High-precision differential air pressure measurements were conducted in the below-canopy space of a Scots pine forest and in the forest soil to investigate small air pressure fluctuations and their effect on soil gas flux. In addition to air pressure measurements, tracer gas concentration in the soil and airflow characteristics above and below the canopy were measured. Results suggest that air pressure fluctuations in the frequency range of 0.01 Hz-0.1 Hz are strongly dependent on abovecanopy wind speed. While amplitudes of the observed air pressure fluctuations (<10 Pa) increase significantly with increasing above-canopy wind speed, the periods decrease significantly with increasing above-canopy wind speed. These air pressure fluctuations are associated with the pressure-pumping effect in the soil. A pressure-pumping coefficient was defined, which describes the strength of the pressure-pumping effect. During the measurement period, pressure-pumping coefficients up to 0.44 Pa·s −1 were found. The dependence of the pressure-pumping coefficient on mean above-canopy wind speed can be described well with a polynomial fit of second degree. The knowledge of this relation simplifies the quantification of the pressure-pumping effect in a Scots pine forest considerably, since only the mean above-canopy wind speed has to be measured. In addition, empirical modeling revealed that the pressure-pumping coefficient explains the largest fraction of the variance of tracer gas concentration in the topsoil.

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Molecular diffusion is commonly assumed as main physical process of gas transport in soils. However, non-diffusive gas transport processes like the so-called pressure-pumping effect can affect soil gas transport significantly. The pressure-pumping effect has only been detected indirectly and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Using a novel in situ method the soil gas transport at a conifer forest site was monitored over a seven-week period. Airflow and air pressure were simultaneously measured above and below the forest canopy and air pressure was also measured in the soil. During episodes of high above-canopy wind speed, the effective soil gas diffusivity temporarily increased due to pressure-pumping. The enhancement of the gas transport rate in the topsoil reached up to 30%. We found that the best meteorological proxy explaining this effect was related to air pressure fluctuations measured at soil surface and not the mean wind speed directly above ground. While sub-canopy wind speeds continuously decreased from the bottom of the tree crown to the soil surface, amplitudes of the air pressure fluctuations were nearly constant in the whole sub-canopy profile and in the soil. We hypothesize that the air pressure fluctuations responsible for pressure-pumping are related to characteristics of above-canopy airflow rather than to airflow directly above the soil surface.

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