Tracing the source of soil organic matter eroded from temperate forest catchments using carbon and nitrogen isotopes

McCorkle, Emma P.; Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw; Hunsaker, Carolyn T.; Johnson, Dale W.; McFarlane, Karis J.; Fogel, Marilyn L.; Hart, Stephen C.

doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2016.04.025

Title: Tracing the source of soil organic matter eroded from temperate forest catchments using carbon and nitrogen isotopes

Journal Article · Fri Apr 29 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Chemical Geology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2016.04.025· OSTI ID:1368004

McCorkle, Emma P. ^[1];

^[1]; Hunsaker, Carolyn T. ^[2]; Johnson, Dale W. ^[3]; McFarlane, Karis J. ^[4]; Fogel, Marilyn L. ^[1]; Hart, Stephen C. ^[1]

Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States)
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Fresno, CA (United States)
Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States)
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Here, soil erosion continuously redistributes soil and associated soil organic matter (SOM) on the Earth's surface, with important implications for biogeochemical cycling of essential elements and terrestrial carbon sequestration. Despite the importance of soil erosion, surprisingly few studies have evaluated the sources of eroded carbon (C). We used natural abundance levels of the stable and radioactive isotopes of C (¹³C and ¹⁴C) and stable isotope of nitrogen (¹⁵N) to elucidate the origins of SOM eroded from low-order catchments along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada of California, USA. Our work was conducted in two relatively undisturbed catchments (low elevation = 1800 m, and high elevation = 2300 m) of the Kings River Experimental Watersheds (KREW) in the Sierra National Forest. Sediment captured in basins at the outlet of each gauged watershed were compared to possible source materials, which included: upland surficial organic horizons (i.e., forest floor) and mineral soils (0–0.6 m) from three landform positions (i.e., crest, backslope, and toeslope), stream bank soils (0–0.6 m), and stream-bed materials (0–0.05 m). We found that most of the organic matter (OM) in the captured sediments was composed of O-horizon material that had high C concentrations. Radiocarbon analyses also showed that the captured OM is composed of modern (post-1950) C, with fraction modern values at or above 1.0. Our results suggest that surface (sheet) erosion, as opposed to channeling through established streams and episodic mass wasting events, is likely the largest source of sediment exported out of these minimally disturbed, headwater catchments. The erosional export of sediment with a high concentration of C, especially in the form of relatively undecomposed litter from the O horizon, suggests that a large fraction of the exported C is likely to be decomposed during or after erosion; hence, it is unlikely that soil erosion acts as a significant net sink for atmospheric CO₂ in these low-order, temperate forest catchments.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; National Science Foundation (NSF); USDA

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 1368004

Report Number(s):: LLNL-JRNL-691043

Journal Information:: Chemical Geology, Vol. 445, Issue C; ISSN 0009-2541

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Citation Metrics:

Cited by: 72 works

Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (60)

