Soil carbon pools of six ecological regions of the United States

Mineralisable soil organic carbon(SOC)pools vary with ecosystem type in response to changes in climate,vegetation and soil properties.Understanding the effect of climate and soil factors on SOC pools is critical for predicting change over time.Surface soil samples from six ecoregions of the United States were analyzed for permanganate oxidizable C(KMnO4-C)and mineralizable C pools.Variations of SOC ranged from 7.9 mg g^-1(Florida site)to 325 mg g^-1(Hawaii site).Mineralisable C pools and KMnO4-C were highest in soils from the Hawaii site.Mean annual precipitation explains SOC and resistant C pool variations.Clay content was related to mineralisable active C pools and bacterial abundance.Mean annual precipitation and clay content are potential variables for predicting changes in SOC pools at large spatial scales.

Carbon concentrations and carbon storage capacity of three old-growth forests in the Sila National Park,Southern Italy

Old-growth forests play a key-role in reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO_(2)) concentrations by storing large CO_(2)amounts in biomass and soil over time.This quantifies the carbon pool into different forest compartments in three Mediterranean old-growth forests of Southern Italy populated by Pinus laricio,Fagus sylvatica and Abies alba.Ecosystem carbon pools have been assessed per compartment,i.e.,living trees,dead wood,litterfall(foliar and woody),roots and 0-20 cm topsoil,combining the whole old-growth forest mass,(i.e.,using tree allometric relationships,deadwood factor conversions,root-to-shoot ratios,litterfall and soil samplings) by the respective organic carbon concentrations.The results show the considerable capacity of these forest ecosystems in storing CO_(2)in biomass and soil,with carbon pool values ranging from 532.2to 596.5 Mg C ha-1.Living trees and 0-20 cm topsoil had larger carbon pool,contributing 53.0 and 22.1%,respectively.In most cases,organic carbon concentration was higher(more than 60%) than the average carbon conversion rate of 50%,especially in living trees,deadwood,and woody litterfall.This study contributes further scientific evidence of the capacity of old-growth forests in storing CO_(2)in their different compartments,with special evidence on tree biomass,litterfall and mineral soil,thereby highlighting the key role of old-growth forests within the challenge of climate change mitigation.

Assessment of above- and belowground carbon pools in a semi-arid forest ecosystem of Delhi, India

Background:Assessment of carbon pools in semi-arid forests of India is crucial in order to develop a better action plan for management of such ecosystems under global climate change and rapid urbanization.This study,therefore,aims to assess the above-and belowground carbon storage potential of a semi-arid forest ecosystem of Delhi.Methods:For the study,two forest sites were selected,i.e.,north ridge(NRF)and central ridge(CRF).Aboveground tree biomass was estimated by using growing stock volume equations developed by Forest Survey of India and specific wood density.Understory biomass was determined by harvest sampling method.Belowground(root)biomass was determined by using a developed equation.For soil organic carbon(SOC),soil samples were collected at 0–10-cm and 10–20-cm depth and carbon content was estimated.Results:The present study estimated 90.51 Mg ha−1 biomass and 63.49 Mg C ha−1 carbon in the semi-arid forest of Delhi,India.The lower diameter classes showed highest tree density,i.e.,240 and 328 individuals ha−1(11–20 cm),basal area,i.e.,8.7(31–40 cm)and 6.08m2 ha−1(11–20 cm),and biomass,i.e.,24.25 and 23.57 Mg ha−1(11–20 cm)in NRF and CRF,respectively.Furthermore,a significant contribution of biomass(7.8 Mg ha−1)in DBH class 81–90 cm in NRF suggested the importance of mature trees in biomass and carbon storage.The forests were predominantly occupied by Prosopis juliflora(Sw.)DC which also showed the highest contribution to the(approximately 40%)tree biomass.Carbon allocation was maximum in aboveground(40–49%),followed by soil(29.93–37.7%),belowground or root(20–22%),and litter(0.27–0.59%).Conclusion:Our study suggested plant biomass and soils are the potential pools of carbon storage in these forests.Furthermore,carbon storage in tree biomass was found to be mainly influenced by tree density,basal area,and species diversity.Trees belonging to lower DBH classes are the major carbon sinks in these forests.In the study,native trees contributed to the significant amount of carbon stored in their biomass and soils.The estimated data is important in framing forest management plans and strategies aimed at enhancing carbon sequestration potential of semi-arid forest ecosystems of India.

