Warming effects on the quantity and quality of organic carbon in Japanese forest surface soils

Koarashi, Jun   ; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko  ; Takagi, Kentaro*; Kondo, Toshiaki*; Teramoto, Munemasa*; Nagano, Hirohiko   ; Kokubu, Yoko   ; Takagi, Masahiro*; Ishida, Sachinobu*; Hiradate, Shuntaro*; Liang, N.*

It is possible that global warming will promote the decomposition of soil organic carbon (SOC) and cause further global warming. In this study, the quantity and quality of SOC (carbon and nitrogen content, stable and radioactive carbon isotope composition, etc.) were investigated in warming and control plots at five forest sites in Japan, where long-term soil warming experiments have been conducted. Results show no remarkable difference in the quantity and quality of SOC stored in surface (0-20 cm) soils between the warming and control plots, suggesting the warming-induced increase in the soil respiration will continue over the next decade, probably due to the abundant SOC storage in Japanese forest surface soils.