Abstract
The 50% variation in the estimates of carbon (C) content in the forest soils of Russia at present is caused by confusion of terms and ignorance of the soil geographical representativeness in forests. The GIS-based analysis closes the gap to the estimate published earlier by Alexeyev and Birdsey (1994, p. 170). The average soil carbon density (SCD) for the 0.3 meter (m) layer of the forest soils in Russia is about 8.1 kg C m−2; the 1 m layer captures some 11.4 kg C m−2; and the 2 m layer holds nearly 12.3 kg C m− 2. The mass of C is about 61.6 Pg C concentrated in the 0.3 m layer of forest soils; the 1 m layer accumulates 87.6 Pg C and the 2 m layer holds about 94.1 Pg C. The C content in soils of the forest zone is much higher for Russia. The SCD is 18.8 kg C m− 2 and the soil C pool (SCP) is 223.6 Pg C in 1 m layer. Peat soils contribute a considerable portion of C to the forest zone of the country. The cold climate, permafrost and vegetation residues that are rich in recalcitrant compounds support a high accumulation rate of organic matter and associated nutrients in soils. This conservation is a mechanism to keep the production potential of the boreal ecosystems high in spite of their relatively low actual productivity in present environments.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexeyev, V.A. and Birdsey R.A. (eds.): 1994, Carbon in Ecosystems of Forests and Wetlands of Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Russia, Publ. Sukachev Institute of Forest Research, p. 170 (in Russian).
Artemyev, V.E.: 1996, Geochemistry of Organic Matter in River-Sea Systems, Dordrecht, Netherlands, Kluwer Academic Publishers, p. 204.
Bazilevitch, N.I. and Rodin, L.E.: 1971, ‘Production and elements turnover in native and used phytocoenosises’, in ‘Biological Productivity and Elements Turnover in Vegetation Communities’, Nauka, Leningrad, Russia, pp. 5–32 (in Russian).
Bhatti, J.S. and Apps, M.: 2000, Carbon and Nitrogen Storage in Upland Boreal Forests, Advances in Soil Science Lewis Publishers, USA, p. 79–78.
Chestnykh, O.V., Zamolodchikov, D.G., Utkin, A.I. and Korovin, G.N.: 1999, ‘Distribution of organic carbon stock in forest soils of Russia’, Lesovedenje 2, 13–21 (in Russian).
Classification and diagnostic of soils of the USSR: 1977, Moscow, Russia, Publ. Kolos, p. 221 (in Russian).
Dyakonova, K.V.: 1972, ‘Organic and mineral substances in the lysimeter solution from some soil types and their role in modern soil-forming processes’, in Organic Substances of Native and Managed Soils, Moscow, Russia, Nauka, p. 183–223 (in Russian).
FAO: 1998, World Reference Base for Soil Resources. World Soil Resources Report Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy, 84, p. 88.
Fridland, V.M.: 1982, Main Principles and Elements of Basic Soil Classification and Program for Development, Moscow, Russia, All Union Academy of Agricultural Science, p. 149 (in Russian).
FSFMRF: 1995, Manual on Forest Inventory and Planning in Forest Fund of Russia, Federal Service of Forest Management of the Russian Federation (FSFMRF), Moscow, Part I, p. 175; Part II, p. 112 (in Russian).
FSFMRF: 1999, Forest Fund of Russia (State by 1 January 1998), Federal Service of Forest Management of the Russian Federation (FSFMRF), Moscow, p. 650 (in Russian).
Glazovskaya, M.A.: 1996, ‘Role and functions of the pedosphere in geochemical carbon cycles’, Pochvovedenje Nauka, Russia, 2, 174–186 (in Russian).
Grigal, D.F. and Ohman, L.F.: 1992, ‘Carbon storage in upland forest of the Lake States’, Soil Science Society of American Journal 56, 935.
Grishina, L.A.: 1986, Humus Formation and Humus Status of Soils, Russia, Publication of Moscow State University, p. 244 (in Russian).
Hobbie, S., Schimel, J.P., Trumbore, S.E. and Randerson, J.R.: 2000, ‘Controls over carbon storage and turnover in high-latitude soils’, Global Change Biology 6 (Suppl. 1), 196–210.
Isaev, A., Korovin, G., Zamolodchikov, D., Utkin, A. and Pryashnikov, A.: 1995, ‘Carbon stock and deposition in phytomass of the Russian forests’, Water, Air and Soil Pollution 82, 207–256.
Karpachevski, L.O.: 1981, Forests and Forest Soils. Forest Industry, Moscow, Russia, p. 262 (in Russian).
Kogut, B. and Frid, A.: 1993, Comparative evaluation of methods of determining humus concentration in soils. Pochvovedenie, 9, Nauka, Moscow, Russia, pp. 119–123 (in Russian).
Krylatov, A.K.: 1996, Physical-Chemical Characteristics of Agricultural Land and Humus Balance of Cropland of Russian Federation, Russlit, Moscow, p. 392, (in Russian).
Kudeyarov, V.N., Hakimov, F.I., Deyeva, N.F., Il'ina, A.A., Kuznetzova, T.V. and Timchenko, A.V.: 1996, ‘Evaluation of respiration of Russian soils’, Eurasian Soil Science 28, 20–34.
