SOC Pools and Stocks in Permafrost-affected Soils on the Tibetan Plateau

摘要

The main influencing parameters of spatial distribution and fractions of SOC were investigated in permafrost-affected soils at two sites in continuous (WUD) and discontinuous (HUA) permafrost areas on the Tibetan Plateau. We found that soil moisture affects the spatial distribution of SOC significantly. Highest SOC stocks were found in moist to water saturated soils indicating seasonally poor turnover conditions (HUA). Further, moist sites have higher contents of easily decomposable POM fractions. Our findings imply also that such sites are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Our results should not be upscaled so far, since they are based only on two sites with 11 soil pits. Since 2011we investigate eight other sites on the Tibetan Plateau.