Watershed-scale runoff–erosion–carbon flux dynamics: current scope and future direction of research

Abstract

Soil plays an important role in the ecosystem with regard to plant growth, soil biota functioning, reduction of greenhouse gases, modification of pollutants and maintenance of soil quality. The great importance of C stocks emphasizes the need to understand the role of soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics and quantitative changes as affected by natural conditions and site-specific management. Soil carbon inventories and turnover rates are influenced by climate, vegetation, parent material, topography and time. Studies attempting to understand the influence of a specific factor (e.g. temperature or moisture) on soil properties have found it useful to identify a group of soils for which the factor in question varies. Nevertheless, soils are the largest pool of terrestrial carbon containing 1550 Pg of soil organic carbon (SOC)1.