Predicting dynamics of soil organic carbon mineralization with a double exponential model in different forest belts of China

The dynamics of soil organic carbon （SOC） was analyzed by using laboratory incubation and double exponential model that mineralizable SOC was separated into active carbon pools and slow carbon pools in forest soils derived from Changbai and Qilian Mountain areas. By analyzing and fitting the CO2 evolved rates with SOC mineralization, the results showed that active carbon pools accounted tor 1.0% to 8.5% of SOC with an average of mean resistant times （MRTs） for 24 days, and slow carbon pools accounted for 91% to 99% of SOC with an average of MRTs for 179 years. The sizes and MRTs of slow carbon pools showed that SOC in Qilian Mountain sites was more difficult to decompose than that in Changbai Mountain sites. By analyzing the effects of temperature, soil clay content and elevation on SOC mineralization, results indicated that mineralization of SOC was directly related to temperature and that content of accumulated SOC and size of slow carbon pools from Changbai Mountain and Qilian Mountain sites increased linearly with increasing clay content, respectively, which showed temperature and clay content could make greater effect on mineralization of SOC.

Estimation of above-ground biomass and carbon stock of an invasive woody shrub in the subtropical deciduous forests of Doon Valley,western Himalaya,India

This study describes the different parameters used to derive the allometric equation for calculating the biomass of an invasive woody shrub Lantana camara L.from the subtropical conditions of western Himalaya.It identifies the most accurate and convenient method for biomass calculation by comparing destructive with nondestructive methodology.Different parameters were measured on a wide range of Lantana from different community levels for the non-destructive calculation of total aboveground biomass.Different explanatory variables were identified and measured such as basal diameter either as a single independent variable or in combination with plant height.The other suitable combinations of available independent variables include crown length,crown width,crown area,crown volume and coverage of the plant.Amongst the wide range of allometric equations used with different variables,the equation with D2 H as a variable was found to be the most suitable estimator of biomass calculation for Lantana.Sahastradhara,being the most disturbed area due to its high tourist activity round the year,showed maximum coverage（58.57 % ha-1）,highest biomass（13,559.60 kg ha-1） and carbon density（6,373.01 kg ha-1）of Lantana.The degree of Lantana’s invasiveness in subtropical conditions was also calculated on the basis of importance value index（IVI）.The maximum IVI（22.77）and mean coverage（26.8 % ha-1） was obtained from the areas near Jolly Grant airport,indicating that physically disturbed areas are more suitable for the growth of Lantana,which may significantly increase shrub biomass.The importance of incorporating allometric equations in calculation of shrub biomass,and its role in atmospheric carbon assimilation has thus been highlighted through the findings of this study.

Labile and stabile soil organic carbon fractions in surface horizons of mountain soils–relationships with vegetation and altitude

Global and local climate changes could disturb carbon sequestration and carbon stocks in forest soils. Thus, it is important to characterize the stability of soil organic matter and the dynamics of soil organic carbon(SOC) fractions in forest ecosystems. This study had two aims:(1) to evaluate the effects of altitude and vegetation on the content of labile and stabile forms of organic carbon in the mountain soils; and(2) to assess the impact of the properties of soil organic matter on the SOC pools under changing environmental conditions. The studies were conducted in the Karkonosze Mountains(SW Poland, Central Europe). The content of the most labile fraction of carbon(dissolved organic carbon,DOC) decreases with altitude, but the content of fulvic acids(FA), clearly increases in the zone above 1000 m asl, while the stabile fraction(humins, nonhydrolyzing carbon) significantly decreases. A higher contribution of stabile forms was found in soils under coniferous forests(Norway spruce), while a smaller-under deciduous forests(European beech) and on grasslands. The expected climate change and the ongoing land use transformations in the zone above1000 m asl may lead to a substantial increase in the stable humus fraction(mainly of a non-hydrolyzing carbon) and an increase in the SOC pools, even if humus acids are characterized by a lower maturity and greater mobility favorable to soil podzolization.In the lower zone(below 1000 m asl), a decrease in the most stable humus forms can be expected,accompanied by an increase of DOC contribution,which will result in a reduction in SOC pools. Overall,the expected prevailing(spatial) effect is a decreasing contribution of the most stable humus fractions,which will be associated with a reduction in the SOC pools in medium-high mountains of temperate zone of Central Europe.

