Responses of Soils to Climate Change

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the responses of soil to climate change. Increased trace gas concentrations in the atmosphere are forcing climate change towards warmer and drier conditions at mid-latitudes and longer summer seasons and higher temperatures at high latitudes. This chapter considers the effects of climate on carbon dynamics in soils through interactions of vegetation, topography, soil physicochemical conditions and parent material. Processes of soil organic matter formation, carbon dating and manipulative experiments are considered which show that the carbon pools formed in cold soils are susceptible to increased mineralization rates if soil temperatures increase. Under current projections of climate-warming, soils at high latitudes could release about 1 Gt C year over the next 50-60 years; a comparable flux to current effects of deforestation in the tropics and about 20% of industrial emissions. Warmer, more developed soils contain larger pools of stabilized carbon formed through interactions with soil minerals, but the rate of accumulation associated with changing plant/soil relationships is unlikely to constitute a significant carbon sink on any immediate time-scale. The net shifts in carbon pools in vegetation and soil as a consequence of enrichment by CO 2 and N deposition affecting the quantity, quality, and location of plant production are major uncertainties in current projections of global carbon balances.

[1]  W. D. Billings,et al.  Carbon Dioxide Flux from Tundra Soils and Vegetation as Related to Temperature at Barrow, Alaska , 1975 .

[2]  I. Fung,et al.  Observational Contrains on the Global Atmospheric Co2 Budget , 1990, Science.

[3]  T. Moore.  CONTROLS ON THE DECOMPOSITION OF ORGANIC MATTER IN SUBARCTIC SPRUCE‐LICHEN WOODLAND SOILS , 1981 .

[4]  R. Newman,et al.  THE OCCURRENCE OF INTERLAYER CLAY‐ORGANIC COMPLEXES IN TWO NEW ZEALAND SOILS , 1986 .

[5]  John F. Muratore,et al.  Nitrogen and Lignin Control of Hardwood Leaf Litter Decomposition Dynamics , 1982 .

[6]  W. Schlesinger.  Carbon Balance in Terrestrial Detritus , 1977 .

[7]  A. T. Bleak.  Disappearance of Plant Material Under a Winter Snow Cover , 1970 .

[8]  Inez Y. Fung,et al.  Boreal forests and atmosphere–biosphere exchange of carbon dioxide , 1987, Nature.

[9]  M. Harmon,et al.  Effects on Carbon Storage of Conversion of Old-Growth Forests to Young Forests , 1990, Science.

[10]  Syukuro Manabe,et al.  Sensitivity of a global climate model to an increase of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere , 1980 .

[11]  Richard A. Houghton,et al.  The global effects of tropical deforestation , 1990 .

[12]  J. Stewart,et al.  Light and electron microscopy of stained microaggregates: the role of organic matter and microbes in soil aggregation , 1988 .

[13]  D. S. Jenkinson,et al.  THE TURNOVER OF SOIL ORGANIC MATTER IN SOME OF THE ROTHAMSTED CLASSICAL EXPERIMENTS , 1977 .

[14]  J. Kiehl,et al.  Inadequacy of effective CO2 as a proxy in simulating the greenhouse effect of other radiatively active gases , 1991, Nature.

[15]  George M. Woodwell,et al.  The flux of carbon from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere in 1980 due to changes in land use: geographic distribution of the global flux , 1987 .

[16]  W. Parton,et al.  Grassland biogeochemistry: Links to atmospheric processes , 1990 .

[17]  P. Sánchez,et al.  Nitrogen release from the leaves of some tropical legumes as affected by their lignin and polyphenolic contents , 1991 .

[18]  I. Fung,et al.  The sensitivity of terrestrial carbon storage to climate change , 1990, Nature.

[19]  R. Buschbom,et al.  The interdependent effects of soil temperature and water content on soil respiration rate and plant root decomposition in arid grassland soils , 1975 .

[20]  K. Tate,et al.  Pyrolysis-gas chromatography studies on a climosequence of soils in tussock grasslands, New Zealand , 1976 .

[21]  P. Jansson,et al.  Temporal variation of litter decomposition in relation to simulated soil climate. Long-term decomposition in a Scots pine forest. V , 1985 .

[22]  E. Paul,et al.  APPLICABILITY OF THE CARBON‐DATING METHOD OF ANALYSIS TO SOIL HUMUS STUDIES , 1967 .

[23]  J. Melillo,et al.  The potential storage of carbon caused by eutrophication of the biosphere , 1985 .

[24]  J. Lerner,et al.  Positive water vapour feedback in climate models confirmed by satellite data , 1991, Nature.

[25]  Hari Eswaran,et al.  Organic Carbon in Soils of the World , 1993 .

[26]  J. J. Schoenau,et al.  Organic matter leaching as a component of carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur Cycles in a forest, grassland, and Gleyed soil , 1987 .

[27]  J. Silvola.  Carbon dioxide dynamics in mires reclaimed for forestry in eastern Finland , 1986 .

[28]  C. Federer.  Organic matter and nitrogen content of the forest floor in even-aged northern hardwoods , 1984 .

[29]  D. Schell,et al.  Carbon-13 and Carbon-14 Abundances in Alaskan Aquatic Organisms: Delayed Production from Peat in Arctic Food Webs , 1983, Science.

[30]  R. T. Watson,et al.  Greenhouse gases and aerosols , 1990 .

[31]  W. Parton,et al.  Analysis of factors controlling soil organic matter levels in Great Plains grasslands , 1987 .

[32]  L. H. Sørensen,et al.  Carbon-nitrogen relationships during the humification of cellulose in soils containing different amounts of clay , 1981 .

[33]  T. Moore.  LITTER DECOMPOSITION IN A SUBARCTIC SPRUCE-LICHEN WOODLAND, EASTERN CANADA' , 1984 .

[34]  H. Shugart,et al.  Response to comment: Climatic change and the broad-scale distribution of terrestrial ecosystem complexes , 1985 .

[35]  K. Cleve,et al.  Nutrient cycling in relation to decomposition and organic-matter quality in taiga ecosystems , 1983 .

[36]  R. Cicerone,et al.  Biogeochemical aspects of atmospheric methane , 1988 .

[37]  Ghanshyam L. Vaghjiani,et al.  New measurement of the rate coefficient for the reaction of OH with methane , 1991, Nature.

[38]  D. Anderson.  The effect of parent material and soil development on nutrient cycling in temperate ecosystems , 1988 .

[39]  R. Barry.  Possible CO2-Induced Warming Effects on the Cryosphere , 1984 .

[40]  W. Reeburgh,et al.  A methane flux time series for tundra environments , 1988 .

[41]  A. Bouwman.  Land use related sources of greenhouse gases. Present emissions and possible future trends , 1990 .

[42]  W. Schlesinger.  Evidence from chronosequence studies for a low carbon-storage potential of soils , 1990, Nature.

[43]  Leslie A. Viereck,et al.  Vegetation, soils, and forest productivity in selected forest types in interior Alaska , 1983 .

[44]  J. Tisdall,et al.  Organic matter and water‐stable aggregates in soils , 1982 .

[45]  H. William Hunt,et al.  A Simulation Model for Decomposition in Grasslands , 1977 .

[46]  V. Lieffers,et al.  Assessment of patterns of response of tree ring growth of black spruce following peatland drainage , 1989 .

[47]  C. Hall,et al.  Tropical Forests and the Global Carbon Cycle , 1988, Science.

[48]  T. Seastedt.  Mass, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Dynamics in Foliage and Root Detritus of Tallgrass Prairie , 1988 .

[49]  W. H. Jack,et al.  The Growth of Sitka Spruce on Poorly Drained Soils in Northern Ireland , 1970 .

[50]  Göran I. Ågren,et al.  Theoretical Analysis of the Long-Term Dynamics of Carbon and Nitrogen in Soils , 1987 .

[51]  D. Jenkinson,et al.  Model estimates of CO2 emissions from soil in response to global warming , 1991, Nature.

[52]  F. Chapin.  Controls Over Growth and Nutrient Use by Taiga Forest Trees , 1986 .

[53]  David T. Tissue,et al.  Response of Eriophorum Vaginatum to Elevated CO_2 and Temperature in the Alaskan Tussock Tundra , 1987 .

[54]  Björn Berg,et al.  Apparent controls of mass loss rate of leaf litter on a regional scale , 1990 .

