Potential of idle agricultural lands of the post-soviet area to mitigate the climate changes and improve an environment Interdisciplinary Workshop March 3-5, 2015 Pushchino, Moscow Region BOOK OF EXTENDED ABSTRACTS
Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Sciences Dokuchaev Soil Science Society UK Embassy
Potential of idle agricultural lands of the post‐soviet area to mitigate the climate changes and improve an environment Interdisciplinary Workshop March 3‐5, 2015 BOOK OF EXTENDED ABSTRACTS
Pushchino, Moscow region
УДК 631.4 ББК 40.3 P87 Potential of idle agricultural lands of the post‐soviet area to mitigate the climate changes and improve an environment. Book of extended abstracts of International Interdisciplinary Workshop. Pushchino: IPBPSS RAS, 2015. – 76 p.
Compiled by Dr. Irina Kurganova Editors: Dr. Tatiana Khomutova, Dr. Alexander Prishchepov Computer design by Dr. Sergey Udaltsov
On the cover page: the idle land near Pushchino (photo of Irina Kurganova)
Printed with the financial support of UK Embassy (Moscow)
© Institute of physicochemical and biological problems in soil science of the RAS, 2015
Interdisciplinary workshop “Potential of idle agricultural lands of the post‐soviet area to mitigate climate changes and improve an environment”, Pushchino, Russia, March 3–4, 2015
FOREWORD International Interdisciplinary Workshop “Potential of idle agricultural lands of the post‐soviet area to mitigate the climate changes and improve an environment” was held in Pushchino (Moscow region, Russia) on March, 3–5, 2015. Workshop was organized and hosted by the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the frame and with full financial support of the project of the similar title by UK Embassy. The aim of the meeting was linking together researchers and experts, who are interested in ecological, socio‐economical, and agricultural problems. Climate change, land use, and carbon cycle in terrestrial ecosystems are inextricably linked. Man‐made emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHG) into the Earth’s atmosphere continue to escalate. The idle agricultural lands in Russia and former Soviet Republics present a huge potential for the long term sequestration of carbon in soils and thereby could mitigate current climate changes. Understanding the role of agrogenic and post‐ agrogenic ecosystems in carbon cycles and predicting whether they will be carbon sinks or sources in future are important to ongoing international dialogue on the subject of climate change. The main lines for discussion in the frame of workshop were: Linkage between land use, climate, and carbon cycle in terrestrial ecosystems; Dynamics of cropland areas in different regions of Russian Federation and former Soviet Union Republics during XX‐XXI century; Main elements of carbon balance in post‐agrogenic ecosystems; Management of the stocks of organic matter in agricultural and abandoned lands; Risks associated with substantial GHG emissions due to the expected recultivation of abandoned lands in future; Pathways for providing the prolonged mitigation of climate changes due to conservation farming. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO UNESCO) announced 2015 as the International Year of Soils, and it is our pleasure to devote our Workshop to this event. In the book, all papers are put according to the order in the workshop program.
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PROGRAMME of International Interdisciplinary Workshop “Potential of idle agricultural lands of the post‐soviet area to mitigate the climate changes and improve an environment” March 3, 2015 1100 – 1315 (Moderator Dmitry Zamolodchikov) 00 45 11 – 11 Irina Kurganova (Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Pushchino) Impact of land use changes on carbon cycle and climate: global and regional aspects 1145 – 1230 Anna Romanovskaya, Nikolay Smirnov (Institute of Global Climate and Ecology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Roshydromet; Moscow) The role of abandoned lands of Russian Federation in mitigating the impacts of climate change in the present and future 1230 – 1315 Agustin Merino (Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry Department, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain) Soil carbon sequestration and soil conservation in new forestlands from Northern Spain 1330‐ 1445 Lunch (Café “Zelenaya zona”) 1445‐ 1845 (Moderators Irina Ryzhova, Vladimir Romanenkov) 1445‐ 1515 Dmitry Zamolodchikov (Centre of Ecology and Productivity of Forests, Russian Academy of Sciences; Moscow) Assessment of carbon uptake in biomass due to reforestation of abandoned lands 1515‐ 1545 Irina Ryzhova (Soil Science Department, Moscow State University; Moscow) Dynamics of stocks and composition of soil organic matter in post‐agrogenic ecosystems of southern taiga 1545‐ 1630 Dmitry Lyuri (Institute of geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Moscow) Dynamics of agricultural land in Russia and in the world in the XX century 1630‐ 1700 Coffee‐break 1700‐ 1745 Dmitry Karelin (Biological Department, Moscow State University; Moscow) Long‐term changes of CO2 soil emissionsin a course of post‐agrogenic succession in Podzols and Chernozems: more similar or more different? 1745‐ 1815 Dmitry Sapronov (Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Pushchino) CO2 emission from soils in agrogenic and post‐agrogenic ecosystems in Moscow region under enhancement of climate aridity 4
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Interdisciplinary workshop “Potential of idle agricultural lands of the post‐soviet area to mitigate climate changes and improve an environment”, Pushchino, Russia, March 3–4, 2015
