Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Modeling soil CO2 emissions from ecosystems

  • Published:
Biogeochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract.

We present a new soil respiration model, describe a formal model testing procedure, and compare our model with five alternative models using an extensive data set of observed soil respiration. Gas flux data from rangeland soils that included a large number of measurements at low temperatures were used to model soil CO2 emissions as a function of soil temperature and water content. Our arctangent temperature function predicts that Q10 values vary inversely with temperature and that CO2 fluxes are significant below 0 °C. Independent data representing a broad range of ecosystems and temperature values were used for model testing. The effects of plant phenology, differences in substrate availability among sites, and water limitation were accounted for so that the temperature equations could be fairly evaluated. Four of the six tested models did equally well at simulating the observed soil CO2 respiration rates. However, the arctangent variable Q10 model agreed closely with observed Q10 values over a wide range of temperatures (r2 = 0.94) and was superior to published variable Q10 equations using the Akaike information criterion (AIC). The arctangent temperature equation explained 16–85% of the observed intra-site variability in CO2 flux rates. Including a water stress factor yielded a stronger correlation than temperature alone only in the dryland soils. The observed change in Q10 with increasing temperature was the same for data sets that included only heterotrophic respiration and data sets that included both heterotrophic and autotrophic respiration.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • H. Akaike (1973) Information theory and an extension of the maximum likelihood principle B.N. Petrov F. Csaki (Eds) 2nd International Symposium on Information Theory Akademiai Kiado Budapest 267–281

    Google Scholar 

  • J.A. Andrews K.G. Harrison R. Matamala W.H. Schlesinger (1999) ArticleTitleSeparation of root respiration from total soil respiration using carbon-13 labeling during free-air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J 63 1429–1435 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1MXns12lt7w%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • P.Y. Bernier N. Breda et al. (2002) ArticleTitleValidation of a canopy gas exchange model and derivation of a soil water modifier for transpiration for sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) using sap flow density measurements Forest Ecol. Manag 163 185–196 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0378-1127(01)00578-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S.A. Billings D.D. Richter J. Yarie (1998) ArticleTitleSoil carbon dioxide fluxes and profile concentrations in two boreal forests Can. J. Forest Res 28 1773–1783 Occurrence Handle10.1139/cjfr-28-12-1773

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R.D. Boone K.J. Nadelhoffer J.D. Canary J.P. Kaye (1998) ArticleTitleRoots exert a strong influence on the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration Nature 396 570–572 Occurrence Handle10.1038/25119 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXotVWgt7k%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • D.J. Bremer J.M. Ham C.E. Owensby K.A. Knapp (1998) ArticleTitleResponses of soil respiration to clipping and grazing in a tallgrass prairie Journal of Environmental Quality 27 1539–1548 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXns1entbc%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • P.D. Brooks M.W. Williams S.K. Schmidt (1996) ArticleTitleMicrobial activity under alpine snowpacks, Niwot RidgeColorado Biogeochemistry 32 93–113

    Google Scholar 

  • Brumme R. 1995. Mechanisms for carbon and nutrient release and retention in beech forest gaps. 3. Environmental regulation of soil respiration and nitrous oxide emissions along a microclimatic gradient. Plant and Soil 168–169, 593–600.

  • K.P. Burnham D.R. Anderson (1998) Model Selection and Inference: A Practical Information-Theoretic Approach Springer New York

    Google Scholar 

  • I.C. Burke J.P. Kaye S.P. Bird S.A. Hall R.L. McCulley G.L. Sommerville (2003) Evaluating and testing models of terrestrial biogeochemistry: The role of temperature in controlling decomposition C.D. Canham J.J. Cole W.K. Lauenroth (Eds) Models in Ecosystem Science Princeton University Press Princeton, New Jersey 225–253

    Google Scholar 

  • J.R. Butnor K.H. Johnsen R. Oren G.G. Katul (2003) ArticleTitleReduction of forest floor respiration by fertilization on both carbon dioxide enriched and reference 17-year-old loblolly pine stands Global Change Biol 9 849–861 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1365-2486.2003.00630.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • W. Chen D.A. Sims Y. Lou J.S. Coleman D.W. Johnson (2000) ArticleTitlePhotosynthesis, respiration, and net primary production of sunflower stands in ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations: an invariant NPP:GPP ratio? Global Change Biol 6 931–941 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1365-2486.2000.00367.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman K. and Jenkinson D.S. 1999. ROTHC-26.3, a model for the turnover of carbon in soil: Model description and user’s guide. http://www.iacr.bbsrc.ac.uk/res/depts/soils/carbon/tagree_dos.html.

