Inclusion of biochar hydrological properties in a C dynamic model with field data
- 1Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per le Scienze Ambientali (CIRSA), Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Ravenna Campus, Via S. Alberto 163, 48123 Ravenna, Italy (simone.pesce3.unibo.it)
- 2Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia (DIFA), Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 33, 40126 Bologna, Italy (enrico.balugani2@unibo.it)
- 3Arpae SIMC Osservatorio Clima, viale Silvani 6, 40122 Bologna, Italy (avolta@arpae.it)
Biochar is considered one of the most promising tools to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration to achieve IPCC climate change targets. Research on the effect of biochar on soil carbon dynamics and its indirect effect on soil moisture through models that need to be extended, tested and validated with long term experiments.
Our work aimed at providing a starting point through the integration of two models: Criteria 1D and RothC to account the indirect effect of biochar on SOC due to changes in soil hydrological properties.
In order to account the indirect effect of biochar on soil moisture, we modified the RothC-Biochar (Pulcher et al 2022), a modified version of RothC that account the biochar priming effect and biochar recalcitrance properties, modifying the calculation of Total Soil Moisture Deficit (TSMD), a parameter related to soil moisture in RothC, through the relation between TSMD and θ (soil water content) suggested in Farina et al 2013.
Thus, we ran the CRITERIA 1D agrometeorological model to estimate the Van Genuchten water retention curve parameter from a multi-year field experiment (2017-2022) in a vineyard in Tebano (Ravenna, Italy), to estimate θ from field.
Since 2017 in Tebano we applied biochar produced from vine clippings and pruning residues. We installed sensors for weather and soil moisture between plots in 2019, with 5TE probes we monitored soil moisture, temperature and conductivity and with MPS1 probes soil matrix potential.
We applied a correction on the parameters that regulate the Van Genuchthen water retention curve function in CRITERIA 1D to account the effect of biochar on soil hydraulic properties. Then we compared the data obtained from the field probes with Criteria outputs to verify that the applied correction was accurate; finally, we use the Criteria results as input for RothC-Biochar.
The simulation with the modified RothC-Biochar models suggests that applying biochar on agricultural field would result in an increase of 2 tC ha-1of native SOC after 4 years compared to a bare soil due to indirect effect of biochar on soil moisture.
How to cite: Vaccari, M. C., Pesce, S., Balugani, E., and Volta, A.: Inclusion of biochar hydrological properties in a C dynamic model with field data, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 24–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-5371, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-5371, 2023.
