Future C loss in mid-latitude mineral soils: climate change exceeds land use mitigation potential in France.
Many studies have highlighted significant interactions between soil C reservoir dynamics and global climate and environmental change. However, in order to estimate the future soil organic carbon sequestration potential and related ecosystem services well, more spatially detailed predictions are needed. The present study made detailed predictions of future spatial evolution (at 250 m resolution) of topsoil SOC driven by climate change and land use change for France up to the year 2100 by taking interactions between climate, land use and soil type into account. We conclude that climate change will have a much bigger influence on future SOC losses in mid-latitude mineral soils than land use change dynamics. Hence, reducing CO2emissions will be crucial to prevent further loss of carbon from our soils.
Geography Department, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Jeroen
J
Meersmans
INRA, InfoSol unit, F-45075, Orléans, France.
Dominique
D
Arrouays
Geography and Tourism Research Group, Department Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Anton J J
AJ
Van Rompaey
CECI, CERFACS - CNRS, Toulouse, France.
Christian
C
Pagé
Geography Department, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Sarah
S
De Baets
Geography Department, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Timothy A
TA
Quine