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Updated: Feb 21, 2026

Temperature Response of Soil Organic Matter Decomposition Rates: Construction and Applications of a Temperature Gradient Block
Published on: January 30, 2026
Long-term pattern and magnitude of soil carbon feedback to the climate system in a warming world
J M Melillo1, S D Frey2, K M DeAngelis3
1Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA. jmelillo@mbl.edu.
Abstract:
In a 26-year soil warming experiment in a mid-latitude hardwood forest, we documented changes in soil carbon cycling to investigate the potential consequences for the climate system. We found that soil warming results in a four-phase pattern of soil organic matter decay and carbon dioxide fluxes to the atmosphere, with phases of substantial soil carbon loss alternating with phases of no detectable loss. Several factors combine to affect the timing, magnitude, and thermal acclimation of soil carbon loss. These include depletion of microbially accessible carbon pools, reductions in microbial biomass, a shift in microbial carbon use efficiency, and changes in microbial community composition. Our results support projections of a long-term, self-reinforcing carbon feedback from mid-latitude forests to the climate system as the world warms.
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