Carbon accumulations by stock change approach in tropical highland forests of Chiapas, Mexico

Changes in forest biomass and soil organic carbon reserves have strong links to atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration.Human activities such as livestock grazing,forest fires,selective logging and firewood extraction are the common disturbances that affect the carbon dynamics of the forest ecosystems.Here,we hypothesized that such anthropogenic activities significantly reduce the carbon stocks and accumulation rates in the tropical highland forests of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas in Southern Mexico.We sampled the Pinus oocarpa Scheide dominated forests within the elevation range of 900 to 1100 m above sea level in 2010,2014 and 2017.We measured the stand structural properties and used the reported allometric equations to calculate the tree carbon stocks.Stock change approach was used to calculate carbon accumulation rates.The results showed a gradual increase in carbon storage over the 7-year period from 2010 to 2017,but the rate of increase varied significantly between the study sites.The aboveground carbon stock was 107.25±11.77 Mg ha-1 for the site with lower anthropogenic intensity,compared to 74.29±16.85 Mg ha-1 for the site with higher intensity.The current annual increment for the forest with lower anthropogenic intensity was 7.81±0.65 Mg ha-1 a-1,compared to 3.87±1.03 Mg ha-1 a-1 in the site with high anthropogenic intensity.Although at varying rates,these forests are functioning as important carbon sinks.The results on carbon accumulation rates have important implications in greenhouse gas mitigations and forest change modelling in the context of changing global climate.

Topsoil organic carbon mineralization and CO_2 evolution of three paddy soils from South China and the temperature dependence

Carbon mineralization and its response to climatic warming have been receiving global attention for the last decade. Although the virtual influence of temperature effect is still in great debate, little is known on the mineralization of organic carbon （SOC） of paddy soils of China under warming. SOC mineralization of three major types of China＇s paddy soils is studied through laboratory incubation for 114 d under soil moisture regime of 70% water holding capacity at 20℃ and 25℃ respectively. The carbon that mineralized as CO2 evolved was measured every day in the first 32 d and every two days in the following days. Carbon mineralized during the 114 d incubation ranged from 3.51 to 9.22 mg CO2-C/gC at 20℃ and from 4.24 to 11.35 mg CO2-C/gC at 25℃ respectively; and a mineralizable C pool in the range of 0.24 to 0.59 gC/kg, varying with different soils. The whole course of C mineralization in the 114 d incubation could be divided into three stages of varying rates, representing the three subpools of the total mineralizable C： very actively mineralized C at 1-23 d, actively tnineralized C at 24--74 d and a slowly mineralized pool with low and more or less stabilized C mineralization rate at 75-114 d. The calculated Q10 values ranged from 1.0 to 2.4, varying with the soil types and N status. Neither the total SOC pool nor the labile C pool could account for the total mineralization potential of the soils studied, despite a well correlation of labile C with the shortly and actively mineralized C, which were shown in sensitive response to soil warming. However, the portion of microbial C pool and the soil C/N ratio controlled the C mineralization and the temperature dependence. Therefore, C sequestration may not result in an increase of C mineralization proportionally. The relative control of C bioavailability and microbial metabolic activity on C mineralization with respect to stabilization of sequestered C in the paddy soils of China is to be further studied.