1815‐ 1845 Valeria Telesnina (Soil Science Department, Moscow State University; Moscow) Changes in biodiversity and vegetation structure during the restoration succession of former farmlands 1900‐ 2100 Dinner (Café “Zelenaya zona”) March 4, 2015 00 15 9 – 11 (Moderator Dmitry Karelin, Natalia Buchkina) 900 – 945 Аlexander Prishchepov (Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies, Halle Germany) Agricultural land‐use change in post‐Soviet countries: status and research priorities 9 45‐ 1030 Vera Pavlova (All‐Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Meteorology, Roshydromet, Obninsk) Agroclimatic monitoring for climate change and comparative evaluations of bioclimatic potential and productivity of crops in 2013‐2014. 1030‐ 1115 Vladimir Romanenkov (All‐Russian Institute of Agrochemistry named after D.Pryanishnikov, Moscow) Assessing the possibility of organic carbon stocks management in agricultural and abandoned lands considering the climate change on the basis of dynamic modelling 15 45 11 ‐ 11 Coffee‐break 1145 – 1215 Valentin Lopes de Gerenyu (Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Pushchino) Pathways for providing the prolonged mitigation of climate changes due to conservation farming: analysis and ecological reasoning 1215 – 1245 Natalia Buchkina (Agrophysical Research Institute, St. Petersburg) Nitrous oxide emission from soils under different land use 1245 – 1315 Alyena Ryzhiya (Agrophysical Research Institute, St. Petersburg) Biochar as soil ameliorant for light‐textured Spodosol 15 13 – 1335 Natalia Zinyakova (Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Pushchino) Effect of conventional and organic agriculture on environment: experimental study in Tula region 1335 – 1355 Agustin Merino (Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry Department, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain) A differential scanning calorimetry is a promising tool to measure the recalcitrance of SOM 1400‐ 1500 Lunch (Café “Zelenaya zona”) 2015 International Year of Soils
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1500‐ 1845 (Moderators Irina Kurganova, Alexander Prishchepov) 1500 – 1530 Аlexander Prishchepov (Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies, Halle Germany) Relationship of anthropogenic fires with agricultural production and abandoned lands in European Russia: Ryazan province case study 1530 – 1600 Dmitry Sapronov (Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Pushchino) The effect of fires on carbon pools and fluxes in grassland ecosystems 1600 – 1630 Sergey Torbatov (Ryazan State University named for S.A. Esenin; Ryazan) Abandoned land as a factor of landscapes resistance to anthropogenic mercury deposition 1630‐ 1700 Coffee‐break 1700‐ 1720 Аlexander Prishchepov (Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies, Halle Germany) Dynamics and determinants of agricultural land‐use change in the former Virgin Lands Campaign area of Northern Kazakhstan 1720‐ 1740 Vladimir Shanin (Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Pushchino) Risk assessment of increase in carbon losses from abandoned soils due to their secondary ploughing: a case study in Moscow and Kostroma regions 1740‐ 1800 Irina Kurganova (Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Pushchino) Contribution to global warming potential due to virgin land campaign in the former Soviet Union 1800 Closing of Workshop
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IMPACT OF LAND USE CHANGES ON CARBON CYCLE AND CLIMATE: GLOBAL AND REGIONAL ASPECTS Irina Kurganova 1 and Alexander Prishchepov 2,3 1
Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Russia
[email protected] 2 Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark 3 Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), Halle, Germany
[email protected]
Abstract: The greatest C fluxes caused by land‐cover change are attributed to conversion of native vegetation to cropland and vice versa. The abrupt conversion of natural landscapes to croplands in the eastern Russia and northern Kazakhstan between 1954 and 1963 resulted in C loss at rate of 81.7±6.4 Tg C yr‐1. The deterioration of collective farming system after the breakup of the Soviet Union led to abandonment of 70 Mha of agricultural lands from 1991 to 2010 in former Soviet Union countries and sequestration of C in soils at rate of 67.2±5.6 Tg C yr‐1 for study period. These two massive land use changes in former USSR affected substantially the national C budgets in former Soviet Union countries.
Most changes from land use to land cover and vice versa significantly affect the amount of carbon (C) sequestered in vegetation and soil, thereby, shifting the C balance in ecosystems and affecting the climate through greenhouse effect. Globally, the changes in LULC, such as cropland expansion yielded to release of 156 Pg C (1 Pg = 1015 g) to the atmosphere over the period 1850–1990, which can be compared to about a half of carbon release from combustion of fossil fuels over the same period (Houghton 2003). At the same time, there is a trend of increase of global net annual CO2 emissions from LULC and land use change from ~0.6 PgC yr−1 in 1850 to ~1.3 PgC yr−1 during the period 1950– 2005 (Houghton 2010). According to recent estimation, the LULC changes contribute about 10% (1.0±0.5 Pg C) to the global C budget (Global Carbon Project, 2012).
Due to the significant changes in soil C stocks that accompany human activities, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has included these changes in national C accounts (Smith, 2004). The sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) as SOC induced by the converting of former agricultural lands to natural vegetation contributes significantly to mitigate climatic changes, and it is a win‐win strategy both in global and in regional scales (Lal, 2004). Recent session of the United Nations Framework Conventional on Climate Change (Born, June, 2013) initiated a more comprehensive accounting of anthropogenic C emissions and sinks induced by Land Use, Land Cover, and Forestry.