A method to detect soil carbon degradation during soil erosion Alewell, C.; Schaub, M.; Conen, F. Biogeosciences, Vol. 6, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-6-2541-2009	journal	January 2009
Soil Moisture Response to Snowmelt and Rainfall in a Sierra Nevada Mixed-Conifer Forest Bales, Roger C.; Hopmans, Jan W.; O'Geen, Anthony T. Vadose Zone Journal, Vol. 10, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2011.0001	journal	January 2011
The boundless carbon cycle Battin, Tom J.; Luyssaert, Sebastiaan; Kaplan, Louis A. Nature Geoscience, Vol. 2, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo618	journal	September 2009
Monitoring soil organic carbon erosion with δ13C and δ15N on experimental field plots in the Venezuelan Andes Bellanger, Boris; Huon, Sylvain; Velasquez, Fernando CATENA, Vol. 58, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2004.03.002	journal	October 2004
Erosion, deposition, and the persistence of soil organic matter: mechanistic considerations and problems with terminology: Som Stabilization in Eroding Landscapes Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw; Kleber, Markus Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, Vol. 38, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3408	journal	May 2013
The Significance of the Erosion-induced Terrestrial Carbon Sink Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw; Harte, John; Harden, Jennifer W. BioScience, Vol. 57, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1641/B570408	journal	April 2007
Persistence of soil organic matter in eroding versus depositional landform positions: EROSION AND SOIL ORGANIC MATTER DYNAMICS Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw; Harden, Jennifer W.; Torn, Margaret S. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 117, Issue G2 https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JG001790	journal	June 2012
Contingency in the direction and mechanics of soil organic matter responses to increased rainfall Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw; Suttle, K. Blake; Burton, Sarah D. Plant and Soil, Vol. 358, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1156-0	journal	March 2012
The influence of soil processes on carbon isotope distribution and turnover in the British uplands Bol, R. A.; Harkness, D. D.; Huang, Y. European Journal of Soil Science, Vol. 50, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2389.1999.00222.x	journal	March 1999
Catchment source contributions to the sediment-bound organic matter degrading salmonid spawning gravels in a lowland river, southern England Collins, A. L.; Williams, L. J.; Zhang, Y. S. Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 456-457 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.03.093	journal	July 2013
Soil development along an elevational transect in the western Sierra Nevada, California Dahlgren, R. A.; Boettinger, J. L.; Huntington, G. L. Geoderma, Vol. 78, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7061(97)00034-7	journal	August 1997
The role of hydrology in annual organic carbon loads and terrestrial organic matter export from a midwestern agricultural watershed Dalzell, Brent J.; Filley, Timothy R.; Harbor, Jon M. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 71, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2006.12.009	journal	March 2007
Potential increase in floods in California’s Sierra Nevada under future climate projections Das, Tapash; Dettinger, Michael D.; Cayan, Daniel R. Climatic Change, Vol. 109, Issue S1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0298-z	journal	November 2011
Lignin signature as a function of land abandonment and erosion in dry luvisols of SE Spain De Baets, S.; Van Oost, K.; Baumann, K. CATENA, Vol. 93 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2012.01.014	journal	June 2012
Soil organic matter turnover is governed by accessibility not recalcitrance Dungait, Jennifer A. J.; Hopkins, David W.; Gregory, Andrew S. Global Change Biology, Vol. 18, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02665.x	journal	March 2012
The Global Carbon Cycle: A Test of Our Knowledge of Earth as a System Falkowski, P. Science, Vol. 290, Issue 5490 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.290.5490.291	journal	October 2000
Effect of Sedimentation on Soil Organic Carbon Content and δ13C Values After 7 Years of Burial Fine, Scott T.; Carter, Brian J. Soil Science, Vol. 178, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1097/SS.0000000000000035	journal	January 2013
The Use of Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes to Study Watershed Erosion Processes Fox, James F.; Papanicolaou, Athanasios N. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Vol. 43, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-1688.2007.00087.x	journal	August 2007
Variable composition of particle-bound organic carbon in steepland river systems Gomez, Basil; Baisden, W. Troy; Rogers, Karyne M. Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 115, Issue F4 https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JF001713	journal	January 2010
