Premium
Rapid and transient response of soil respiration to rain
Author(s) -
Lee Xuhui,
Wu HuiJu,
Sigler Jeffrey,
Oishi Christopher,
Siccama Thomas
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2003.00787.x
Subject(s) - environmental science , eddy covariance , soil respiration , ecosystem , primary production , ecosystem respiration , precipitation , carbon cycle , hydrology (agriculture) , terrestrial ecosystem , atmospheric sciences , ecology , soil water , soil science , geology , geography , meteorology , biology , geotechnical engineering
The influence of rainstorm on soil respiration of a mixed forest in southern New England, USA was investigated with eddy covariance, rain simulation and laboratory incubation. Soil respiration is shown to respond rapidly and instantaneously to the onset of rain and return to the prerain rate shortly after the rain stops. The pulse‐like flux, most likely caused by the decomposition of active carbon compounds in the litter layer, can amount to a loss of 0.18 t C ha −1 to the atmosphere in a single intensive storm, or 5–10% of the annual net ecosystem production of midlatitude forests. If precipitation becomes more variable in a future warmer world, the rain pulse should play an important part in the transient response of the ecosystem carbon balance to climate, particularly for ecosystems on ridge‐tops with rapid water drainage.