EGU24-15219, updated on 09 Mar 2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-15219
EGU General Assembly 2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

The apparent temperature sensitivity (Q10) of peat soil respiration: A synthesis study

Haojie Liu1, Fereidoun Rezanezhad2, Ying Zhao3, Hongxing He4, Philippe Van Cappellen2, and Bernd Lennartz1
Haojie Liu et al.
  • 1Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany(haojie.liu@uni-rostock.de)
  • 2Ecohydrology Research Group, Water Institute and Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
  • 3College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai, China
  • 4Department of Geography, McGill University, Montréal, Canada

The temperature sensitivity (Q10) of soil respiration is a critical parameter in modeling soil carbon dynamics; yet the regulating factors and the underlying mechanisms of Q10 in peat soils remain unclear. To address this gap, we conducted a comprehensive synthesis data analysis from 87 peatland sites (361 observations) spanning boreal, temperate, and tropical zones, and investigated the spatial distribution pattern of Q10 and its correlation with climate conditions, soil properties, and hydrology. Findings revealed distinct Q10 values across climate zones: boreal peatlands exhibited the highest Q10, trailed by temperate and then tropical peatlands. Latitude presented a positive correlation with Q10, while mean annual air temperature and precipitation revealed a negative correlation. A noteworthy discovery was the pronounced negative relationship between the soil carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N) and Q10, echoing the carbon-quality temperature hypothesis that decomposition is more temperature-sensitive in low-quality than in high-quality carbon. However, the relationship between C/N and Q10 varied significantly between peat types. Our data analyses also revealed that Q10 was influenced by soil moisture levels, with significantly lower values observed for peat soils under wet than dry conditions. Essentially, boreal and temperate peatlands seem more vulnerable to global warming-induced soil organic carbon decomposition than tropical counterparts, with wet peatlands showing higher climate resilience.

How to cite: Liu, H., Rezanezhad, F., Zhao, Y., He, H., Van Cappellen, P., and Lennartz, B.: The apparent temperature sensitivity (Q10) of peat soil respiration: A synthesis study, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-15219, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-15219, 2024.