The age of CO2 released from soils in contrasting ecosystems during the arctic winter

Citation

Hartley IP, Garnett MH, Sommerkorn M, Hopkins DW & Wookey PA (2013) The age of CO2 released from soils in contrasting ecosystems during the arctic winter. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 63, pp. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.03.011

Abstract
In arctic ecosystems, winter soil respiration can contribute substantially to annual CO2 release, yet the source of this C is not clear. We analysed the 14C content of C released from plant-free plots in mountain birch forest and tundra-heath. Winter-respired CO2 was found to be a similar age (tundra) or older (forest) than C released during the previous autumn. Overall, our study demonstrates that the decomposition of older C can continue during the winter, in these two contrasting arctic ecosystems.

Keywords
14CO2; passive sampling; mountain birch; radiocarbon; tree-line; tundra-heath; winter respiration;

Journal
Soil Biology and Biochemistry: Volume 63