[55]  Knute J. Nadelhoffer,et al.  Belowground Carbon Allocation in Forest Ecosystems: Global Trends , 1989 .

[56]  W. McGill,et al.  FRACTIONATION OF SOIL AND 15N NITROGEN TO SEPARATE THE ORGANIC AND CLAY INTERACTIONS OF IMMOBILIZED N , 1976 .

[57]  C. Ping.  Soil temperature profiles of two Alaskan soils , 1987 .

[58]  P. Wernier.  Changes in soil properties during tropical wet forest succession in Costa Rica , 1984 .

[59]  W. Reeburgh,et al.  A methane flux transect along the trans-Alaska pipeline haul road , 1990 .

[60]  Peter M. Vitousek,et al.  Nutrient Cycling and Nutrient Use Efficiency , 1982, The American Naturalist.

[61]  J. Oades,et al.  The retention of organic matter in soils , 1988 .

[62]  R. Houghton,et al.  Land-use change in the Soviet Union between 1850 and 1980: causes of a net release of CO2 to the atmosphere , 1988 .

[63]  W. Covington.  Changes in Forest Floor Organic Matter and Nutrient Content Following Clear Cutting in Northern Hardwoods , 1981 .

[64]  Wilfred M. Post,et al.  Soil carbon pools and world life zones , 1982, Nature.

[65]  John Pastor,et al.  Response of northern forests to CO2-induced climate change , 1988, Nature.

[66]  F. Bunnell,et al.  Microbial respiration and substrate weight loss—I , 1977 .

[67]  M. Brklacich,et al.  Implications of a Global Climatic Warming for Agriculture: A Review and Appraisal , 1988 .

[68]  M. J. Jones,et al.  THE ORGANIC MATTER CONTENT OF THE SAVANNA SOILS OF WEST AFRICA , 1973 .

[69]  V. Meentemeyer,et al.  Regional variation in rate of mass loss of Pinus sylvestris needle litter in Swedish pine forests as influenced by climate and litter quality , 1986 .

[70]  Eric S. Menges,et al.  Patterns of Change in the Carbon Balance of Organic Soil-Wetlands of the Temperate Zone , 1986 .

[71]  H. Delcourt,et al.  Carbon Budget of the Southeastern U.S. Biota: Analysis of Historical Change in Trend from Source to Sink , 1980, Science.

[72]  B. R. Taylor,et al.  Nitrogen and Lignin Content as Predictors of Litter Decay Rates: A Microcosm Test , 1989 .

[73]  Sandra Brown,et al.  The Storage and Production of Organic Matter in Tropical Forests and Their Role in the Global Carbon Cycle , 1982 .

[74]  D. Lashof.  The dynamic greenhouse: Feedback processes that may influence future concentrations of atmospheric trace gases and climatic change , 1989 .

[75]  J. Yarie,et al.  Interaction of Temperature, Moisture, and Soil Chemistry in Controlling Nutrient Cycling and Ecosystem Development in the Taiga of Alaska , 1986 .

[76]  Paul J. Crutzen,et al.  Methane's sinks and sources , 1991, Nature.

[77]  P. Vitousek.  Can planted forests counteract increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide , 1991 .

[78]  W. Reeburgh,et al.  Consumption of atmospheric methane by tundra soils , 1990, Nature.

[79]  Terry V. Callaghan,et al.  Effects on Ecosystems , 1992, Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics.

[80]  M. Fasham,et al.  Spatial variability in the sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide in the North Atlantic , 1991, Nature.

[81]  D. I. Sebacher,et al.  Atmospheric methane sources: Alaskan tundra bogs, an alpine fen, and a subarctic boreal marsh , 1986 .

[82]  W. Post,et al.  Influence of climate, soil moisture, and succession on forest carbon and nitrogen cycles , 1986 .

[83]  G. A. Nielsen,et al.  Organic Carbon in Montana Soils as Related to Clay Content and Climate , 1986 .

[84]  E. Paul,et al.  Use of radiocarbon dating of organic matter in the study of soil genesis , 1974 .

[85]  C. Shaw,et al.  Faecal microbiology of Octolasion tyrtaeum, Aporrectea turgida and Lumbricus terrestris and its relation to the carbon budgets of three artificial soils , 1986, Pedobiologia.

