Horizon Partitioning of soil CO2 sources and their Isotopic Composition (13C) in a Pinus Sylvestris

The overall aim of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of mechanisms behind soil CO2 efflux using carbon stable isotopes. Given (i) the interest of conducting in situ studies with soil multilayer analysis and (ii) the benefits of isotopic tool to improve mechanistic understanding, these two approaches are combined. Quantifying the origin and the determinism of 13CO2 and 12CO2 production processes in the different soil layers using the gradient-efflux approach is the main goal of this work. To meet this one, the work includes an experimental setup and a modeling approach.

The experimental set up (see also communication of Parent et al., session B008) comprised a combination of different systems, which were installed in a Scot Pine temperate forest at the Hartheim site (Southwestern Germany). Measurements include (i) half hourly vertical profiles of soil CO2 concentration (using soil CO2 probes), soil water content and temperature; (ii) half hourly soil surface CO2 effluxes (automatic chambers); (iii) half hourly isotopic composition of surface CO2 efflux and soil CO2 concentration profile and (iv) estimation of soil diffusivity through laboratory measurements conducted on soil samples taken at several depths.

Using the data collected in the experimental part, we developed and used a diffusive transport model to simulate CO2 (13CO2 and 12CO2) flows inside and out of the soil based on Fick’s law. Given the horizontal homogeneity of soil physical parameters in Hartheim, we treated the soil as a structure consisting of distinctive layers of 5 cm thick and expressed the fick’s first law in a discrete formalism. The diffusion coefficient used in each layer was derived from (i) horizon specific relationships, obtained from laboratory measurements, between soil relative diffusivity and its water content and (ii) the soil water content values measured in situ. The concentration profile was obtained from in situ measurements. So, the main model inputs are the profiles of (i) CO2 (13CO2 and 12CO2) concentration, (ii) soil diffusion coefficient and (iii) soil water content. Once the diffusive fluxes deduced at each layer interface, the CO2 (13CO2 and 12CO2) production profile was calculated using the (discretized) mass balance equation in each layer.

The results of the Hartheim measurement campaign will be presented. The CO2 source vertical profile and its link with the root and the Carbon organic content distribution will be showed. The dynamic of CO2 sources and their isotopic signature will be linked to climatic variables such soil temperature and soil water content. For example, we will show that the dynamics of CO2 sources was mainly related to temperature while changing of isotopic signature was more correlated to soil moisture.