Construction and application of a depth distribution model for soil organic carbon in forest areas

Abstract

The pool of soil organic carbon (SOC) in a forest forms an important component in the global carbon (C) cycle. SOC plays an important role in enhancing forest productivity and mitigating the net rate of global greenhouse gas emissions. The risk of global warming has caught the attention of the scientific community as it relates to SOC stocks in forest ecosystems. The precise measurement of SOC stocks and verification of the amount of C sequestered in the soil are critical factors for the implementation of C trading programs. SOC in mineral soils generally decreases with depth; however, this decrease is non鄄linear and has been frequently modeled as an exponential function. We selected four forest types (boreal forest, temperate deciduous forest, subtropical mixed forest, and tropical evergreen broadleaved forest) and analyzed the