Bilskie, Jim
  • Methods of Soil Analysis: Part 4 Physical Methods, 5.4
  • DOI: 10.2136/sssabookser5.4.c23

Soil respiration in a chihuahuan desert rangeland
journal, January 1983

Influence of hydrological, biogeochemical and temperature transients on subsurface carbon fluxes in a flood plain environment
journal, February 2016

Effects of drying–rewetting frequency on soil carbon and nitrogen transformations
journal, June 2002

Carbon dioxide respiration in the deep vadose zone: Implications for groundwater age dating
journal, November 1998

  • Bacon, Diana Holford; Keller, C. Kent
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 34, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1029/98WR02045

Photodegradation leads to increased carbon dioxide losses from terrestrial organic matter: CO2 LOSSES CAUSED BY PHOTODEGRADATION
journal, December 2009

Soil-atmosphere exchange of CH4, CO2, NOx, and N2O in the Colorado shortgrass steppe under elevated CO2
journal, January 2002

  • Mosier, A. R.; Morgan, J. A.; King, J. Y.
  • Plant and Soil, Vol. 240, Issue 2, p. 201-211
  • DOI: 10.1023/A:1015783801324

Methods of Soil Analysis
book, January 2002

In Situ Monitoring of Water Percolation and Solute Transport Using a Vadose Zone Monitoring System
journal, November 2009

  • Dahan, Ofer; Talby, Ruti; Yechieli, Yoseph
  • Vadose Zone Journal, Vol. 8, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.2136/vzj2008.0134

Using the gradient method to determine soil gas flux: A review
journal, July 2014

The dominant role of semi-arid ecosystems in the trend and variability of the land CO2 sink
journal, May 2015

Sources, sinks and transformations of organic carbon in Australian floodplain rivers
journal, January 1999

  • Robertson, A. I.; Bunn, S. E.; Boon, P. I.
  • Marine and Freshwater Research
  • DOI: 10.1071/MF99112

Variably saturated flow and multicomponent biogeochemical reactive transport modeling of a uranium bioremediation field experiment
journal, November 2011

  • Yabusaki, Steven B.; Fang, Yilin; Williams, Kenneth H.
  • Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Vol. 126, Issue 3-4
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2011.09.002

Geologic CO2 input into groundwater and the atmosphere, Soda Springs, ID, USA
journal, February 2013

Dynamics of component carbon fluxes in a semi-arid Acacia woodland, central Australia : CARBON DYNAMICS IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA
journal, July 2013

  • Cleverly, James; Boulain, Nicolas; Villalobos-Vega, Randol
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 118, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1002/jgrg.20101

Carbon balance, productivity, and water use of cold-winter desert shrub communities dominated by C3 and C4 species
journal, January 1977

  • Caldwell, Martyn M.; White, Richard S.; Moore, Russell T.
  • Oecologia, Vol. 29, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1007/BF00345803

Soil respiration and the global carbon cycle
journal, January 2000

  • Schlesinger, William H.; Andrews, Jeffrey A.
  • Biogeochemistry, Vol. 48, Issue 1, p. 7-20
  • DOI: 10.1023/A:1006247623877

A Closed-form Equation for Predicting the Hydraulic Conductivity of Unsaturated Soils1
journal, January 1980

Land use and hydrologic flowpaths interact to affect dissolved organic matter and nitrate dynamics
journal, April 2014

  • Toosi, Ehsan R.; Schmidt, John P.; Castellano, Michael J.
  • Biogeochemistry, Vol. 120, Issue 1-3
  • DOI: 10.1007/s10533-014-9983-0
    Sort by:
    [ × clear filter / sort ]

    Similar Records in DOE PAGES and OSTI.GOV collections: