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Geosciences
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Properties, Developments and Processes of Soils as Carbon Sinks
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Properties, Developments and Processes of Soils as Carbon Sinks

A special issue of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2019) | Viewed by 12289

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jose Luis Diaz-Hernandez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Junta de Andalucía, Granada, Spain
Interests: bio-geochemical cycles; feedback on carbon sequestration; global carbon cycle; soil carbon sequestration; soil carbon sequestration rates; soil chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Atmospheric carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems – mainly in soils – provides an opportunity to counteract carbon dioxide emissions and is the most reliable strategy to correctly redirect the changes occurring in the atmosphere. It is a long process from carbon dioxide capture in the atmosphere to its becoming fixed through photosynthesis in plants and soils. The rate of soil carbon sequestration (both as organic (SOC) and inorganic (SIC) carbon), stock sizes and their evolution represent complex interactions between climate, plants and the geological substratum. Although many studies have been conducted along these lines, there are still many gaps in our knowledge of the subject.

We therefore encourage contributions on this “Special Subject” by researchers in this field, including experimental studies, monitoring studies, evaluation of stocks, and models, in order to improve our understanding of the processes involved in soil carbon sequestration, as well as the most effective ways of increasing this storage in time and amount.

Dr. Jose Luis Diaz-Hernandez
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Bio-geochemical cycles
  • Feedback on carbon sequestration
  • Global carbon cycle
  • Soil carbon sequestration
  • Soil carbon sequestration rates
  • Soil sampling depth

