Soil carbon pools are much larger than the atmospheric C pools. Therefore, investigation into how microbial and plant processes in soils impact overall stabilization versus release of carbon into our environment is essential in driving our understanding of global carbon fluxes that drive climate change. Soil respiration is a major component of global carbon fluxes and can act as a net carbon dioxide (CO2) sink or net source depending on how ecosystems evolve. On the other hand, below ground and above ground volatile organic compounds act as a source of signals that mediate biogeochemical processes and are emitted in response to environmental changes, acting as an indicator of ecosystem health. Moreover, these microbial and plant gas phase emissions affect both soil and atmospheric processes.
This session is focused on the intersection between biogeochemical and atmospheric processes by showcasing experiments that combine soil and gas phase measurements including characterization of respiration, gas production/utilization and production and evolution of volatiles. We invite both field and laboratory studies representing soil carbon efflux measurements, microbial/plant volatiles as well as other gas phase soil and atmospheric emission that advances our understanding of biogeochemical processes.