  • E.A. Davidson E. Belk R.D. Boone (1998) ArticleTitleSoil water content and temperature as independent or confounding factors controlling soil respiration in a temperate mixed hardwood forest Global Change Biol 4 217–227 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1365-2486.1998.00128.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S.J. Del Grosso W.J. Parton A.R. Mosier M.D. Hartman J. Brenner D.S. Ojima D.S. Schimel (2001) Simulated interaction of carbon dynamics and nitrogen trace gas fluxes using the DAYCENT model M. Schaffer L. Ma S. Hansen (Eds) Modeling Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics for Soil Management CRC Press Boca Raton, FL 303–332

    Google Scholar 

  • L.T. Fahnestock M.H. Jones J.M. Welker (1999) ArticleTitleWintertime CO2 efflux from arctic soils: implications for annual carbon budgets Global Biogoechem. Cycles 13 775–779 Occurrence Handle10.1029/1999GB900006 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1MXmtVWls7o%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • S.E. Frolking A.R. Mosier D.S. Ojima C. Li W.J. Parton C.S. Potter E. Stenger R. Priesack C. Haberbosch P. Dörsch H. Flessa K.A. Smith (1998) ArticleTitleComparison of N2O emissions from soils at three temperate agricultural sites: simulations of year round measurements by four models Nutr. Cycl. Agroecosys 52 77–105 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1009780109748 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXnsVSmt7g%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gu L., Post W.M. and King A.M. 2004. Fast labile carbon turnover obscures sensitivity of heterotrophic respiration from soil to temperature: a model analysis. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 18 GB1022, doi:10.1029/2003GB002119.

  • P. Hogberg A. Nordgren N. Buchmann A.F.S. Taylor A. Ekblad M.N. Hogberg G. Nyberg M. Ottosson-Lofvenius D.J. Read (2001) ArticleTitleLarge-scale forest girdling shows that current photosynthesis drives soil respiration Nature 411 789–792

    Google Scholar 

  • E.A. Holland J.C. Neff A.R. Townsend B. McKeown (2000) ArticleTitleUncertainties in the temperature sensitivity of decomposition in tropical and subtropical ecosystems: implications for models Global Biogeochem. Cycles 14 1137–1151 Occurrence Handle10.1029/2000GB001264 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3MXktVGlug%3D%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • I.A. Janssens H. Lankreijer G. Matteucci A.S. Kowalski N. Buchmann D. Epron K. Pilegaard W. Kutsch B. Longdoz T. Grunwald (2001) ArticleTitleProductivity overshadows temperature in determining soil and ecosystem respiration across European forests Global Change Biol 2001 269–278 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1365-2486.2001.00412.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D.S. Jenkinson (1990) ArticleTitleThe turnover of soil organic carbon and nitrogen in soil Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. Bull 329 361–368 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK3MXkslSgtb0%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • D.S. Jenkinson D.E. Adams A. Wild (1991) ArticleTitleModel estimates of CO2 emissions from soil in response to global warming Nature 351 304–306 Occurrence Handle10.1038/351304a0 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK3MXktFalurg%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • T.M. Katterer O. Reichstein A. Andren A. Lomander (1998) ArticleTitleTemperature dependence of organic matter decomposition – a critical review using literature data analyzed with different models Biol. Fertil. Soils 27 258–262 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s003740050430 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXks12hs70%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • R.H. Kelly W.J. Parton M.D. Hartman L.K. Stretch D.S. Ojima D.S. Schimel (2000) ArticleTitleIntra and interannual variability of ecosystem processes in shortgrass steppe J. Geophys. Res. Atmos 105 20,093–20,100

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Kessavalou A.R. Mosier J.W. Doran R.A. Drijber D.L. Lyon O. Heinemeyer (1998) ArticleTitleFluxes of carbon dioxidenitrous oxideand methane in grass sod and winter wheat-fallow tillage management J. Environ. Qual 27 1094–1104 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXmtl2js7Y%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • M.U.F. Kirschbaum (1995) ArticleTitleThe temperature dependence of soil organic matter decomposition, and the effect of global warming on soil organic matter storage Soil Biol. Biochem 27 753–760

