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Old soil carbon losses increase with ecosystem respiration in experimentally thawed tundra

Author

Listed:
  • Caitlin E. Hicks Pries

    (University of Florida
    Present address: Climate Sciences Department, Earth Sciences Division, 1 Cyclotron Rd, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA)

  • Edward A. G. Schuur

    (University of Florida
    Present address: Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011, USA)

  • Susan M. Natali

    (University of Florida
    Present address: Woods Hole Research Center, 149 Woods Hole Road, Falmouth, Massachusetts 02540, USA)

  • K. Grace Crummer

    (University of Florida)

Abstract

Old soil carbon (C) respired to the atmosphere as a result of permafrost thaw has the potential to become a large positive feedback to climate change. As permafrost thaws, quantifying old soil contributions to ecosystem respiration (Reco) and understanding how these contributions change with warming is necessary to estimate the size of this positive feedback. We used naturally occurring C isotopes (δ13C and Δ14C) to partition Reco into plant, young soil and old soil sources in a subarctic air and soil warming experiment over three years. We found that old soil contributions to Reco increased with soil temperature and Reco flux. However, the increase in the soil warming treatment was smaller than expected because experimentally warming the soils increased plant contributions to Reco by 30%. On the basis of these data, an increase in mean annual temperature from −5 to 0 °C will increase old soil C losses from moist acidic tundra by 35–55 g C m−2 during the growing season. The largest losses will probably occur where the plant response to warming is minimal.

Suggested Citation

  • Caitlin E. Hicks Pries & Edward A. G. Schuur & Susan M. Natali & K. Grace Crummer, 2016. "Old soil carbon losses increase with ecosystem respiration in experimentally thawed tundra," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 6(2), pages 214-218, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:6:y:2016:i:2:d:10.1038_nclimate2830
    DOI: 10.1038/nclimate2830
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