The greatest C fluxes caused by LULC change are attributed to conversion of native vegetation to cropland and vice versa (Houghton, Goodale 2004). For instance, carbon in the upper meter soil profile is reduced by ~25–30% as a result of conversion of pristine steppes into croplands (Guo, Gifford 2002; Murty et al. 2002). Soil C losses due to conversion of forest to croplands vary between 31.1±5.3% and 53.2±3.4% depending on forest type, cultivation stage, climate and soil properties (Wei et al. 2014). Natural or human‐induced afforestation of treeless lands, former pastures and hayfields, and forest plantations may have contrast effects on total SOC pool. Depending on the land management, climate and vegetation types, afforestation can increase, but also decrease C stock in soil (Thuille and Schulse, 2006; Poeplau et al., 2011). The majority of studies clearly demonstrated, the afforestation resulted in a decrease in SOC stock during the first 10‐15 years, thereafter though the initial SOC stock is restored and net C accumulation took place (Perez Cruzado et al., 2012). 2015 International Year of Soils
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Undoubtedly, the deforestation in the tropical forests (Amazonia, Southeast Asia) has the most significant effect on global carbon budget. Annual carbon loss due to deforestation in the tropics was estimated to be 2.2 ± 0.6 Pg C during 1990s (Houghton, 2003). In various tropical regions, C losses due to the decrease of forest area varied between 350 to 1000 Tg C per year (1 Tg = 1012 g; see table). However, the abrupt shifts of agricultural policy in former Soviet Union (FSU) also resulted in two massive LULC changes during the last century. From 1954 to 1963, approximately 45.2 million ha (Mha) of natural landscapes (mainly steppes) in the eastern Russia and northern Kazakhstan were converted to croplands. Implementation of such unprecedented “Virgin Land Campaign” resulted in strong degradation of soils and huge losses of soil organic matter which accounted for ‐81.7±6.4 Tg C yr‐1 during the first 20 years of cultivation and most likely contributed to global warming. These C losses could be compared with of the conversion of prairies to cropland in the mid 1930s in USA. Examples of carbon cost due to the most significant LULC changes for the last and current centuries over the world C loss (‐) Area/Country Type of LUC Period Reference or sequestration (+) Conversion of Former Soviet Kurganova et al., virgin steppes 1954‐1963 ‐81.7±6.4 Tg C yr‐1 Union 2015 (under review) to croplands Hirsch et al., 2004 Legal Amazon Area Deforestarion 1970‐1998 350 Tg C yr−1 ‐1 Kim Phat et al., 2004 South East Asia Deforestarion 1980‐2000 ‐465 Tg C yr −1 Brazilian Amazon Deforestarion 2000‐2002 ‐500 to ‐1000 Tg C yr Potter et al., 2009 Cropland Kurganova et al., 2014 Russia 1990‐2009 42.6±3.8 Tg C yr‐1 abandonment Former Soviet Cropland 1991‐2010 67.2±5.6 Tg C yr‐1 Present study Union abandonment
The second radical LULC change event in Northern Hemisphere was associated with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the collapse of collective farming system, when roughly 70 Mha of former agricultural lands in former USSR were abandoned. The agricultural land abandonment was particularly common in the boreal temperate and grassland biomes of the world. Once agricultural lands are abandoned and remained idle without cultivation for some years, natural vegetation gradually occupy the fields, and organic C can accumulate both in soil and in vegetation. Abandoned agricultural lands in Russia and FSU countries present a huge potential for long term sequestration of carbon. Early, we showed that the average C accumulation rate in the upper 20 cm of mineral soil was 0.96 ± 0.08 Mg C ha‐1 yr‐1 for the first 20 years after abandonment (Kurganova et al., 2014). Our conservative assessment suggests that total C sequestration in soils of the former USSR could amount for 67.2±5.6 Tg C yr‐1 from 1991 to 2010, and it is in line with other independent studies (e.g. Schierhorn et al., 2013). Carbon sequestration on abandoned lands can compensate all fire and post‐fire CO2 emissions in Russia, or to offset approximately 7% of global CO2 emissions associated with LULCC changes. Although, the carbon sequestration due to farming system collapse in former Soviet Union was less significant than C loss due to deforestation in tropical regions, it affected considerably the Russian carbon budget and had positive ecological implications, such as improvement of soils, restoration of native ecosystems and biodiversity.
Conclusions Most changes in land cover and land use (e.g., deforestation, conversion of grasslands to croplands, and agricultural land abandonment) significantly affect the amount of carbon sequestered in 8
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vegetation and soil, thereby, shifting the C balance in ecosystems. Two massive land‐cover change events during the last century, caused by the abrupt shifts in agricultural policy of Soviet Union resulted in more than 45 Mha of steppes conversion into croplands, primarily in eastern Russia and northern Kazakhstan. This caused the C loss at rate of 81.7±6.4 Tg C yr‐1. The second radical land‐ cover change started in 1991 due to the collapse of Soviet collective farming system, when about 70 Mha of agricultural lands were abandoned across FSU countries. It resulted in substantial C sequestration in soil which amounted to 67.2±5.6 Tg C yr‐1 for the period between 1991 and 2010. Therefore, land use policy of the former USSR significantly affected the national and global C budgets during the last and current centuries.
Acknowledgements This study was supported by UK Embassy (project “Potential of idle agricultural lands of the post‐ soviet area to mitigate the climate changes and improve an environment”).