Liski, J. and Westman, C.J.: 1995, ‘Density of organic carbon in soil at coniferous forest sites in southern Finland’, Biogeochemistry 29, 183–197.
LULUCF: 2000, ‘Land use, land-use change, and forestry’, in R. Watson, N. Ravindranath, I. Noble, D.J. Verardo, B. Bolin and D.J. Dokken, (eds.), A special Report of the IPCC, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, p. 377.
Mitrofanov, D.P.: 1977, Chemical Composition of the Forest Vegetation in Siberia, Russia, Publications of Nauka Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk, p. 120 (in Russian).
Nilsson, S., Shvidenko, A., Stolbovoi, V., Gluck, M., Jonas, M. and Obersteiner, M.: 2000, Full Carbon Account for Russia, Interim Report IR-00-021, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria, p. 180.
Orlov, D.S.: 1990, Humic Acids in Soils and General Theory of Humification, Moscow, Publications of Moscow State University, p. 325.
Orlov, D.S., Biryukova, O.N. and Sakhanova, N.I.: 1996, Soil Organic Matter of Russia, Nauka, ISBN 5-02-003643-9, Moscow, Russia, p. 256 (in Russian).
Persson, H.: 1992, Factors Affecting Fine Root Dynamics of Trees, in SUO Maries and peat, Vol. 43, 4–5, Helsinki, Finland, p. 163–172.
Post, W.M., Emanuel,W.R, Zinke, O.J. and Stangerberger, A.G.: 1982, ‘Soil carbon pools and live zones’, Nature, 298, 156–159.
Raich, J.W. and Potter, C.S.: 1995, ‘Global patterns of carbon dioxide emissions from soils’, Global Biogeochemical Cycles 9, 23–36.
Remezov, N.P. and Pogrebnyak, P.S.: 1965, Forest Pedology, Forest Industry, Moscow, Russia, p. 324 (in Russian).
Rozhkov, V.A., Wagner, V.B., Kogut, B.M., Konyushkov, D.E., Nilson, S., Sheremet, V.B. and Shvidenko, A.Z.: 1996, Soil Carbon Estimates and Soil Carbon Map for Russia, Working Paper WP-96-60, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria, p. 44.
Shvidenko, A. and Nilsson, S.: 1998, Phytomass, Increment, Mortality and Carbon Budget of Russian Forests, Interim Report IR-98-105, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria, p. 25.
Shvidenko, A. and Nilsson, S.: 2003, ‘A synthesis of the impact of Russian forests on the global carbon budget for 1961–1998’, Tellus 55B, 391–415.
Stevenson, F.J.: 1994, Humus Chemistry: Genesis, Composition, Reactions, Wiley, New York, USA, p. 281.
Stolbovoi, V.: 1999, ‘Classification of Russia's boreal forest in relation to global climate warming’, in S. Woxhott (ed.), Proceedings of the ninth IBFRA Conference, Oslo, September 21–23, 1998, Aktuelt, 4, North institute for skogforskning, pp. 60–69.
Stolbovoi, V.: 2000, Carbon Pools in Tundra Soils of Russia: Improving Data Reliability. Advances in Soil Science, Lewis Publishers, USA, pp. 39–58.
Stolbovoi, V.: 2000, Soils of Russia: Correlated with the Revised Legend of the FAO Soil Map of the World and World Reference Base for Soil Resources, Research Report RR-00-13, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria, p. 112.
Stolbovoi, V.: 2002, ‘Carbon in Russian soils’, Climatic Change 55(1–2), 131–156.
Stolbovoi, V.: 2003, Soil respiration and its role in Russia's terrestrial C flux balance for the Kyoto baseline year’, Tellus 55B, 258–269.
Stolbovoi, V. and Sheremet, B.: 1997, ‘On the soil fund of Russia’, Eurasian Soil Science 30(12), 1278–1286.
Stolbovoi, V. and McCallum, I.: 2002, Land Resources of Russia, CD-ROM, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria and the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. Available on the Internet: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/FOR/Russia_cd/index.htm.
Tarnocai, C.: 1998, ‘The amount of organic carbon in various soil orders and ecological provinces in Canada. Soil processes and the carbon cycle’, in R. Lal, J. Kimble, R. Follet, B. Stewart (eds.), Soil Processes and the Carbon Cycle, Advances in Soil Science, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla, USA, pp. 81–93.
Turin, I.V.: 1965, Soil Organic Matter and Its Role in the Soil Fertility, Nauka, Moscow, USSR, p. 319 (in Russian).
Vomperski, S.E., Tciganova, O.P., Kovalev, A.V., Gluhova, T.V. and Valiaeva, N.A.: 1998, ‘Overmoisturing of Russia territory as a factor of carbon sequestration from atmosphere’, in G.A. Zavarzin (ed.), Carbon Turnover on Russia Territory, Moscow branch of SSRC WGD Ministry of Education of Russia, Moscow, Russia, pp. 233–270 (in Russian).
Zonn, S.V.: 1964, Soils, as a Component of Forest Biogeocenoese, Fundamental of forest biocenology. Moscow, Russia, p. 574 (in Russian).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stolbovoi, V. Soil Carbon in the Forests of Russia. Mitig Adapt Strat Glob Change 11, 203–222 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-006-1021-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-006-1021-7