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Title: Environmental forcing does not induce diel or synoptic variation in the carbon isotope content of forest soil respiration

Abstract

Recent studies have examined temporal fluctuations in the amount and carbon isotope content (δ13C) of CO2 produced by the respiration of roots and soil organisms. These changes have been correlated with diel cycles of environmental forcing (e.g., sunlight and soil temperature) and with synoptic-scale atmospheric motion (e.g., rain events and pressure-induced ventilation). We used an extensive suite of measurements to examine soil respiration over 2 months in a subalpine forest in Colorado, USA (the Niwot Ridge AmeriFlux forest). Observations included automated measurements of CO2 and δ13C of CO2 in the soil efflux, the soil gas profile, and forest air. There was strong diel variability in soil efflux but no diel change in the δ13C of the soil efflux (δR) or the CO2 produced by biological activity in the soil (δJ). Following rain, soil efflux increased significantly, but δR and δJ did not change. Temporal variation in the δ13C of the soil efflux was unrelated to measured environmental variables, and we failed to find an explanation for this unexpected result. Measurements of the δ13C of the soil efflux with chambers agreed closely with independent observations of the isotopic composition of soil CO2 production derived from soil gas well measurements. Deeper inmore » the soil profile and at the soil surface, results confirmed established theory regarding diffusive soil gas transport and isotopic fractionation. Deviation from best-fit diffusion model results at the shallower depths illuminated a pump-induced ventilation artifact that should be anticipated and avoided in future studies. There was no evidence of natural pressure-induced ventilation of the deep soil. However, higher variability in δ13C of the soil efflux relative to δ13C of production derived from soil profile measurements was likely caused by transient pressure-induced transport with small horizontal length scales.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [3]
  1. Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)
  2. Dalhousie Univ., Halifax, NS (Canada)
  3. St. Francis Xavier Univ., Antigonish, NS (Canada)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Earth and Environmental Systems Science Division
OSTI Identifier:
1425452
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0010625
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Biogeosciences (Online)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 12; Journal Issue: 16; Journal ID: ISSN 1726-4189
Publisher:
European Geosciences Union
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Citation Formats

Bowling, D. R., Egan, J. E., Hall, S. J., and Risk, D. A. Environmental forcing does not induce diel or synoptic variation in the carbon isotope content of forest soil respiration. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.5194/bg-12-5143-2015.
Bowling, D. R., Egan, J. E., Hall, S. J., & Risk, D. A. Environmental forcing does not induce diel or synoptic variation in the carbon isotope content of forest soil respiration. United States. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-5143-2015
Bowling, D. R., Egan, J. E., Hall, S. J., and Risk, D. A. 2015. "Environmental forcing does not induce diel or synoptic variation in the carbon isotope content of forest soil respiration". United States. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-5143-2015. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1425452.
@article{osti_1425452,
title = {Environmental forcing does not induce diel or synoptic variation in the carbon isotope content of forest soil respiration},
author = {Bowling, D. R. and Egan, J. E. and Hall, S. J. and Risk, D. A.},
abstractNote = {Recent studies have examined temporal fluctuations in the amount and carbon isotope content (δ13C) of CO2 produced by the respiration of roots and soil organisms. These changes have been correlated with diel cycles of environmental forcing (e.g., sunlight and soil temperature) and with synoptic-scale atmospheric motion (e.g., rain events and pressure-induced ventilation). We used an extensive suite of measurements to examine soil respiration over 2 months in a subalpine forest in Colorado, USA (the Niwot Ridge AmeriFlux forest). Observations included automated measurements of CO2 and δ13C of CO2 in the soil efflux, the soil gas profile, and forest air. There was strong diel variability in soil efflux but no diel change in the δ13C of the soil efflux (δR) or the CO2 produced by biological activity in the soil (δJ). Following rain, soil efflux increased significantly, but δR and δJ did not change. Temporal variation in the δ13C of the soil efflux was unrelated to measured environmental variables, and we failed to find an explanation for this unexpected result. Measurements of the δ13C of the soil efflux with chambers agreed closely with independent observations of the isotopic composition of soil CO2 production derived from soil gas well measurements. Deeper in the soil profile and at the soil surface, results confirmed established theory regarding diffusive soil gas transport and isotopic fractionation. Deviation from best-fit diffusion model results at the shallower depths illuminated a pump-induced ventilation artifact that should be anticipated and avoided in future studies. There was no evidence of natural pressure-induced ventilation of the deep soil. However, higher variability in δ13C of the soil efflux relative to δ13C of production derived from soil profile measurements was likely caused by transient pressure-induced transport with small horizontal length scales.},
doi = {10.5194/bg-12-5143-2015},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1425452}, journal = {Biogeosciences (Online)},
issn = {1726-4189},
number = 16,
volume = 12,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Aug 31 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Mon Aug 31 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}

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Cited by: 30 works
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Works referenced in this record:

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  • Canadell, Pep
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Assessing the use ofδ13C natural abundance in separation of root and microbial respiration in a Danish beech(Fagus sylvatica L.) forest
journal, April 2004


Direct nocturnal water transfer from oaks to their mycorrhizal symbionts during severe soil drying
journal, January 2003


Coupling of canopy gas exchange with root and rhizosphere respiration in a semi-arid forest
journal, March 2005


Sources of CO2 efflux from soil and review of partitioning methods
journal, March 2006


Rainfall-induced carbon dioxide pulses result from sequential resuscitation of phylogenetically clustered microbial groups
journal, June 2012


Allocation and residence time of photosynthetic products in a boreal forest using a low-level 14 C pulse-chase labeling technique
journal, February 2007


Does photosynthesis affect grassland soil-respired CO 2 and its carbon isotope composition on a diurnal timescale?
journal, February 2009


Measuring Canopy Structure and the Kinematics of Subcanopy Flows in Two Forests
journal, August 2005


Calculating isotopic fractionation from atmospheric measurements at various scales
journal, January 2003


Measuring and modelling the isotopic composition of soil respiration: insights from a grassland tracer experiment
journal, January 2011


Carbon allocation and carbon isotope fluxes in the plant-soil-atmosphere continuum: a review
journal, January 2011


Works referencing / citing this record:

Estimating Soil Respiration in a Subalpine Landscape Using Point, Terrain, Climate, and Greenness Data
journal, October 2018


Summer dry-down modulates the isotopic composition of soil CO2 production in snow-dominated landscapes
journal, May 2018