References Honghton R.A., Hackler J.L., Lawrence K.T. (1999) The U.S. carbon budget: contributions from land‐use change. Science. Vol. 285. P. 574‐578. Houghton R.A. (2003) Revised estimates of annual net flux of carbon to the atmosphere from changes in land use and land management 1850‐2000. Tellus (B). Vol. 55. P. 378‐390. Houghton R.A. (2010) How well do we know the flux of CO2 from land‐use change? Tellus B. Vol. 62. P. 337– 351. Global Carbon Project (2012) Available at www.globalcarbonproject.org Guo L. B., Gifford R.M. (2002) Soil carbon stock and land use change: a meta analysis. Global Change Biol. Vol. 8. P. 345‐360. Hirsch A.I., Little W., Houghton R.A., Scott N.A., White J.D. (2004) The net carbon flux due to deforestation and forest regrowth in the Brazilian Amazon: Analysis using a process‐based model. Global Change Biol. Vol 10. P. 908–924. Kim Phat N., Knorr W., Kim S. (2004) Appropriate Measures for Conservation of Terrestrial Carbon Stocks ‐ Analysis of Trends of Forest Management in Southeast Asia. Ecology Management. Vol. 191. P. 283‐299. Kurganova I., Lopes de Gerenyu V., Six J., Kuzyakov Y. Сarbon cost of collective farming collapse in Russia. Global Change Biology. 2014. Vol. 20(3). P. 938–947. Lal R. (2004) Soil carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change. Geoderma. Vol. 123. P. 1–22 Murty D., Kirschbaum M.F., McMurtrie R.E., McGilvray H. (2002) Does conversion of forest to agricultural land change soil carbon and nitrogen? A review of the literature. Global Change Biology. Vol. 8. P. 105–123. Pérez‐Cruzado C., Mansilla‐Salinero P., Rodríguez‐Soalleiro R., Merino A. (2012) Influence of tree species on carbon sequestration in afforested pastures in a humid temperate region. Plant and soil. Vol. 353. P. 333– 353. Poeplau C., Don A., Vesterdal L. et al. (2011) Temporal dynamics of soil organic carbon after land‐use change in the temperate zone – Carbon response functions as a model approach. Global Change Biology. Vol. 17. P. 2415‐2427. Potter C., Klooster S., Genovese V. (2009) Carbon emissions from deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon Region. Biogeosciences. Vol. 6. P. 2369‐2381. Schierhorn F Müller D., Beringer T., Prishchepov A.V., Kuemmerle T., Balmann A. (2013) Post‐Soviet Cropland Abandonment and Carbon Sequestration in European Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. Vol. 27(4). P. 1175–85. Six J., Ogle S.M., Breidt F.J., Conant R.T., Mosier A.R., Paustian K. (2004) The potential to mitigate global warming with no‐tillage management is only realized when practised in the long term. Global Change Biology. Vol. 10. P. 155–160. Smith P. (2004) Soils as carbon sinks: the global context. Soil Use Manag. Vol. 20. P. 212‐218. Thuille A., Schulse E‐D. E.F. (2006) Carbon dynamics in successional and afforested spruce stands in Thuringia and the Alps. Global Change Biology. Vol. 12. P. 325–342.
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Interdisciplinary workshop “Potential of idle agricultural lands of the post‐soviet area to mitigate climate changes and improve an environment”, Pushchino, Russia, March 3–4, 2015 Wei X., Shao M., Gale W., Li L. (2014) Global pattern of soil carbon losses due to the conversion of forests to agricultural land. Scientific reports. 4: 4062. DOI: 10.1038/srep04062.
THE ROLE OF ABANDONED LANDS OF RUSSIAN FEDERATION IN MITIGATING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN PRESENT AND FUTURE Nikolay Smirnov 1 and Anna Romanovskaya2 Institute of global climate and ecology of Roshydromet and RAS, Moscow, Russian Federation 1 smns‐
[email protected] ;
[email protected]
Abstract. Both current dynamics and projections of the changes in carbon accumulation in soils of abandoned lands in Russia are considered. Prognoses were made for two scenarios: the conditions of current climate in Russia and under assumption that global warming would exceed 20С. It is shown that at the moment there is a decrease in carbon sequestration by soils of abandoned lands. The results of projection modeling showed that with the increase of global average temperatures the dynamics of carbon accumulation in soils could go in opposite directions in various regions in Russia.
Introduction According to the Fifth IPCC Assessment Report (IPCC, 2013), the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is increased now by 40% compared to pre‐industrial levels. One of two main reasons of this, along with the burning of fossil fuels, is the emissions from land‐use sector. Global carbon emissions from this sector is gradually reduced from 1.14±0.18 PgC yr‐1 in the period 1990‐ 2009 (Hougthon et al, 2012) to 0.9 [0,1‐1,7] PgC yr‐1 in the period 2002‐2011, (IPCC, 2013).
In the Russian Federation in 2012 the sector of land use, land‐use change and forestry (LULUCF) was a net sink of CO2 from the atmosphere with an annual value of 542.0 million tons of CO2‐eq., that compensated for 23.6% of total anthropogenic emissions from other sectors (National report..., 2014). In general, during the period 1990 – 2012 the absorption of CO2 increased and overall emissions reduced in Russian LULUCF sector. One of the reasons for the increase of CO2 sequestration in LULUCF sector is the land use change, including both conversions from croplands to grasslands (meadows and pastures) and from croplands to forest land (afforestation).
The aim of the work was to evaluate the carbon stocks changes in all carbon pools on abandoned lands for the period from 1990 to 2012 using the method of calculation monitoring and the modeling of the carbon stock changes in soils of abandoned lands under two climate scenarios: the current climate and the increase in global average temperature by more of 20С compared to the preindustrial period.
Materials and methods Evaluation was conducted according to official data presented in Russian statistical yearbooks, published by Rosstat, and data about the lands from reports of Rosreestr. Abandoned land area was calculated as the difference between the total area of croplands and the amount of cultivated lands in the Russian Federation as a whole and for each region separately.