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 8257 KiB  
Article
Use of Aerial Laser Scanning to Assess the Effect on C Sequestration of Oak (Quercus ilex L. subsp. ballota [Desf.]Samp-Q. suber L.) Afforestation on Agricultural Land
by Miguel A. Lara-Gómez, Rafael M. Navarro-Cerrillo, Carlos J. Ceacero, Francisco J. Ruiz-Goméz, José Luis Díaz-Hernández and Guillermo Palacios Rodriguez
Geosciences 2020, 10(2), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10020041 - 23 Jan 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3018
Abstract
Conversion of agricultural lands to forest plantations to mitigate rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) has been proposed, but it depends on accurate estimation of the on-site carbon (C) stocks distribution. The use of aerial laser scanning (ALS) data is a rapidly [...] Read more.
Conversion of agricultural lands to forest plantations to mitigate rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) has been proposed, but it depends on accurate estimation of the on-site carbon (C) stocks distribution. The use of aerial laser scanning (ALS) data is a rapidly evolving technology for the quantification of C stocks. We evaluated the use of allometric models together with high-density ALS data for the quantification of biomass and soil C stocks in a 14-year-old Quercus ilex and Q. suber plantation in Southwestern Spain. In 2010, a field survey was performed and tree dasometric and biomass variables were measured. Forty-five soil profiles (N = 180 soil samples) were taken systematically and the soil organic C content (SOC) was determined. Biomass and soil organic C values were regressed against individual dasometric variables and total tree height was used as a predictor variable. Aerial laser scanning data were acquired with a point density of 12 points m−2. Relationships among ALS metrics and tree height were determined using stepwise regression models and used in the allometric models to estimate biomass and SOC C stocks. Finally, a C stock map of the holm-cork oak cover in the study area was generated. We found a tree total biomass of 27.9 kg tree−1 for holm oak and 41.1 kg tree−1 for cork oak. In the holm oak plantation, the SOC content was 36.90 Mg ha−1 for the layer 0–40 cm (SOC40) under the tree crown and 29.26 Mg ha−1 for the inter-planted area, with significant differences from the reference agricultural land (33.35 Mg ha−1). Linear regression models were developed to predict the biomass and SOC at the tree scale, based on tree height (R2 > 0.72 for biomass, and R2 > 0.62 for SOC). The overall on-site C stock in the holm-cork oak plantation was 35.11 Mg ha−1, representing a net C stock rise of 0.47 Mg ha−1 yr−1. The ALS data allows a reliable estimation of C stocks in holm and cork oak plantations and high-resolution maps of on-site C stocks are useful for silvicultural planning. The cost of ALS data acquisition has decreased and this method can be generalised to plantations of other Mediterranean species established on agricultural lands at regional scales. However, an increase of filed data and the availability of local biomass and, in particular, SOC will improve accurate quantification of the C stocks from allometric equations, and extrapolation to large planted areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties, Developments and Processes of Soils as Carbon Sinks)
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21 pages, 5233 KiB  
Article
Assessment of the Carbon Stock in Pine Plantations in Southern Spain through ALS Data and K-Nearest Neighbor Algorithm Based Models
by Miguel A. Navarrete-Poyatos, Rafael M. Navarro-Cerrillo, Miguel A. Lara-Gómez, Joaquín Duque-Lazo, Maria de los Angeles Varo and Guillermo Palacios Rodriguez
Geosciences 2019, 9(10), 442; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9100442 - 17 Oct 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4146
Abstract
Accurate estimation of forest biomass to enable the mapping of forest C stocks over large areas is of considerable interest nowadays. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) systems bring a new perspective to forest inventories and subsequent biomass estimation. The objective of this research was [...] Read more.
Accurate estimation of forest biomass to enable the mapping of forest C stocks over large areas is of considerable interest nowadays. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) systems bring a new perspective to forest inventories and subsequent biomass estimation. The objective of this research was to combine growth models used to update old inventory data to a reference year, low-density ALS data, and k-nearest neighbor (kNN) algorithm Random Forest to conduct biomass inventories aimed at estimating the C sequestration capacity in large Pinus plantations. We obtained a C stock in biomass (Wt-S) of 12.57 Mg·ha−1, ranging significantly from 19.93 Mg·ha−1 for P. halepensis to 49.05 Mg·ha−1 for P. nigra, and a soil organic C stock of the composite soil samples (0–40 cm) ranging from 20.41 Mg·ha−1 in P. sylvestris to 37.32 Mg·ha−1 in P. halepensis. When generalizing these data to the whole area, we obtained an overall C-stock value of 48.01 MgC·ha−1, ranging from 23.96 MgC·ha−1 for P. halepensis to 58.09 MgC·ha−1 for P. nigra. Considering the mean value of the on-site C stock, the study area sustains 1,289,604 Mg per hectare (corresponding to 4,732,869 Mg CO2), with a net increase of 4.79 Mg·ha−1·year−1. Such C cartography can help forest managers to improve forest silviculture with regard to C sequestration and, thus, climate change mitigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties, Developments and Processes of Soils as Carbon Sinks)
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27 pages, 6676 KiB  
Article
Microtopography Controls of Carbon and Related Elements Distribution in the West Siberian Frozen Bogs
by Sergey Loiko, Tatiana Raudina, Artem Lim, Daria Kuzmina, Sergey Kulizhskiy and Oleg Pokrovsky
Geosciences 2019, 9(7), 291; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9070291 - 30 Jun 2019
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4681
Abstract
The West Siberian Plain stands out among other boreal plains by phenomenal bogging, which has both global and regional significance. The polygonal bogs, frozen raised-mound bogs, and ombrotrophic ridge-hollow raised bogs are the most extensive bog types in the study area. These bogs [...] Read more.
The West Siberian Plain stands out among other boreal plains by phenomenal bogging, which has both global and regional significance. The polygonal bogs, frozen raised-mound bogs, and ombrotrophic ridge-hollow raised bogs are the most extensive bog types in the study area. These bogs commonly show highly diverse surface patterns consisting of mounds, polygons, ridges, hollows, and fens that correspond to the microtopes. Here we investigated how the microtopographic features of the landscape affect the thermal and hydrologic conditions of the soil as well as the nutrient availability and consequently, the dynamics of carbon and related elements. The effect of the surface heterogeneity on the temperature regimes and depths of permafrost is most significant. All of these factors together are reflected, through the feedback system, by a number of hydrochemical parameters of bog waters, such as dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC, DIC), specific conductivity (Cond), SO42–, Cl–, P, Sr, Al, Ti, Cu, V, B, Cs, Cd, Rb, As, U, and rare earth elements (REEs). Among the studied parameters, DOC, SO42–, Al, V, and Mn differ most significantly between the convex and concave microforms. The DOC content in bog water is significantly affected by the water residence time, which is significantly longer in soils of mound/polygons than fens. Plants biomass is higher on the mounds which also have some effect that, due to leaching, should lead to more carbon entering into the water of the mounds. It is also shown that atmospheric-dust particles have a noticeable effect on the hydrochemical parameters of bog waters, especially on mounds. The ongoing climate warming will lead to an increase in the fens area and to a decrease in the content of DOC and many elements in bog waters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties, Developments and Processes of Soils as Carbon Sinks)
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