To assess the potential impact of conifer encroachment on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics and storage in montane aspen-conifer forests from the interior western US, we sampled mineral soils (0–15 cm) across the aspen-conifer ecotones in southern and northern Utah and quantified total SOC stocks, stable SOC (i.e., mineral-associated SOC (MoM)), labile SOC (i.e., light fraction (LF), decomposa...

Climate change might alter annual snowfall patterns and modify the duration and magnitude of snow cover in temperate regions with resultant impacts on soil microclimate and soil CO2 efflux (Fsoil ). We used a 5-year time series of Fsoil measurements from a mid-elevation forest to assess the effects of naturally changing snow cover. Snow cover varied considerably in duration (105-154 days) and d...

Increased atmospheric [CO2] could theoretically lead to increased forest productivity (‘CO2 fertilization’). This mechanism was hypothesized as a possible explanation for biomass increases reported from tropical forests in the last 301 years. We used unique long-term records of annually measured stands (eighteen 0.5 ha plots, 10 years) and focal tree species (six species, 24 years) to assess th...

The measured calcium carbonate content of soils to a depth of 100 mm at a large urban development site has increased over 18 months at a rate that corresponds to the sequestration of 85 t of CO2/ha (8.5 kg of CO2 m(-2)) annually. This is a consequence of rapid weathering of calcium silicate and hydroxide minerals derived from the demolition of concrete structures, which releases Ca that combine...

this study examined the environmental impacts of irrigated and rainfed barley agroecosystems of iran based on nitrogen levels by using lca methodology during 1999-2013. four steps includung goal definition and scoping, inventory analysis, life cycle impact assessment and integration & interpretation were considered. impact categories were acidification, eutrophication and global warming. functi...

An experimental platform of free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) was established in mid June of 2004 over a rice–wheat rotation ecosystem located at a suburb of Jiangdu, China. We compared the abundance and diversity of soil nematodes from a wheat field with high (225.0 kg N ha ) and low (112.5 kg N ha ) levels of N fertilisation exposed to the elevated and ambient CO2 during the wheat growing season...

Little information is available regarding red wood ant (RWA; Formica rufa group) impacts on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling in forest ecosystems. We found that RWA mound density (number per ha) was linked to forest tree species composition, slope aspect, and canopy closure. The size of RWA mounds was positively correlated with successional age of the stands. C and N concentrations of m...

The collapse of collective farming in Russia after 1990 and the subsequent economic crisis led to the abandonment of more than 45 million ha of arable lands (23% of the agricultural area). This was the most widespread and abrupt land use change in the 20th century in the northern hemisphere. The withdrawal of land area from cultivation led to several benefits including carbon (C) sequestration....

Using plants to extract excess nitrate from soil is important in protecting against eutrophication of standing water, hypoxic conditions in lakes and oceans, or elevated nitrate concentrations in domestic water supplies Global climate change issues have raised new concerns about nitrogen (N) management as it relates to crop production even though there may not be an immediate threat to water qu...

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are an important part of the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycle in forest soil. However, soil greenhouse gas emissions in dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) stands of different ages are poorly understood. To elucidate the effect of plantation age and environmental factors on soil GHG emissions, we used static chamber/gas chromatography (GC) system to measu...