Carbon distribution and losses: erosion and deposition effects Gregorich, E. G.; Greer, K. J.; Anderson, D. W. Soil and Tillage Research, Vol. 47, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-1987(98)00117-2	journal	July 1998
Dynamic replacement and loss of soil carbon on eroding cropland Harden, J. W.; Sharpe, J. M.; Parton, W. J. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 13, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1029/1999GB900061	journal	December 1999
Soil Erosion: Data Say C Sink Harden, J. W.; Berhe, A. A.; Torn, M. Science, Vol. 320, Issue 5873 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.320.5873.178	journal	April 2008
The soil production function and landscape equilibrium Heimsath, Arjun M.; Dietrich, William E.; Nishiizumi, Kunihiko Nature, Vol. 388, Issue 6640 https://doi.org/10.1038/41056	journal	July 1997
Riverine particulate organic carbon from an active mountain belt: Importance of landslides: LANDSLIDE MOBILIZED POC Hilton, Robert G.; Galy, Albert; Hovius, Niels Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 22, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GB002905	journal	February 2008
Climatic and geomorphic controls on the erosion of terrestrial biomass from subtropical mountain forest: EROSION OF CARBON FROM MOUNTAIN FOREST Hilton, Robert G.; Galy, Albert; Hovius, Niels Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 26, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GB004314	journal	August 2012
Tansley Review No. 95. 15N natural abundance in soil-plant systems Hogberg, Peter New Phytologist, Vol. 137, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-8137.1997.00808.x	journal	October 1997
Effect of seasonal snow cover on suspended sediment runoff in a mountainous catchment Iida, Toshiaki; Kajihara, Akihiko; Okubo, Hiroshi Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 428-429 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.01.029	journal	March 2012
Carbon and nutrient contents in soils from the Kings River Experimental Watersheds, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California Johnson, D. W.; Hunsaker, C. T.; Glass, D. W. Geoderma, Vol. 160, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2010.10.019	journal	January 2011
How air-drying and rewetting modify soil organic matter characteristics: An assessment to improve data interpretation and inference Kaiser, Michael; Kleber, Markus; Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 80 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.10.018	journal	January 2015
Mountain erosion over 10 yr, 10 k.y., and 10 m.y. time scales Kirchner, James W.; Finkel, Robert C.; Riebe, Clifford S. Geology, Vol. 29, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<0591:MEOYKY>2.0.CO;2	journal	January 2001
Cosmogenic nuclide methods for measuring long-term rates of physical erosion and chemical weathering Kirchner, James W.; Riebe, Clifford S.; Ferrier, Kenneth L. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Vol. 88, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2005.08.060	journal	January 2006
Soil erosion and the global carbon budget Lal, R. Environment International, Vol. 29, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-4120(02)00192-7	journal	July 2003
Preservation of organic matter and alteration of its carbon and nitrogen isotope composition during simulated and in situ early sedimentary diagenesis Lehmann, Moritz F.; Bernasconi, Stefano M.; Barbieri, Alberto Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 66, Issue 20 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7037(02)00968-7	journal	October 2002
Combined use of stable isotopes and fallout radionuclides as soil erosion indicators in a forested mountain site, South Korea Meusburger, K.; Mabit, L.; Park, J. -H. Biogeosciences, Vol. 10, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5627-2013	journal	January 2013
Controls on Natural Nitrogen-15 and Carbon-13 Abundances in Forest Soil Organic Matter Natelhoffer, K. J.; Fry, B. Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 52, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1988.03615995005200060024x	journal	January 1988
Erosion, deposition and replacement of soil organic carbon in Mediterranean catchments: a geomorphological, isotopic and land use change approach Nadeu, E.; Berhe, A. A.; de Vente, J. Biogeosciences, Vol. 9, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-1099-2012	journal	January 2012
Carbon Isotopes in Photosynthesis O'Leary, Marion H. BioScience, Vol. 38, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.2307/1310735	journal	May 1988
Incorporating concentration dependence in stable isotope mixing models Phillips, Donald L.; Koch, Paul L. Oecologia, Vol. 130, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420100786	journal	January 2002
Understanding Earth’s eroding surface with 10Be Portenga, Eric W.; Bierman, Paul R. GSA Today, Vol. 21, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1130/G111A.1	journal	August 2011
Anthropogenic perturbation of the carbon fluxes from land to ocean Regnier, Pierre; Friedlingstein, Pierre; Ciais, Philippe Nature Geoscience, Vol. 6, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1830	journal	June 2013
Discussion: Reporting and Calibration of Post-Bomb ¹⁴C Data Radiocarbon, Vol. 46, Issue 3, p. 1299-1304 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200033154	journal	January 2004
Minimal climatic control on erosion rates in the Sierra Nevada, California Riebe, Clifford S.; Kirchner, James W.; Granger, Darryl E. Geology, Vol. 29, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<0447:MCCOER>2.0.CO;2	journal	January 2001
Preferential erosion of black carbon on steep slopes with slash and burn agriculture Rumpel, C.; Chaplot, V.; Planchon, O. CATENA, Vol. 65, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2005.09.005	journal	January 2006
Rain properties controlling soil splash detachment Salles, Christian; Poesen, Jean Hydrological Processes, Vol. 14, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1085(20000215)14:2<271::AID-HYP925>3.0.CO;2-J	journal	February 2000
Stable carbon isotopes as an indicator for soil degradation in an alpine environment (Urseren Valley, Switzerland): Stable carbon isotopes to detect soil degradation Schaub, Monika; Alewell, Christine Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, Vol. 23, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.4030	journal	April 2009
Persistence of soil organic matter as an ecosystem property Schmidt, Michael W. I.; Torn, Margaret S.; Abiven, Samuel Nature, Vol. 478, Issue 7367 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10386	journal	October 2011
The Selection Erosion of Plant Nutrients in Runoff Sharpley, A. N. Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 49, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1985.03615995004900060039x	journal	November 1985
Soils and climate change Smith, Pete Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Vol. 4, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2012.06.005	journal	November 2012
Soil carbon and nitrogen erosion in forested catchments: implications for erosion-induced terrestrial carbon sequestration Stacy, E. M.; Hart, S. C.; Hunsaker, C. T. Biogeosciences, Vol. 12, Issue 16 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4861-2015	journal	January 2015
Terrestrial sedimentation and the carbon cycle: Coupling weathering and erosion to carbon burial Stallard, Robert F. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 12, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1029/98GB00741	journal	June 1998
Soil organic carbon pools in the northern circumpolar permafrost region: SOIL ORGANIC CARBON POOLS Tarnocai, C.; Canadell, J. G.; Schuur, E. A. G. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 23, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GB003327	journal	June 2009
Age of soil Organic Matter and soil Respiration: Radiocarbon Constraints on Belowground c Dynamics Trumbore, Susan Ecological Applications, Vol. 10, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(2000)010[0399:AOSOMA]2.0.CO;2	journal	April 2000
Radiocarbon and Soil Carbon Dynamics Trumbore, Susan Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Vol. 37, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.earth.36.031207.124300	journal	May 2009
AMS 14C Measurements of Fractionated Soil Organic Matter: An Approach to Deciphering the Soil Carbon Cycle Trumbore, S. E.; Vogel, J. S.; Southon, J. R. Radiocarbon, Vol. 31, Issue 03 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200012248	journal	January 1989
Rapid Exchange Between Soil Carbon and Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Driven by Temperature Change Trumbore, S. E.; Chadwick, O. A.; Amundson, R. Science, Vol. 272, Issue 5260 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.272.5260.393	journal	April 1996
The Impact of Agricultural Soil Erosion on the Global Carbon Cycle Van Oost, K.; Quine, T. A.; Govers, G. Science, Vol. 318, Issue 5850 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1145724	journal	October 2007
The River Continuum Concept Vannote, Robin L.; Minshall, G. Wayne; Cummins, Kenneth W. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Vol. 37, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1139/f80-017	journal	January 1980
Performance of catalytically condensed carbon for use in accelerator mass spectrometry Vogel, J. S.; Southon, J. R.; Nelson, D. E. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 5, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-583X(84)90529-9	journal	November 1984
Radiocarbon Dating of Soil Organic Matter Wang, Yang; Amundson, Ronald; Trumbore, Susan Quaternary Research, Vol. 45, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1006/qres.1996.0029	journal	May 1996
Erosion of upland hillslope soil organic carbon: Coupling field measurements with a sediment transport model: SOIL EROSION AND CARBON CYCLE Yoo, Kyungsoo; Amundson, Ronald; Heimsath, Arjun M. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 19, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GB002271	journal	July 2005

