Fraction of Earth’s ice-free land area covered by alfisols (a soil type)

Value 13.5 %
Organism Biosphere
Reference Hicks Pries CE, Castanha C, Porras RC, Torn MS. The whole-soil carbon flux in response to warming. Science. 2017 Mar 31355(6332):1420-1423. doi: 10.1126/science.aal1319. P.1420 right column top paragraphPubMed ID28280251
Primary Source [15] H. Eswaran, E. Van Den Berg, P. Reich, Organic carbon in soils of the world. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 57, 192–194 (1993). doi:10.2136/sssaj1993.03615995005700010034x link
Method P.1420 middle column bottom paragraph: "Here, [investigators] present results from a controlled, replicated in situ deep mineral soil warming experiment to determine the response of an undisturbed whole-soil profile to warming (+4°C). [They] tested the sensitivity of soil CO2 production to warming from 0 to 100 cm and whether there was acclimation over 2 years. [They] used radiocarbon to determine whether warming resulted in the decomposition of older SOC [soil organic carbon]. This study was located in a coniferous temperate forest in soils classified as alfisols containing 16.6 ± 1 kg C m^−2 in the top meter."
Comments P.1420 middle column bottom paragraph: "Alfisols cover 13.5% of Earth’s ice-free land area and store 8% of global soil C (primary source)."
Entered by Uri M
ID 113323