Soil carbon pool in China and its global significance

Soil organic carbon density and its related characteristics of 41 soil types all over China were analyzed by using data of 745 soil profiles , and size of soil carbon pool was estimated. As a result, area-weighted averages of these 41 soil types for bulk density, profile depth, organic carbon content and profile carbon were 1. 24 tC/m3, 86. 2 cm, 3. 04% and 19. 7 kg C/m2 respectively. Total size of soil carbon pool was 185. 68 × 1009tC, which is 29 times of that in terrestrial biomass of China and 12. 6% of global soil carbon pools. Because of its huge carbon pool, soil of China plays an important role in global carbon cycle.

Temporal variation of soil carbon stock and its controlling factors over the last two decades on the southern Song-nen Plain,Heilongjiang Province

Against the current background of global climate change, the study of variations in the soil carbon pool and its controlling factors may aid in the evaluation of soil＇s role in the mitigation or enhancement of greenhouse gas. This paper studies spatial and temporal variation in the soil carbon pool and their controlling factors in the southern Song-nen Plain in Heilongjiang Province, using soil data collected over two distinct periods by the Multi-purpose Regional Geochemical Survey in 2005-2007, and another soil survey conducted in 1982-1990. The study area is a carbon source of 1479 t/km2 and in the past 20 years, from the 1980s until 2005, the practical carbon emission from the soil was 0.12 Gt. Temperature, which has been found to be linearly correlated to soil organic carbon, is the domi- nant climatologic factor controlling soil organic carbon contents. Our study shows that in the relevant area and time period the potential loss of soil organic carbon caused by rising temperatures was 0.10 Gt, the potential soil carbon emission resulting from land-use change was 0.09 Gt, and the combined potential loss of soil carbon （0.19 Gt） caused by warming and land-use change is comparable to that of fossil fuel combustion （0.21 Gt）. Due to the time delay in soil carbon pool variation, there is still 0.07 Gt in the potential emission caused by warming and land-use change that will be gradually released in the future.

The variation of sediments organic carbon content in Chongming east tidal flat during Scirpus mariqueter growing stage

The investigations on the organic carbon （OC） of core sediments were carried out in Chongming east tidal fiat （CM） during Scirpus mariqueter growing stage （from April to December 2004） in Yangtze Estuary. The Yangtze River annually transports a runoff discharge of 30,000 m^3/s, carrying about 480 million tons of sediments to the estuarine and coastal area, which formed a great OC pool. In the sampling spots, seven quadrats of 50 cm × 50 cm and five sediments cores of 20 cm deep （40 cm deep in December） were randomly established in order to collect vegetations and core sediments samples during the low tide each month except November. After pretreatment, the core sediments were sieved and their OC contents were measured according to the potassium dichromate method. The results show that the higher surface sediment OC content in summer comes from allochthonous terrigenous particle settlements on the Chongming east middle tidal fiat S. mariqueter zone. In autumn and winter, the decomposing of the defoliated S. mariqueter increases the surface sediments OC content. Settling velocity, sediment temperature and S. mariqueter growth are the main factors that can control the sediment carbon content. Summer is the “carbon losing” period of the tidal fiat sediments, while from September, it changes into the “carbon accumulating” period of sediment OC pool because of the decomposing of dead S. mariqueter community in the sediments. From this alternation of “carbon losing” period and “carbon accumulating” period, we conclude that carbon in the OC pool of the middle tidal fiat S. mariqueter zone sediments mainly comes from the atmospheric carbon rooted by S. mariqueter photosynthesis.

Carbon dioxide release due to change in land use in China mainland

The carbon pool and emission of carbon dioxide from terrestrial ecosystems in Chinahave been estimated. The carbon pool is 2.51×10￣9-25.2×10￣9 ton C in vegetation, and 49. 7×10￣9ton C in soil. The carbon dioxide release from terrestrial ecosystems is 0.0317× 10￣9- 0. 195× 10￣9ton C due to changes in land-use in recent years, mainly caused by deforestation and degradation ofgrassland. This carbon release due to changes in land-use is approximately 17% of the current carbondioxide emission from fossil fuel combustion and cement production in China. As compared withthe global carbon pool, the carbon pool in vegetation and in soil in China are 1.8% and 3.3% ofthe global figures, respectively.