[86]  W. Zech,et al.  CP-MAS-13C-NMR-Spektren organischer Lagen einer Tangelrendzina , 1985 .

[87]  J. Proctor,et al.  ECOLOGICAL STUDIES IN FOUR CONTRASTING LOWLAND RAIN FORESTS IN GUNUNG MULU NATIONAL PARK, SARAWAK III. DECOMPOSITION PROCESSES AND NUTRIENT LOSSES FROM LEAF , 1983 .

[88]  B. Berg,et al.  Lignin and holocellulose relations during long-term decomposition of some forest litters. Long-term decomposition in a Scots pine forest. IV , 1984 .

[89]  H. G. Miller.  Forest Fertilization: Some Guiding Concepts , 1981 .

[90]  Leslie A. Viereck,et al.  Taiga Ecosystems in Interior Alaska , 1983 .

[91]  J. Anderson.  Carbon Dioxide Evolution from Two Temperate, Deciduous Woodland Soils , 1973 .

[92]  Ralph J. Cicerone,et al.  Sources of atmospheric methane: Measurements in rice paddies and a discussion , 1981 .

[93]  J. Aber,et al.  Litter decomposition: measuring relative contributions of organic matter and nitrogen to forest soils. , 1980 .

[94]  M. Harmon,et al.  Ecology of Coarse Woody Debris in Temperate Ecosystems , 1986 .

[95]  M. Cheshire,et al.  TRANSFORMATION OF SUGARS WHEN RYE HEMICELLULOSE LABELLED WITH 14C DECOMPOSES IN SOIL , 1974 .

[96]  R. Houghton,et al.  Atmospheric carbon dioxide from deforestation in Southeast Asia , 1986 .

[97]  J. Yarie.  Environmental and successional relationships of the forest communities of the Porcupine River drainage, interior Alaska , 1983 .

[98]  D. Lashof,et al.  Relative contributions of greenhouse gas emissions to global warming , 1990, Nature.

[99]  J. Oades,et al.  Decomposition of plant material in Australian soils. III. Residual organic and microbial biomass C and N from isotope-labelled legume material and soil organic matter, decomposing under field conditions , 1985 .

[100]  Julia C. Allen.  Soil Response to Forest Clearing in the United States and the Tropics: Geological and Biological Factors , 1985 .

[101]  D. Anderson.  PROCESSES OF HUMUS FORMATION AND TRANSFORMATION IN SOILS OF THE CANADIAN GREAT PLAINS , 1979 .

[102]  T. A. Rafter,et al.  RADIOCARBON ENRICHMENT OF SOIL ORGANIC MATTER FRACTIONS IN NEW ZEALAND SOILS , 1977 .

[103]  W. Schlesinger,et al.  DECOMPOSITION OF CHAPARRAL SHRUB FOLIAGE: LOSSES OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC CONSTITUENTS FROM DECIDUOUS AND EVERGREEN LEAVES' , 1981 .

[104]  T. Armentano,et al.  The role of temperate zone forests in the global carbon cycle , 1980 .

[105]  G. Ågren,et al.  Decomposition of needle litter and its organic chemical components: theory and field experiments. Long-term decomposition in a Scots pine forest. III , 1984 .

[106]  Herman H. Shugart,et al.  The sensitivity of some high-latitude boreal forests to climatic parameters , 1990 .

[107]  F. E. Egler.  Ecosystems of the World , 1960 .

[108]  D. Jenkinson,et al.  Soil organic matter and its dynamics. , 1988 .

[109]  B. Barkstrom,et al.  Cloud-Radiative Forcing and Climate: Results from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment , 1989, Science.

[110]  J. R. Mackay,et al.  Snow Cover and Ground Temperatures, Garry Island, N.W.T. , 1974 .

[111]  Herman H. Shugart,et al.  Climatic change and the broad-scale distribution of terrestrial ecosystem complexes , 1985 .

[112]  W. Parton,et al.  Methane and nitrous oxide fluxes in native, fertilized and cultivated grasslands , 1991, Nature.

[113]  H. Scharpenseel,et al.  Radiocarbon dating of soils, a review , 1977 .