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Soil thermal dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems of the conterminous United States from 1948 to 2008: an analysis with a process-based soil physical model and AmeriFlux data

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Abstract

The spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of soil temperature are a significant, but seldom described signal of climate warming. This study examines the spatiotemporal trends in soil temperature at depths of 10, 20, and 50 cm in the conterminous US during 1948–2008. We find a warming trend of between 0.2 and 0.4 °C at all depths from 1948 to 2008. The lowest soil temperatures are in Colorado and the area where Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana meet. The coastal areas, such as Texas, Florida, and California, experienced the highest soil temperature. In addition, areas that experienced weak cooling in summer soil temperature include Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Warming was recorded in Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon. In winter, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia show a cooling trend, and Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota have been warming over the 61-year period. Additionally, mix-forest areas experience slightly cooler soil temperature in comparison with air temperature. Shrubland areas experience slightly warmer soil temperature in comparison with air temperature. This study is among the first to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of soil temperature in the conterminous US by using multiple site observational data. Improved understanding of the spatially complex responses of soil temperature shall have significant implications for future studies in climate change over the region.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the AmeriFlux community to provide the eddy flux data and the MODIS research community to provide MODIS data on vegetation. This research is supported with NSF projects (DEB-#0919331; NSF-0630319), the NASA Land Use and Land Cover Change program (NASA-NNX09AI26G), Department of Energy (DE-FG02-08ER64599), and the NF Division of Information & Intelligent Systems (NSF-1028291).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Guangcun Hao & Jianjun Pan

  2. Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Guangcun Hao, Qianlai Zhuang, Zhenong Jin, Xudong Zhu & Shaoqing Liu

  3. Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 479097, USA

    Qianlai Zhuang

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  1. Guangcun Hao
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Correspondence to Jianjun Pan.

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Hao, G., Zhuang, Q., Pan, J. et al. Soil thermal dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems of the conterminous United States from 1948 to 2008: an analysis with a process-based soil physical model and AmeriFlux data. Climatic Change 126, 135–150 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-014-1196-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-014-1196-y

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