Variations in seasonal and inter-annual carbon fluxes in a semi-arid sandy maize cropland ecosystem in China's Horqin Sandy Land

Seasonal variation of net ecosystem carbon exchange and gross primary production over a Loess Plateau semi-arid grassland of northwest China

Grassland ecosystems store approximately one-third of the global terrestrial carbon stocks, which play a crucial role in regulating the carbon cycle on regional and global scales, but the current scientific understanding of the variation in net carbon dioxide exchange (NEE) on grassland ecosystems is still limited. Based on the eddy covariance technique, this study investigated the seasonal variation of ecosystem respiration (Reco) and gross primary production (GPP) from 2018 to 2020 in a semi-arid grassland on the Loess Plateau in northwest China. The results indicated that the annual cumulative average NEE value was - 0.778 kg C/m2, the growing season cumulative value accounted for approximately 83.81%, which suggested that the semiarid grassland showed a notable soil carbon sink. The correlation analysis revealed that soil temperature (Ts) (RReco = 0.71, RGPP = 0.61) and soil water content (SWC) (RReco = 0.47, RGPP = 0.44) were the two main driving factors in modulating the variation of daily average GPP and Reco (P < 0.01). Therefore, the monthly average of GPP and Reco increased with the increase in Ts (RGPP = 0.716, P < 0.01; RReco = 0.586, P < 0.05), resulting in an increase in the carbon sequestration capacity of the grass ecosystem. This study also showed that soil moisture has a promoting effect on the response of Reco and GPP to Ts, and the correlation among GPP, Reco, and Ts was much stronger under wet conditions. For instance, the coefficient of determination of Reco and GPP with Ts under wet conditions in 2018 increased by 0.248 and 0.286, respectively, compared to those under droughty conditions. Additionally, the temperature sensitivity of Reco (Q10) increased by 46.13% compared to dry conditions. In addition, carbon exchange models should consider the synergistic effect of Ts and SWC as one of the main driving factors for theoretical interpretation or modeling. Under the potential scenario of future global warming and the frequent extreme weather events, our findings have important implications for predicting future CO2 exchange and establishing an optimal ecological model of carbon flux exchange.

Understanding interactive processes: a review of CO2 flux, evapotranspiration, and energy partitioning under stressful conditions in dry forest and agricultural environments

Arid and semiarid environments are characterized by low water availability (e.g., in soil and atmosphere), high air temperature, and irregularity in the spatio-temporal distribution of rainfall. In addition to the economic and environmental consequences, drought also causes physiological damage to crops and compromises their survival in ecosystems. The removal of vegetation is responsible for altering the energy exchange of heat and water in natural ecosystems and agricultural areas. The fluxes of CO₂ are also changed, and environments with characteristics of sinks, which can be sources of CO₂ after anthropic disturbances. These changes can be measured through methods such as sap flow, eddy covariance, remote sensing, and energy balance. Despite the relevance of each method mentioned above, there are limitations in their applications that must be respected. Thus, this review aims to quantify the processes and changes of energy fluxes, CO₂, and their interactions with the surfaces of terrestrial ecosystems in dry environments. Studies report that the use of methods that integrate data from climate monitoring towers and remote sensing products helps to improve the accuracy of the determination of energy fluxes on a global scale, also helping to reduce the dissimilarity of results obtained individually. Through the collection of works in the literature, it is reported that several areas of the Brazilian Caatinga biome, which is a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest have been suffering from changes in land use and land cover. Similar fluxes of sensible heat in areas with cacti and Caatinga can be observed in studies. On the other hand, one of the variables influenced mainly by air temperature is net radiation. In dry forest areas, woody species can store large amounts of carbon in their biomass above and belowground. The use of cacti can modify the local carbon budget when using tree crops together. Therefore, the study highlights the complexity and severity of land degradation and changes in CO₂, water, and energy fluxes in dry environments with areas of forest, grassland, and cacti. Vegetation energy balance is also a critical factor, as these simulations are helpful for use in forecasting weather or climate change. We also highlight the need for more studies that address environmental conservation techniques and cactus in the conservation of degraded areas.

Characteristics and influencing factors of carbon fluxes in winter wheat fields under elevated CO2 concentration

Elevated carbon dioxide (ECO₂) concentration has profound impacts on ecosystem carbon fluxes, with consequent changes in carbon sequestration and its feedback to climate change. Agroecosystem plays an essential role in global carbon sequestration. However, it is not well understood how the carbon fluxes of agroecosystem respond to increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. In this study, an in-situ 2-year field experiment was conducted using open-top chamber with treatments including ambient CO₂ concentration (CK) and ambient plus 200 μmol mol^-1 (T) to investigate the characteristics and main factors influencing carbon fluxes during the 2017-2019 winter wheat growing seasons. Results showed that the dynamics of CO₂ fluxes under different treatments had similar seasonal trends, with the peak flux observed at the heading-filling stage. Compared to the CK, T treatment increased the cumulative amount of CO₂ (CAC) by 17.2% and 24.0% in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 growing seasons, respectively. In addition, the seasonal CAC was highly dependent on treatment and varied with year, while there was no interactive effect of treatment and year (p > 0.05). ECO₂ concentration increased the biomass of wheat by an average of 8.28% over two growing seasons. There was a significant positive correlation between biomass and CAC, with biomass elucidating 52% and 76% of the variations in CAC under CK and T treatments, respectively. A good correlation was found between net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and environmental variables under different treatments. During the pre-milk ripening period, the NEE mainly depended on photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and air temperature (Ta), while NEE was mainly controlled by PAR and soil water content (SWC) during the post-milk ripening period. Overall, the findings presented here demonstrate that the carbon exchange in wheat fields under different treatments serves as carbon sequestration, while ECO₂ concentration enhances the capacity of winter wheat fields to act as carbon sinks, which may have feedback to the climate system in the future.

Response of net ecosystem CO2 exchange to precipitation events in the Badain Jaran Desert

It is of great significance to study the effects of precipitation events on carbon exchange in the ecosystem for an accurate understanding of the carbon cycle. However, the response of net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE) in the desert to precipitation events is elusive. In this study, the NEE in response to precipitation events of varying intensities in the Badain Jaran Desert (BJD) in China was continuously monitored using the eddy covariance (EC) technique. The following results were obtained: (1) The BJD ecosystem was a net CO₂ sink throughout the study period, with NEE values of -113.4, -130.7, and -175.4 g C m^-2a^-1 in 2016, 2018, and 2019, respectively. The total precipitation yielded a higher carbon sequestration capacity in 2019 than in the other two years. In addition, the intensity, time, and frequency of precipitation had significant impacts on CO₂; (2) the threshold value of the NEE response to precipitation was ~1.4 mm, indicating the extreme sensitivity of the BJD to precipitation events; (3) the variations in the NEE response to precipitation events conformed to a dual exponential model. The analytical results of the model indicate that precipitation intensity was positively correlated with the carbon sequestration capacity of the desert. The model revealed that the greater the precipitation intensity, the longer it takes the NEE to reach the maximum, and the lengthier the duration of the residual effects. With an increase in the total precipitation and frequency of extreme precipitation events under warm and humidification climates, the carbon sequestration capacity of the BJD will likely be enhanced. The results of this study are of great significance for revealing the carbon cycle mechanism of the desert ecosystem.