    Google Scholar 

  • J.J. Landsberg R.H. Waring (1997) ArticleTitleA generalized model of forest productivity using simplified concepts of radiation-use efficiency, carbon balance and partitioning Forest Ecol. Manage 95 209–228 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0378-1127(97)00026-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M.C. Leiros C. Trasar-Cepeda S. Seoane F. Gil-Sotres (1999) ArticleTitleDependence of mineralization of soil organic matter on temperature and moisture Soil Biol. Biochem 31 327–335 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0038-0717(98)00129-1 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1MXitVOku7s%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • J. Liski A. Makela C.J. Westman (1999) ArticleTitleCO2 emissions from soil in response to climatic warming are overestimated – the decomposition of old soil organic matter is tolerant of temperature Ambio 28 171–174

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Lomander T. Katterer O. Andren (1998) ArticleTitleModeling the effects of temperature and moisture on CO2 evolution from top and subsoil using a multi-compartment approach Soil Biol. Biochem 30 2023–2030

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Lloyd J.A. Taylor (1994) ArticleTitleOn the temperature dependence of soil respiration Funct. Ecol 8 315–323

    Google Scholar 

  • A.D.R. MsQuarrie C.L. Tsai (1998) Regression and Time Series Model Selection World Scientific Singapore

    Google Scholar 

  • Metherell A.K., Harding L.S., Cole C.V. and Parton W.J. 1993. CENTURY soil organic matter model environmentTechnical documentation, Agroecosystem version 4.0. Great Plains System Research Unit Technical Report No. 4. USDA-ARS, Fort Collins, Colorado.

  • A.R. Mosier D.S. Schimel D.W. Valentine K.F. Bronson W.J. Parton (1991) ArticleTitleMethane and nitrous oxide fluxes in nativefertilizedand cultivated grasslands Nature 350 330–332 Occurrence Handle10.1038/350330a0 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK3MXitFehsLg%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • A.R. Mosier L.K. Klemeddtson R.A. Sommerfeld R.C. Musselman (1993) ArticleTitleMethane and nitrous oxide flux in a Wyoming subalpine meadow Global Biogeochem. Cycles 7 771–784 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2cXisV2lt7s%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • A.R. Mosier W.J. Parton D.W. Valentine D.S. Ojima D.S. Schimel J.A. Delgado (1996) ArticleTitleCH4N2O fluxes in the Colorado shortgrass steppe: 1. impact of landscape and nitrogen addition Global Biogeochem. Cycles 10 387–399 Occurrence Handle10.1029/96GB01454 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK28XlsVGjtLs%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • A.R. Mosier W.J. Parton D.W. Valentine D.S. Ojima D.S. Schimel O. Hienemeyer (1997) ArticleTitleCH4N2O fluxes in the Colorado shortgrass steppe: 2. Long-term impact of land use change Global Biogeochem. Cycles 11 29–42 Occurrence Handle10.1029/96GB03612 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2sXhvVyqu7Y%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • A.M. O’Connell (1990) ArticleTitleMicrobial decomposition (respiration) of litter in eucalypt forests of south-western Australia: an empirical model based on laboratory incubations Soil Biol. Biochem 22 153–160 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0038-0717(90)90080-J

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • W.J. Parton D.S. Schimel C.V. Cole D.S. Ojima (1987) ArticleTitleAnalysis of factors controlling soil organic matter levels in the great plains region Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J 51 1173–1179 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaL2sXmtlGnsbw%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • W.J. Parton D.S. Ojima C.V. Cole D.S. Schimel (1994) A general model for soil organic matter dynamics: sensitivity to litter chemistry, texture and management Quantitative Modeling of Soil Forming Processes Soil Science Society of AmericaSpecial Pub. 39 Madison, WI 147–167

    Google Scholar 

  • W.J. Parton M. Hartman D.S. Ojima D.S. Schimel (1998) ArticleTitleDAYCENT: Its land surface submodel: description and testing Global Planet. Change 19 35–48 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0921-8181(98)00040-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. Pastor W.M. Post (1986) ArticleTitleInfluence of climatesoil moistureand succession on forest carbon and nitrogen cycles Biogeochemistry 2 3–27

    Google Scholar 

  • E. Pendall S. Del Grosso J.Y. King D.R. LeCain D.G. Milchunas J.A. Morgan A.R. Mosier D.S. Ojima W.J. Parton P.P. Tans J.W.C. White (2003) ArticleTitleElevated atmospheric CO2 effects and soil water feedbacks on soil respiration components in a Colorado grassland Global Biogeochem. Cycles 17 IssueID2 10 Occurrence Handle10.1029/2001GB001821