Changes in stocks of biomass (both aboveground and underground parts) and mortmass pools were calculated as the difference of respective average stocks before and after conversion. The transition period to reach a new steady state in biomass and mortmass carbon stocks on croplands converted to grasslands was accepted equal to 20 years (Guidelines..., 2003). The average stocks of above‐ and underground biomass as well as mortmass after such conversion were identified on the basis of national data on experimental investigations of grassland phytomass and mortmass stocks in 10
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different bioclimatic zones of Russia (Bazilevich, 1993). In order to convert from dry matter to the carbon we used conversion factors for biomass ‐ 0,45 (Levin, 1977) and 0,40 for mortmass (Guidelines..., 2006).
The RothC model (Coleman, Jenkinson, 1996) was used to estimate changes in carbon stocks in soils of abandoned lands. That model allows calculations of organic carbon content monthly. We have adapted it to the specifics of microbial processes in abandoned soils by calibration of constants for mineralization of organic matter. Input data for modeling included actual weather conditions for 1990‐2012 or climate data for projections, characteristics of soils and vegetation.
For model simulation the GIS map of Russia was developed, which includes three layers: soils, vegetation, and administrative division. In total 1206 polygons of abandoned lands has been determined. Each of those is characterized by a unique set of soil and vegetation characteristics as well as regional affiliation. For each polygon soil characteristics, weather conditions, and dynamics of the input of organic matter from vegetation in the soil during re‐vegetation were identified basing on literature data (Romanovskaya, 2006).
Using calibrated model RothC (Romanovskaya, 2008a,b) we had performed estimates of the impact of future climate change on the dynamics of soil carbon stocks in abandoned lands for 9 regions of Russia (Romanovskaya, 2014). For this purpose we used climate data of MGO by A.I. Voeykova for two periods: for the base period (1981‐2000) ‐ temperature (Rienecker et al., 2011) and precipitation (Xie, Arkin, 1998); and for the period when the average global temperature exceeds 2°C compared to pre‐industrial levels according to the IPCC scenario RCP 4.5 (2034‐2053) (Kattsov, Govorkova, 2013). It should be noted that these results do not include the assessment of the impact of climate change on the productivity of grassland vegetation.
Results and discussion According to our results, the total area of abandoned lands within the period from 1990 to 2012 comprised 29.8 million ha. Significant areas were converted from croplands to grasslands in the Central federal district (FD), in the North‐West, Volga, Ural and Far‐Eastern FD's. The lowest area of abandoned arable land observed in the Central and southern regions of Russia with most favorable climatic and soil conditions for agriculture.
Overall profile of the sequestration of carbon in abandoned soils has two components: an upward trend until 2002 and the decline in carbon accumulation after that. That decrease in carbon sequestration by abandoned soils could be explained by two reasons: the decline (after 2000) of the area abandoned annually and slowdown of the rate of carbon accumulation on the large areas abandoned more than 20 years ago (in the early 1990s). Thus abandoned soils after 10‐15 years of re‐ vegetation gradually reduce their intensity of annual carbon accumulation and up to 30‐50 years after abandonment can become close to the new steady state of soil organic carbon. Maximum of annual carbon accumulation usually occurs on the lands abandoned from 3 to 7 years ago. Therefore we may conclude that most intensive sequestration of carbon on abandoned soils of Russia occurred during 1995‐1998 period.
The results of projection modeling (within 30 years after the abandonment of arable lands) showed that in the North‐West and Central FD (e.g. Moscow region) for the conditions of global warming over 2°C the abandoned soddy‐podzolic soils during their re‐vegetation are able to accumulate on average 27% more carbon than under the current climate scenario. Abandoned lands on typical chernozem in the zone of meadow steppes of Central Chernozem region of Russia (Voronezh region) would be characterized by a slower rate of carbon accumulation and lower stationary level of soil organic matter (‐12%) compared to climate conditions of 1981‐2000. In the South FD (Stavropol Krai), 2015 International Year of Soils
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for chestnut soils we have not identified any significant difference in the accumulation of carbon under both scenarios, and for chernozem soils in the same region the potential increase in the carbon accumulation has been identified as insignificant (comprising not more of 5‐7% of the total for the model period). The Asian part of Russia is characterized by possible losses in the rate and total amount of carbon sequestration due to increased temperatures, longer duration of biological activity of the soil during the year and increased moisture under conditions of climate warming. Thus, in the Urals, the accumulation of carbon in podzolic loamy soils would decrease by 9% (Sverdlovsk region), in the Altai region for podzolic sandy loam soils – decrease by 11 %, in Siberia for gray podzolic soils – decrease by 32 % (Novosibirsk region) and in the Far‐East for podzolic loamy soils – decrease by 23 % (Khabarovsk territory). The exception from that tendency is the southern part of Eastern Siberia (Irkutsk region), where the difference in the carbon accumulation of abandoned podzolic soils under scenarios of the current climate and the warming of more than 2°C has not been identified.
Results obtained by the modeling show that the greatest potential decline of C accumulation in abandoned soils would occur in the regions where the temperature is a limiting factor for the intensity of soil respiration (i.e. losses of carbon).
