A new study has challenged the long-standing assumption that global warming will inevitably turn humid subtropical forests into carbon sources, revealing these ecosystems may instead continue accumulating soil carbon under moderate temperature rises. The study was published in One Earth on Oct. 6.
A new study has challenged the long-standing assumption that global warming will inevitably turn humid subtropical forests into carbon sources, revealing these ecosystems may instead continue accumulating soil carbon under moderate temperature rises. The study was published in One Earth on Oct. 6.
Led by Prof. Liu Juxiu from the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the team conducted a nine-year ecosystem-level passive warming experiment in a humid subtropical forest. Using an elevational translocation approach, they simulated realistic warming of up to 2.1°C.
The researchers found that soil organic carbon exhibited a two-phase response to warming. In the first four years, they observed carbon loss, driven by a reduction in topsoil mineral-associated organic carbon.