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J.W. Raich C.S. Potter (1995) ArticleTitleGlobal patterns of carbon dioxide emissions from soils Global Biogeochem. Cycles 9 23–36 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2MXktFGitL0%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • G.P. Robertson E.A. Paul R.R. Harwood (2000) ArticleTitleGreenhouse gases in intensive agriculture: contributions of individual gases to the radiative forcing of the atmosphere Science 289 1922–1925 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3cXms1als78%3D Occurrence Handle10988070

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Y. Sakamoto (1986) Akaike Information Criterion Statistics KTK Scientific Publishers Tokyo

    Google Scholar 

  • K.E. Savage E.A. Davidson (2001) ArticleTitleInterannual variation of soil respiration in two New England forests Global Biogeochem. Cycles 15 337–350 Occurrence Handle10.1029/1999GB001248 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3MXktlWhsb8%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • K.E. Saxton W.J. Romberger J.S. Rawls R.I. Papendick (1986) ArticleTitleEstimating generalized soil-water characteristics from texture Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J 50 1031–1036

    Google Scholar 

  • D.S. Schimal B.H. Braswell E.A. Holland R. McKeown D.S. Ojima T.H. Painter W.J. Parton A.R. Townsend (1994) ArticleTitleClimatic, edaphic, and biotic controls over storage and turnover of carbon in soils Global Biogeochem. Cycles 8 279–293 Occurrence Handle10.1029/94GB00993 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2cXmvVert70%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • D.S. Schimel D. Alves I. Enting M. Heimann F. Joos D. Raynaud T. Wigley (1996) CO2the Carbon Cycle J.T. Houghton L.G.M. Filho B.A. Callander N. Harris A. Kattenberg K. Maskell (Eds) Climate Change 1995 Cambridge University Press Cambridge 76–86

    Google Scholar 

  • M.R. Shaw E.S. Zavaleta N.R. Chiariello E.E. Cleland H.A. Mooney C.B. Field (2002) ArticleTitleGrassland responses to global environmental changes suppressed by elevated CO2 Science 298 1987–1990 Occurrence Handle10.1126/science.1075312 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38Xpt1WisLo%3D Occurrence Handle12471257

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • R.A. Sommerfeld J. Massman R.C. Musselman (1996) ArticleTitleDiffusional flux of CO2 through snow: spatial and temporal variability among alpine-subalpine sites Global Biogeochem. Cycles 10 473–482 Occurrence Handle10.1029/96GB01610 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK28XlsVGjtb8%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • S.E. Trumbore G. Bonani W. Wölfli (1990) The rates of carbon cycling in several soils from AMS 14C measurements of fractionated soil organic matter A.F. Bouwman (Eds) Soils and the Greenhouse Effect Wiley New York 405–414

    Google Scholar 

  • C. Walse B. Berg H. Sverdrup (1998) ArticleTitleReview and synthesis of experimental data on organic matter decomposition with respect to the effects of temperaturemoistureand acidity Environ. Rev 6 25–40 Occurrence Handle10.1139/er-6-1-25 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXlsV2jtL0%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Y. Wang R. Amundson X.F. Niu (2000) ArticleTitleSeasonal and altitudinal variation in decomposition of soil organic matter inferred from radiocarbon measurements of soil CO2 flux Global Biogeochem. Cycles 14 199–211 Occurrence Handle10.1029/1999GB900074 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3cXhvVGmsro%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • M. Xu Y. Qi (2001) ArticleTitleSpatial and seasonal variations of Q10 determined by soil respiration measurements at a Sierra Nevadan forest Global Biogeochem. Cycles 15 687–696 Occurrence Handle10.1029/2000GB001365 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3MXmslSks78%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, 80523, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    S.J. Del Grosso, W.J. Parton, A.R. Mosier & D.S. Ojima

  2. Agriculture Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, 80522, FortCollins, CO, USA

    A.R. Mosier

  3. National Center for Atmospheric Research, 80307, Boulder, CO, USA

    E.A. Holland & D.S. Schimel

  4. Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado at Boulder, 80309, Boulder, CO, USA

    E. Pendall

Authors
  1. S.J. Del Grosso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. W.J. Parton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A.R. Mosier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. E.A. Holland
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. E. Pendall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. D.S. Schimel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. D.S. Ojima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S.J. Del Grosso.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Del Grosso, S., Parton, W., Mosier, A. et al. Modeling soil CO2 emissions from ecosystems. Biogeochemistry 73, 71–91 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-004-0898-z

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-004-0898-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation