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Transport-distance specific SOC distribution: Does it skew erosion induced C fluxes?

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Abstract

The net effect of soil erosion by water, as a sink or source of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), is determined by the spatial (re-)distribution and stability of eroded soil organic carbon (SOC), and the dynamic replacement of eroded C by the production of new photosynthate. The depositional position of eroded SOC is a function of the transport distances of soil fractions where the SOC is stored. In theory, the transport distances of soil fractions are related to their settling velocities under given flow conditions. Yet, very few field investigations have been conducted to examine the actual movement of eroded soil fractions along hillslopes, let alone the re-distribution pattern of SOC fractions. Eroding sandy soils and sediment were sampled after a series of rainfall events along a slope on a freshly seeded cropland in Jutland, Denmark. All the soil samples were fractionated into five settling classes using a settling tube apparatus. The spatial distribution of soil settling classes shows a coarsening effect immediately below the eroding slope, followed by a fining trend at the slope tail. These findings support the validity of the conceptual model proposed by Starr et al. (Land Degrad Dev 11:83–91, 2000) to predict SOC redistribution patterns along hillslopes. The δ13C values of soil fractions were more positive at the footslope than on the slope shoulder or at the slope tail, suggesting enhanced decomposition rate of fresh SOC input at the footslope during or after erosion-induced transport. Pronounced CO2 emission rates at the slope tail also suggest a higher potential for decomposition of the eroded SOC after deposition. Overall, our results illustrate that immediate deposition of fast settling soil fractions and the associated SOC at footslopes, and potential CO2 emissions during or immediately after transport, must be appropriately accounted for in attempts to quantify the role of soil erosion in terrestrial C sequestration. A SOC erodibility parameter based on actual settling velocity distribution of eroded fractions is needed to better calibrate soil erosion models.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support granted by Freiwillige Akademische Gesellschaft (FAG) Basel, the University of Basel, Switzerland, and the University of California Merced. The contributions of Ruth Strunk and Miriam Widmer in carrying out the laboratory experiments are also gratefully acknowledged. We particularly appreciate the generous support of Dr. Christina Bradley and Mr. David Araiza from UC Merced for their help with stable isotope measurements; and members of the Berhe Soil Biogeochemistry Lab at UC Merced for assistance with different aspects related to lab work. The draft of the manuscript was substantially improved by comments from Florence Greenwood.

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  1. Yaxian Hu

    Present address: Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest University of Agriculture and Forestry, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Geography and Environmental Change, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 27, 4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Yaxian Hu & Nikolaus J. Kuhn

  2. Life and Environmental Sciences Unit, University of California, Merced, CA, 95348, USA

    Asmeret Asefaw Berhe & Marilyn L. Fogel

  3. Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Århus, Denmark

    Goswin J. Heckrath

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  1. Yaxian Hu
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Hu, Y., Berhe, A.A., Fogel, M.L. et al. Transport-distance specific SOC distribution: Does it skew erosion induced C fluxes?. Biogeochemistry 128, 339–351 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-016-0211-y

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