Preservation of fire-derived carbon compounds and sorptive stabilisation promote the accumulation of organic matter in black soils of the Southern Alps

Eckmeier, Eileen; Egli, Markus; Schmidt, Michael W. I.; Schlumpf, N.; Nötzli, Magdalena; Minikus-Stary, N.; Hagedorn, Frank

doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2010.07.006

Cited by 56 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Due to their low evolution stage, the soils had a relatively light colour but darkened progressively with increasing C org and BC contents (cf. Eckmeier et al, 2010). The yellow hues showed that the soils were not visibly affected by soil forming processes, e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Several studies demonstrated that BC can be an important compound even in Alpine soils (Bucheli et al, 2004, Eckmeier et al, 2010, Alpine lake sediments (Bogdal et al, 2011), or in glacial ice cores (Lavanchy et al, 1999;Thevenon et al, 2009), either due to in situ burning of biomass or via atmospheric deposition. Glaciers can be sources of BC when they release BC with glacial runoff water that has been incorporated into the ice after melting (Stubbins et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Black carbon contributes to organic matter in young soils in the Morteratsch proglacial area (Switzerland)

et al. 2013

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Abstract. Most glacier forefields of the European Alps are being progressively exposed since the glaciers reached their maximum expansion in the 1850s. Global warming and climate changes additionally promote the exposure of sediments in previously glaciated areas. In these proglacial areas, initial soils have started to develop so that they may offer a continuous chronosequence from 0 to 150-yr-old soils. The build-up of organic matter is an important factor of soil formation, and not only autochthonous but also distant sources might contribute to its accumulation in young soils and surfaces of glacier forefields. Only little is known about black carbon in soils that develop in glacier forefields, although charred organic matter could be an important component of organic carbon in Alpine soils. The aim of our study was to examine whether black carbon (BC) is present in the initial soils of a proglacial area, and to estimate its relative contribution to soil organic matter. We investigated soil samples from 35 sites distributed over the whole proglacial area of Morteratsch (Upper Engadine, Switzerland), covering a chronosequence from 0 to 150 yr. BC concentrations were determined in fine earth using the benzene polycarboxylic acid (BPCA) marker method. We found that charred organic matter occurred in the whole area, and that it was a main compound of soil organic matter in the youngest soils, where total Corg concentrations were very low. The absolute concentrations of BC in fine earth were generally low but increased in soils that had been exposed for more than 40 yr. Specific initial microbial communities may profit from this additional C source during the first years of soil evolution and potentially promote soil development in its early stage.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Black carbon contributes to organic matter in young soils in the Morteratsch proglacial area (Switzerland)

et al. 2013

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“…Whereas beech dominates in the Jura and the Plateau, many stands in the southern Prealps are dominated by chestnut. Moreover, forest soils in the lowlands of the southern Prealps contain particularly high fractions of black fire derived carbon (Eckmeier et al, 2010). The darker soil colour may lower the albedo in addition to differences in the canopy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon storage versus albedo change: radiative forcing of forest expansion in temperate mountainous regions of Switzerland

Schwaab

Bavay²,

Davin³

et al. 2015

Biogeosciences

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Abstract. In this study, we assess the climate mitigation potential from afforestation in a mountainous snow-rich region (Switzerland) with strongly varying environmental conditions. Using radiative forcing calculations, we quantify both the carbon sequestration potential and the effect of albedo change at high resolution. We calculate the albedo radiative forcing based on remotely sensed data sets of albedo, global radiation and snow cover. Carbon sequestration is estimated from changes in carbon stocks based on national inventories. We first estimate the spatial pattern of radiative forcing (RF) across Switzerland assuming homogeneous transitions from open land to forest. This highlights where forest expansion still exhibits climatic benefits when including the radiative forcing of albedo change. Second, given that forest expansion is currently the dominant land-use change process in the Swiss Alps, we calculate the radiative forcing that occurred between 1985 and 1997. Our results show that the net RF of forest expansion ranges from −24 W m −2 at low elevations of the northern Prealps to 2 W m −2 at high elevations of the Central Alps. The albedo RF increases with increasing altitude, which offsets the CO 2 RF at high elevations with long snow-covered periods, high global radiation and low carbon sequestration. Albedo RF is particularly relevant during transitions from open land to open forest but not in later stages of forest development. Between 1985 and 1997, when overall forest expansion in Switzerland was approximately 4 %, the albedo RF offset the CO 2 RF by an average of 40 %. We conclude that the albedo RF should be considered at an appropriately high resolution when estimating the climatic effect of forestation in temperate mountainous regions.

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“…This is an outcome of the limited time for re-growth but more burns to contribute charcoal over time. In temperate grassland ecosystems with repeated surface fires, BC can complex with existing soil organic matter leading to long-term retention [28,29]. Foothills shrublands have ubiquitous grass cover and are likely to retain soil charcoal in a similar manner.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Charcoal and Total Carbon in Soils from Foothills Shrublands to Subalpine Forests in the Colorado Front Range

Licata

Sanford

2012

Forests

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Temperate conifer forests in the Colorado Front Range are fire-adapted ecosystems where wildland fires leave a legacy in the form of char and charcoal. Long-term soil charcoal C (CC) pools result from the combined effects of wildland fires, aboveground biomass characteristics and soil transfer mechanisms. We measured CC pools in surface soils (0-10 cm) at mid-slope positions on east facing aspects in five continuous foothills shrubland and conifer forest types. We found a significant statistical effect of vegetation type on CC pools along this ecological gradient, but not a linear pattern increasing with elevation gain. There is a weak bimodal pattern of CC gain with elevation between foothills shrublands (1.2 mg CC ha) and the lower montane, ponderosa pine (1.5 mg CC ha ). We propose that CC forms and accumulates via unique ecological conditions such as fire regime. The range of soil CC amounts and ratios of CC to total SOC are comparable to but lower than other regional estimates.

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Preservation of fire-derived carbon compounds and sorptive stabilisation promote the accumulation of organic matter in black soils of the Southern Alps

Cited by 56 publications

References 65 publications

Black carbon contributes to organic matter in young soils in the Morteratsch proglacial area (Switzerland)

Black carbon contributes to organic matter in young soils in the Morteratsch proglacial area (Switzerland)

Carbon storage versus albedo change: radiative forcing of forest expansion in temperate mountainous regions of Switzerland

Charcoal and Total Carbon in Soils from Foothills Shrublands to Subalpine Forests in the Colorado Front Range

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