Residence time of carbon in paddy soils
Abstract
Mean residence time (MRT) of carbon (C) in soil is the most important parameter of C sequestration and stability and crucial for CO2 removal from the atmosphere. Climate and soil properties controls of MRT of upland soils are well known, but the drivers of C stability in paddies were never summarized. Here, we estimated MRT of paddies across monsoon Asia using the stock-over-flux method, i.e., soil organic C (SOC) stock over organic matter input considering the net primary production (NPP), and determined the main factors affecting SOC turnover. The average MRT of paddy soils in monsoon Asia ranges between 19 and 50 yr, depending on straw management. These estimates are similar to recent estimates for the global average MRT across all soils, but longer than for upland croplands. Tropical regions have the shortest MRT for rice paddies (16–42 yr), while the MRT of C in soils of temperate and subtropical regions are longer (20–56 yr). Across a wide range of environmental factors, MRT was most strongly affected by temperature. We estimate that 2 °C warming decreases MRT by 7% on average, with the strongest decreases in the western Indonesian islands and north-east China. Because C stocks per area in paddy soils are larger and the MRT is longer than in corresponding upland cropland soils, paddies play a key role in the global C cycle. Our results emphasize the need for management practices that retain stable soil C input rates to reduce possible positive feedbacks for global warming.
Details
- Organisation(s)
-
Institute of Soil Science
- External Organisation(s)
-
Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China
Shenyang Agricultural University
Ningbo University
University of Exeter
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Nanjing Agricultural University
Aarhus University
Northern Arizona University
University of Göttingen
- Type
- Article
- Journal
- Journal of cleaner production
- Volume
- 400
- ISSN
- 0959-6526
- Publication date
- 10.05.2023
- Publication status
- Published
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment, Building and Construction, General Environmental Science, Strategy and Management, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 13 - Climate Action, SDG 15 - Life on Land
- Electronic version(s)
-
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136707 (Access:
Closed
)
https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/132683 (Access: Open )
