The diurnal cycle of CO2 concentration in soil air depends, e.g., on microbial respiration (including actinobacteria) and plant vegetation.
It is suggested that soil air for long-term observations should not be made at shallow depths.
What sampling depths are optimal for studies of CO2 output from the soil?
Article Diurnal cycle of carbon isotope ratio in soil CO2 in various...
These varry greatly based on climatic and ecoregions. But most research target 0-50cm
I suggest define the depth by an analysis of soil profile in your study sites. Generally, the first 0-20 cm of soil profile concentrate around 30-40% of soil organic matter and approximately around 50% of fine roots.
This depends on
and cant be therfore general equal for all soils.
I suggests you to long-term observations of CO2 production ground to perform at shallow depths 10, 30 or 50 Cm of precipitation water samples and analyzing the 13C signal DIC (CO2 dissolves in the water).
In this soil CO2 production studies you can see we microbial respiration and plant vegetation.?
There may be no simple answers. I you want to start a longterm research, maybe consider:
1. The vertical profile of fine root biomass and organic matter, as well as soil texture. The fitst two determine the production of CO2, and the last one influences the diffusion of CO2 from soil to the air.
2. The number of inlet of tubings, if you plan to use a pump to sample the gas. Or, the number of sensors you want to set up in the soil. This depends on your cost sheet.
- Badges
- Science topic