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MODELING SOIL ORGANIC CARBON CHANGE IN CROPLANDS OF CHINA
Author(s) -
Li Changsheng,
Zhuang Yahui,
Frolking Steve,
Galloway James,
Harriss Robert,
Moore Berrien,
Schimel David,
Wang Xiaoke
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
ecological applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.864
H-Index - 213
eISSN - 1939-5582
pISSN - 1051-0761
DOI - 10.1890/1051-0761(2003)013[0327:msocci]2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - environmental science , soil carbon , biogeochemical cycle , soil water , fertilizer , china , soil organic matter , soil fertility , agronomy , mineralization (soil science) , ecology , soil science , geography , biology , archaeology
Using 1990 conditions, we modeled carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) biogeochemical cycles in croplands of China (and, for comparison, the United States) to estimate the annual soil organic‐carbon (SOC) balance for all cropland. Overall, we estimate that China's croplands lost 1.6% of their SOC (to a depth of 0.3 m) in 1990, and that U.S. cropland lost 0.1%. A key element in this difference was that ∼25% of aboveground crop residue in China was returned to the soil, compared to ∼90% in the United States. In China, SOC losses were greatest in the northeast (∼10 3 kg C·ha –1 ·yr –1 ), and were generally smaller (<0.5 × 10 3 kg C·ha –1 ·yr –1 ) in regions with a longer cultivation history. Some regions showed SOC gains, generally <10 3 kg C·ha –1 ·yr –1 . Reduced organic‐matter input to China's cropland soils, and lower overall SOC levels in those soils, led to lower levels of N mineralization in the simulations, consistent with higher rates of synthetic‐fertilizer application in China. C and N cycles are closely linked to soil fertility, crop yield, and non‐point‐source environmental pollution. Corresponding Editor: W. V. Reid. J. David Baldwin served as ad hoc Editor‐in‐Chief for this submission.