Premium
The contribution of beneath‐snow soil respiration to total ecosystem respiration in a high‐elevation, subalpine forest
Author(s) -
Monson Russell K.,
Burns Sean P.,
Williams Mark W.,
Delany Anthony C.,
Weintraub Michael,
Lipson David A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
global biogeochemical cycles
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.512
H-Index - 187
eISSN - 1944-9224
pISSN - 0886-6236
DOI - 10.1029/2005gb002684
Subject(s) - soil respiration , snow , environmental science , snowmelt , ecosystem respiration , eddy covariance , meltwater , subalpine forest , respiration , ecosystem , atmospheric sciences , hydrology (agriculture) , biomass (ecology) , soil water , soil science , ecology , geology , biology , botany , geotechnical engineering , geomorphology
The respiratory loss of CO 2 from soil microbes beneath winter snow in forests from cold climates can significantly influence the annual carbon budget. We explored the magnitude of winter soil respiration using continuous measurements of beneath‐snow CO 2 concentration within the footprint of a flux tower in a subalpine forest in the Rocky Mountains. We used eddy covariance measurements from the tower to obtain estimates of total wintertime ecosystem respiration and compared them to the calculated beneath‐snow CO 2 flux. Soil respiration in the winter was estimated to contribute 35–48% of the total wintertime ecosystem respiration, and 7–10% of the total annual ecosystem respiration. The largest increase in soil respiration occurred in the late winter following an earlier‐than‐normal initiation of snowmelt and increase in snow density. Following this melt event, respiration rates increased approximately sixfold, despite an increase in soil temperature of only 0.3°–0.5°C. We interpret the late‐winter surge in soil respiration to be triggered by a strong response of beneath‐snow microbes to the pulse of meltwater coupled with extremely high sensitivity of the microbial biomass to increases in soil temperature.