Conclusion At present annual carbon sequestration by soils of abandoned lands in Russia is decreasing. This decline is due to the reduction (after 2000) of the area abandoned annually and slowdown of the rate of carbon accumulation on the land abandoned in the early 1990s. The results of projection modeling showed that for the scenario with the increase of global average temperatures the dynamics of carbon accumulation in soils could go in opposite directions in various regions in Russia: there are regions with reduced rates of carbon accumulation compared to the current climate and there are regions with more intensive accumulation due to global warming. Decrease in carbon accumulation would likely occur on the most of the Asian part of Russia and Central‐Chernozem zone (from ‐11 to ‐ 32%), while the increase would be in the North‐West and Central FD's (up to +27%). In the southern regions of the European Part of Russia and Eastern Siberia there are not significant differences in the accumulation of soil carbon by abandoned lands under a stable climate and climate warming.
In future further reduction in the annual sequestration of atmospheric carbon by abandoned lands on the territory of Russia is expected, even if climate conditions would stabilize.
References Coleman K., Jenkinson D.S. (1996) RothC‐26.3 – A Model for the turnover of carbon in soil, in: Evaluation of Soil Organic Matter Models, Powlson, D.S., Smith, P., Smith, J.U., Springel – Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. NATO ASI Series, v. 138, pp. 237‐246. IPCC (2013–2014). Fifth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2013–2014, vol. 1–3. Houghton R.A., House J.I., Pongratz J., van der Werf G.R., DeFries R.S., Hansen M.C., Le Quere C., Ramankutty N. (2012) Carbon emissions from land use and land‐cover change. Biogeosciences, Vol. 9, pp. 5125–5142. doi:10.5194/bg‐9‐5125‐2012 Rienecker M. M., Suarez M.J., Gelaro R., Todling R., Bacmeister J., Liu E., Bosilovich M.G., Schubert S.D., Takacs L., Kim G.‐K., Bloom S., Chen J., Collins D., Conaty A., da Silva A., Gu W., Joiner J., Koster R.D., Lucchesi R., Molod A., Owens T., Pawson S., Pegion P., Redder C.R., Reichle R., Robertson F.R., Ruddick A.G., Sienkiewicz M., and Woollen J. (2011) MERRA: NASA's modern‐era retrospective analysis for research and applications, Journal of Climate, vol. 24, No. 14, pp. 3624‐3648. Romanovskaya A.A. (2014). Projections of carbon accumulation intensity by abandoned lands in Russia under possible climate change, in: Abstracts of 4thiLEAPS science conference “Terrestrial ecosystems, atmosphere and people in Earth system”, Nanjing, China, 12‐16 May 2014. Xie P. and Arkin P.A. (1998) Global monthly precipitation estimates from satellite‐observed outgoing long wave radiation, Journal of Climate, No. 11, pp. 137–164. 12
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Interdisciplinary workshop “Potential of idle agricultural lands of the post‐soviet area to mitigate climate changes and improve an environment”, Pushchino, Russia, March 3–4, 2015 Bazilevich, N.I. (1993). Biological productivity of ecosystems in North Eurasia. Moscow, Science, 293 p. (In Russian). Levin, F. I. (1977) The Number of residues in field crops and its definition on the yield of the main products. Agrochemistry. №8, pp. 36‐42. (In Russian). National inventory report of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal Protocol from 1990 to 2012, Moscow, Russia, Roshydromet, 2014. 479 p. (In Russian). Romanovskaya A.A. (2006) Organic carbon in soils of abandoned lands of Russia // Soil Science, № 1, pp. 52‐61. (In Russian). Romanovskaya A.A., (2008a). Stocks of soil organic carbon fallow lands, in: Agro‐ecological condition and prospects of the use of the lands of Russia, retired from active agricultural use, Moscow, FGNU of Rosinfoagrotech, pp. 354‐357. (In Russian). Romanovskaya A.A., (2008b). Principles of monitoring of anthropogenic emissions and sinks of greenhouse gases (CO2, N2O, CH4) in animal husbandry, in the agricultural land‐use and land‐use change in Russia, Dissertation of doctor of biological Sciences, Moscow, 40 p. (In Russian) Romanovskaya A.A., Korotkov V.N., Smirnov, N.S., Karaban, R.T., Trunov, A.A. (2014) Assessment of the contribution of land use in Russia in the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. Meteorology and hydrology. No. 3, pp. 5‐18. Guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories. The program of the IPCC national greenhouse gas inventories. IPCC, 2006. Guidance on good practice guidance for land use, land‐use change and forestry.The program of the IPCC national greenhouse gas inventories. IPCC, 2003. Kattsov V.M., Govorkova V.A., 2013. Expected changes of surface air temperature, precipitation and annual runoff in Russia in the 21st century: results of calculations using global climate models (CMIP5), Proceedings of the Main Geophysical Observatory A. I. Voeikov, 569, pp. 76‐98. (In Russian)
SOIL CARBON SEQUESTRATION AND SOIL CONSERVATION IN NEW FORESTLANDS FROM NORTHERN SPAIN Agustin Merino1 and Cesar Pérez‐Cruzado2 1
Department of Soil Science, University of Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain
[email protected] 2 Deparment of Forest Inventory, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
[email protected]
Abstract: Since 1940’s, a considerable increase in the forest surface has taken place in Northern Spain. The two main situations are the active afforestation with fast growing tree species and the passive reclamation of semi‐natural managed forests in mountain areas. The change in landscape involves important consequences for soil carbon sequestration and conservation. In this review we present an overview of the evolution of the main soil features.