Cited By (11)

Sediment Fingerprinting Suggests Differential Suspended Particulate Matter Formation and Transport Processes Across Hydrologic Regimes Rose, L. A.; Karwan, D. L.; Aufdenkampe, A. K. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 123, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1002/2017jg004210	journal	April 2018
Stabilization Mechanisms and Decomposition Potential of Eroded Soil Organic Matter Pools in Temperate Forests of the Sierra Nevada, California Stacy, Erin M.; Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw; Hunsaker, Carolyn T. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 124, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jg004566	journal	January 2019
Temperature and moisture are minor drivers of regional-scale soil organic carbon dynamics González-Domínguez, B.; Niklaus, P. A.; Studer, M. S. Scientific Reports, Vol. 9, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-42629-5	journal	April 2019
Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory and Kings River Experimental Watersheds: A Synthesis of Measurements, New Insights, and Future Directions O'Geen, Anthony Toby; Safeeq, Mohammad; Wagenbrenner, Joseph Vadose Zone Journal, Vol. 17, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2018.04.0081	journal	January 2018
Pyrogenic Carbon Erosion: Implications for Stock and Persistence of Pyrogenic Carbon in Soil Abney, Rebecca B.; Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw Frontiers in Earth Science, Vol. 6 https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2018.00026	journal	March 2018
Effects of Pretreatment Methods of Wheat Straw on Adsorption of Cd(II) from Waterlogged Paddy Soil Wu, Mengjie; Liu, Hongyu; Yang, Chunping International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 16, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16020205	journal	January 2019
Quantifying nutrient uptake as driver of rock weathering in forest ecosystems by magnesium stable isotopes Uhlig, David; Schuessler, Jan A.; Bouchez, Julien Biogeosciences, Vol. 14, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3111-2017	journal	January 2017
Spatially distributed water-balance and meteorological data from the rain–snow transition, southern Sierra Nevada, California Bales, Roger; Stacy, Erin; Safeeq, Mohammad Earth System Science Data, Vol. 10, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1795-2018	journal	January 2018
Thermal alteration of soil organic matter properties: a systematic study to infer response of Sierra Nevada climosequence soils to forest fires Araya, Samuel N.; Fogel, Marilyn L.; Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw SOIL, Vol. 3, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-3-31-2017	journal	January 2017
Temperature and moisture are minor drivers of regional-scale soil organic carbon dynamics González-Domínguez, Beatriz; Niklaus, Pascal A.; Studer, Mirjam S. ETH Zurich https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000340414	text	January 2019
Thermal alteration of soil organic matter properties: a systematic study to infer response of Sierra Nevada climosequence soils to forest fires Araya, Samuel N.; Fogel, Marilyn L.; Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw Soil Discussions https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2016-57	journal	September 2016

Similar Records

Impacts of climate and disturbance on nutrient fluxes and stoichiometry in mixed-conifer forests

Journal Article · Tue Jan 18 00:00:00 EST 2022 · Biogeochemistry · OSTI ID:1368004

Yang, Yang; Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw; Hunsaker, Carolyn T.; +9 more

Thermokarst lake methanogenesis along a complete talik profile

Journal Article · Fri Jul 24 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Biogeosciences (Online) · OSTI ID:1368004

Heslop, J. K.; Walter Anthony, K. M.; Sepulveda-Jauregui, A.; +4 more

Biogeochemistry of lead in McDonalds Branch Watershed, New Jersey Pine Barrens

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985 · J. Environ. Qual.; (United States) · OSTI ID:1368004

Turner, R S; Johnson, A H; Wang, D

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
Erosion
Radiocarbon
Sediment sources
Sierra Nevada
Soil organic matter
Stable isotopes

Title: Tracing the source of soil organic matter eroded from temperate forest catchments using carbon and nitrogen isotopes

Citation Formats

References (60)

Cited By (11)

Similar Records

Related Subjects