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Rainfall effect on soil respiration depends on antecedent soil moisture
Yajing Han1, Gangsheng Wang1, Lihua Xiong1
1State Key Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; Institute for Water-Carbon Cycles and Carbon Neutrality, School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
Rainfall can suppress soil respiration (Rs) in temperate forests during the growing season, especially when soils are already moist. Antecedent soil moisture is a key factor influencing this response, improving ecosystem model predictions.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
- Soil Science
Background:
- Climate change impacts rainfall patterns, influencing soil respiration (Rs) and carbon storage.
- Understanding the drivers of Rs response to rainfall is crucial but limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the direction and magnitude of Rs response to rainfall events.
- To identify the key determinants of Rs response in a temperate forest ecosystem.
- To assess the role of antecedent soil moisture in regulating Rs.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of a 10-year dataset (2004-2013) of soil respiration and associated environmental variables.
- Identification and analysis of 368 rainfall events.
- Statistical modeling to determine the influence of rainfall and soil moisture on Rs.
Main Results:
- Rainfall suppressed Rs in optimal and moist soil conditions during the growing season.
- Rainfall had minimal effect on Rs during the non-growing season.
- Antecedent soil moisture (R 2 = 0.37) was a stronger predictor of growing season Rs response than rainfall amount (R 2 < 0.01).
- Including antecedent soil moisture improved the explanatory power (R 2) of Rs changes from 0.09 to 0.45.
Conclusions:
- Soil respiration's response to rainfall is highly dependent on antecedent soil moisture, particularly during the growing season.
- Antecedent soil moisture significantly influences the magnitude and direction of Rs changes following rainfall.
- Incorporating antecedent soil moisture into ecosystem models can enhance prediction accuracy and reduce uncertainty.
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