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Differential soil respiration responses to changing hydrologic regimes
Author(s) -
Pacific Vincent J.,
McGlynn Brian L.,
RiverosIregui Diego A.,
Epstein Howard E.,
Welsch Daniel L.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/2009wr007721
Subject(s) - riparian zone , environmental science , snowmelt , growing season , soil respiration , hydrology (agriculture) , respiration , dry season , precipitation , ecosystem , wet season , surface runoff , ecology , soil water , soil science , biology , habitat , geology , geography , botany , meteorology , geotechnical engineering
Soil respiration is tightly coupled to the hydrologic cycle (i.e., snowmelt and precipitation timing and magnitude). We examined riparian and hillslope soil respiration across a wet (2005) and a dry (2006) growing season in a subalpine catchment. When comparing the riparian zones, cumulative CO 2 efflux was 33% higher, and peak efflux occurred 17 days earlier during the dry growing season. In contrast, cumulative efflux in the hillslopes was 8% lower, and peak efflux occurred 10 days earlier during the drier growing season. Our results demonstrate that soil respiration was more sensitive to drier growing season conditions in wet (riparian) landscape positions.