New forest lands in Northern Spain In Spain, since the beginning of the large afforestation policies in 1940, 4.4 million ha of agrarian lands and around 3 million ha of grazed pastures have been converted to forests or shrublands (SECF, 2011). This makes that Spain is the country that more have contributed to the forest‐surface increase both in Europe (FAO, 2011). In Northern Spain, two main situations can be distinguished. a) active afforestation whose purposes are commercial and/or soil protection and b) passive reclamation of semi‐natural managed forests in mountain areas, after cessation of harvesting. In the favourable lands for timber production from Northern Spain, croplands and grasslands have been actively afforested with commercial tree plantations, mainly Pinus radiata, Pinus pinaster and Eucalyptus 2015 International Year of Soils
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globulus (SECF, 2011). In addition, from 1970s the abandonment of mountainous regions, the widespread use of fossil fuels, and the implementation of conservation measures in natural forests in Europe are leading to a substantial increase of the tree stock in these semi‐natural forests. These changes in landscape imply important changes in plant cover and species, which involve important consequences for whole environment, and in particular for soils. In spite of the general benefits of afforestation on soil and water conservation, certain not desirable problems can be found. In this chapter we try to show a general view of the main processes observed in the different environments and conditions found in Northern Spain.
Carbon balance and soil organic matter Under this humid temperate climate, afforestation of agricultural and pastures with fast growing tree species leads to the rapid C sequestration both in biomass and soil (Howlett et al., 2011b; Pérez‐ Cruzado et al., 2012). Carbon accumulation in soil is also favoured by soil acidification (the previous agricultural soils are usually limed), what slows down microbial decomposer activity (Pérez‐Cruzado et al., 2013). The SOM gains were favored by the higher chemical recalcitrance of pine litter (Pérez‐ Cruzado et al., 2014). The mean rates of C sequestration estimated for the first rotation after afforestation amounted to 9‐15 Mg C ha−1 yr−1, which are among the highest rates in Europe. The C sequestration in the soil (forest floor plus mineral soil) ranged from 8 to 18 % of the total C sequestration for the first rotation (Fig. 1). The C gains after afforestation, however, are dependent on the species established, being the sequence: E. nitens > P. radiata > E. globulus. Considering that important afforested area in Northern Spain using these three species, this indicates the significant contribution of afforestation to the mitigation of CO2 emissions.
Fig. 1. Changes in carbon accumulation (Mg C ha‐1) in the litter layer and mineral soils throughout the first rotation after afforestation. Dark shaded area: 95% confidence limits for 0–15 cm depth mineral soil; light shaded area: 95% confidence limits for organic layer (n = 40 for each of the three species; Pérez‐Cruzado et al., 2012).
The C sink capacity of forest plantations can be maximized through certain silvicultural practices. The higher tree growth of fertilized plantations involves a higher litterfall production, which could lead to a higher SOM content (Fernández‐Núñez et al., 2010; Santalla et al., 2011). The elongating the rotation length, tree density, and logging residue management could also enhance the C storage in these plantations (Pérez‐Cruzado et al., 2012). The establishment of trees in a cropland leads to increased soil CH4 uptakes, which was attributed to the improvement in soil aeration and higher methanotrophic activity and lower emissions of N2O (Fig. 2; Merino et al., 2004; Stange et al., 2013).
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Fig. 2. Methane fluxes from the grassland and afforested grassland. Negative values are consumption rates of CH4, positive values are emission rates of CH4 (Merino et al., 2004).
Soil properties and conservation In this humid area, most of the agricultural soils are limed and fertilized. After afforestation the high rainfall and the acidification effect due to nutrient uptake lead to a rapid process of soil acidification (Pérez‐Cruzado et al., 2012; Rigueiro‐Rodríguez et al., 2012). These studies show that after 15‐20 yr after forest establishment, soil pH values in most of the plantations were lower than 4.0, close to that in the seminatural forests (Fig. 3). In relation to this, decreases in available P, Ca, and Mg some years after afforestation are often recorded.
Fig. 3. Temporal evolution of soil pH throughout the first rotation after the afforestation with Pinus radiata considering four chronosequences (Pérez‐Cruzado et al., 2013).
On the other hand, afforestation implies benefits on water quality and lower peak runoff flow and erosion. However, in commercial plantations the perturbations due to intensive management make that the effects on hydrology are not always positive. Some studies (Fernández et al., 2006; Rodríguez‐ Suárez et al. (2011) revealed that afforestation with E. globulus leads to important increases in stream water after different perturbations (wildfire, coppice sprout selection, and insect attack).
References FAO (2011). State of the World’s Forests 2011. (FAO, Rome). Fernández C., Vega J.A., Gras J.M., Fonturbel T. (2006) Changes in water yield after a sequence of perturbations and forest management practices in a Eucalyptus globulus Labill. watershed in Northern Spain. Forest Ecology and Management 234, 275. Fernández‐Nuñez E., Rigueiro‐Rodriguez A., Mosquera‐Losada M.R. (2010) Carbon allocation dynamics one decade after afforestation with Pinus radiata D. Don and Betula alba L. under two stand densities in NW Spain. Ecological Engineering 36, 876.
