title: Precise estimation of soil organic carbon stocks in the northeast Tibetan Plateau.
abstract: There is a need for accurate estimate of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks for understanding the role of alpine soils in the global carbon cycle. We tested a method for mapping digitally the continuous distribution of the SOC stock in three dimensions in the northeast of the Tibetan Plateau. The approach integrated the spatial distribution of the mattic epipedon which is a special surface horizon widespread and rich in organic matter in Tibetan grasslands. Prediction models resulted in high prediction accuracy. An average SOC stock in the mattic epipedon was estimated to be 4.99 kg m(-2) in a mean depth of 14 cm. The amounts of SOC in the mattic epipedon, the upper 30 cm and 50 cm accounted for about 21%, 80% and 89%, respectively, of the total SOC stock in the upper 1 m depth. Compared with previous estimates, our approach resulted in more reliable predictions. The mattic epipedon was proven to be an important factor for modelling the realistic distribution of the SOC stock in Tibetan grasslands. Vegetation-related covariates have the most important influence on the distribution of the mattic epipedon and the SOC stock in the alpine grassland soils of northeast Tibetan Plateau.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.|University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Ren-Min
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.|University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Gan-Lin
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.|University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
authors.forename: Jun-Jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Zhi
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.|University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Guo
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
authors.forename: De-Cheng
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Li