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Interdisciplinary workshop “Potential of idle agricultural lands of the post‐soviet area to mitigate climate changes and improve an environment”, Pushchino, Russia, March 3–4, 2015 Merino A., Pérez‐Batallón P., Macías F. (2004) Responses of soil organic matter and greenhouse gas fluxes to changes in soil management and land use in a humid temperate region of southern Europe. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 36, 917. Merino, A.; Álvarez‐González, J. G.; Real, C.; Rodríguez‐Guitian, M. (2007) Forest structure and C stocks in natural forest fragments of Fagus sylvatica in southern Europe: the effects of past management. Forest Ecology and Management 250, 206. Pérez‐Cruzado, C; Sande, B. Omil, B; Rovira, P.; Barros, N; Salgado, J; Merino, A (2014) Organic matter properties in soils afforested with Pinus radiata. Plant and Soil 74, 381. Pérez‐Cruzado C., Mansilla‐Salinero P., Rodríguez‐Soalleiro R., Merino A. (2012) Influence of tree species on carbon sequestration in afforested pastures in a humid temperate region. Plant and Soil 353, 333. Rigueiro‐Rodríguez A., Ferreiro‐Domínguez N., Mosquera‐Losada M.R. (2010) The effects of fertilization with anaerobic, composted and pelletized sewage sludge on soil, tree growth, pasture production and biodiversity in a silvopastoral system under ash (Fraxinus excelsior L). Grass and Forage 65: 248‐259. Rodríguez‐Suárez J.A., Soto B., Pérez R., Díaz‐Fierros F. (2011) Influence of Eucalyptus globulus plantation growth on water table levels and low flows in a small catchment. Journal of Hydrology 396: 321‐326. SECF (2011) Situación de los bosques y del sector forestal en España. Informe 2010 (Sociedad Española de Ciencias Forestales. Madrid, España). Stange C.F., Spott O., Arriaga H., Menéndez S., Estavillo J.M., Merino P. (2013) Use of the inverse abundance approach to identify the sources of NO and N2O release from Spanish forest soils under oxic and hypoxic conditions. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 57, 451.
DYNAMICS OF THE STOCKS AND COMPOSITION OF ORGANIC MATTER IN SOILS OF POSTAGROGENIC ECOSYSTEMS IN SOUTHERN TAIGA Irina Ryzhova 1, Aleksandra Erokhova 2, and Marina Podvezennaya 3 1
Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992 Russia
[email protected] 2 Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992 Russia
[email protected] 3 Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992 Russia
[email protected]
Abstract: The dynamics of the stocks and composition of organic matter in soddy‐podzolic soils in the course of natural reforestation of abandoned fields in the southern taiga is studied. The results demonstrate that direction of the changes depends on the proximity of carbon stocks in arable soils to the stationary values, which are determined by bioclimatic conditions and soil texture. With the increase of fallow age, the content of labile soil carbon increases. The postagrogenic succession triggers the changes not only of the content of labile carbon but also of organomineral fraction in soil.
Introduction The problem of global climate change attracts significant attention to estimation of possible carbon sequestration in abandoned fields. The direction and the rate of changes of soil carbon stocks connected with the changes in land use depend on bioclimatic conditions, type and characteristics of soils, and the history of their previous managements. According to literature sources, the content of soil organic matter in naturally reforesting arable lands could both decrease and increase. Lyuri et al. (2010) demonstrated that the soil carbon stocks decrease at the early stage of the succession and increase at the later stages in various regions with conditions ranging from middle taiga to noble broadleaved forests. The aim of our research was to assess the changes in the stocks and
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composition of soil organic matter in the course of natural reforestation of arable lands in southern taiga of European Russia.
Objects and Methods Object of study was a chronosequence of soils of postagrogenic southern taiga ecosystems (Kostroma Oblast, 58о40’ N, 43о19’ E). When selecting elements of the chronosequence we tried to minimize the differences in lithological and geomorphological conditions. All trial plots (20 x 20 m in size each) were established on a watershed at the distance of 100‐250 m from each other. The study was performed in 2007 and 2011 that conditioned the differences in the fallow age in this paper. The chronosequence included an agroecosystem (with cultivated oat), an herb‐grass meadow (7‐11‐year old fallow), a young forest (20‐24‐year old fallow), a 45‐50‐year old birch‐spruce forest, and a secondary 80–100‐year old spruce forest. The ecosystems considered were formed on gleyic agrosoddy‐podzolic and loamy gleyic postagrogenic soddy‐podzolic soils developed over cover loams.
In each plot a soil pit was analyzed. Samples were taken from each soil horizon to determine the natural bulk density and the content of organic carbon. In order to statistically evaluate the reliability of differences in the soil carbon content in fallow lands of different ages, the soil samples were taken also from 0–10‐ and 10–20‐cm layers of additional shallow soil pits in each trial plot. Soil sampling sites within trial plots on arable lands, meadow ecosystems, and young forests were located randomly (20 sites). In order to estimate the intracenotic variability of forest litter reserves and carbon content in young birch‐spruce forests and secondary spruce forests we used the transect method (four transects per trial plot). In the forests dominant trees are capable to form powerful phytogenic fields around, therefore five or six soil and litter samples were collected along the transect between trunks of two nearby trees located at the distance of 6‐7 m: near the stem, below the middle of the crown, and one or two points in the inter‐canopy gap. The forest litter was sampled using a frame of 25 × 25 cm.
Soil carbon content was determined using the Tyurin method. Labile soil organic matter was extracted from fresh soil samples using 0.1 M K2SO4 solution and 0.1 М neutral Na4P2O7 solution prepared in accordance to methodological guidelines. Carbon content in the extracts was determined using Shimadzu TOC‐VCPN analyzer. Carbon of the microbial biomass was determined in fresh soil samples by the substrate induced respiration method. The granulo‐densimetric fractionation was made using the procedure described by Morgun and Makarov (2011). Sodium polywolframate solution was used to extract various slightly modified soil fractions. Light fraction (