Pool Sizes and Turnover of Soil Organic Carbon of Farmland Soil in Karst Area of Guilin

The three-pool and first-order model separates the mineralizable organic carbon into active,slow,and passive carbon pools.This paper used the model and decomposition curves of the soil organic carbon to fit the active pool and its decomposition rate,slow pool and its decomposition rate.The results showed that the size of the active pool from different profiles accounted for 2.09%-3.08% of the total soil organic carbon and the mean residue time was 3.57-17.21 days.And the size of the slow pool accounted for 3.19%-43.55% and the mean residue time was 1.12-4.94 years.Acid hydrolysis（6M HCl） was used to fractionate the passive organic carbon,which accounted for 50.83%-94.44% of the total soil organic carbon.

Natural forests in New Zealand–a large terrestrial carbon pool in a national state of equilibrium

Background:Natural forests cover approximately 29%of New Zealand’s landmass and represent a large terrestrial carbon pool.In 2002 New Zealand implemented its first representative plot-based natural forest inventory to assess carbon stocks and stock changes in these mostly undisturbed old-growth forests.Although previous studies have provided estimates of biomass or carbon stocks,these were either not fully representative or lacked data from important pools such as dead wood(coarse woody debris).The current analysis provides the most complete estimates of carbon stocks and stock changes in natural forests in New Zealand.Results:We present estimates of per hectare carbon stocks and stock changes in live and dead organic matter pools excluding soil carbon based on the first two measurement cycles of the New Zealand Natural Forest Inventory carried out from 2002 to 2014.These show that New Zealand’s natural forests are in balance and are neither a carbon source nor a carbon sink.The average total carbon stock was 227.0±14.4 tC·ha^(−1)(95%C.I.)and did not change significantly in the 7.7 years between measurements with the net annual change estimated to be 0.03±0.18 tC·ha^(−1)·yr^(−1).There was a wide variation in carbon stocks between forest groups.Regenerating forest had an averaged carbon stock of only 53.6±9.4 tC·ha^(−1) but had a significant sequestration rate of 0.63±0.25 tC·ha^(−1)·yr^(−1),while tall forest had an average carbon stock of 252.4±15.5 tC·ha^(−1),but its sequestration rate did not differ significantly from zero(−0.06±0.20 tC·ha^(−1)·yr^(−1)).The forest alliance with the largest average carbon stock in above and below ground live and dead organic matter pools was silver beech-red beech-kamahi forest carrying 360.5±34.6 tC·ha^(−1).Dead wood and litter comprised 27%of the total carbon stock.Conclusions:New Zealand’s Natural Forest Inventory provides estimates of carbon stocks including estimates for difficult to measure pools such as dead wood and roots.It also provides estimates of uncertainties including effects of model prediction error and sampling variation between plots.Importantly it shows that on a national level New Zealand’s natural forests are in balance.Nevertheless,this is a nationally important carbon pool that requires continuous monitoring to identify potential negative or positive changes.

Ecosystem-driven karst carbon cycle and carbon sink effects

It is recognized that karst processes are actively involved in the current global carbon cycle based on twenty years research,and the carbon sink occurred in karst processes is possibly an important part of“missing sink”in global carbon cycle.In this paper,an overview is given on karst carbon cycle research,and influence factors,formed carbon pools(background carbon sink)and sink increase potentials of current karst carbon cycle are analyzed.Carbonate weathering could contribute to the imbalance item(BIM)and land use change item(ELUC)in the global carbon cycle model,owing to its uptake of both atmospheric CO_(2)(carbon sink effect)and CO_(2) produced by soil respiration(carbon source reduction effect).Karst carbon sink includes inorganic carbon sink resulted from hydrogeochemical process and organic carbon sink generated by aquatic photosynthetic DIC conversion,forming relatively stable river(reservoir)water body or sediment carbon sink.The sizes of both sinks are controlled by terrestrial ecosystems and aquatic ecosystems,respectively.Desertification rehabilitation and carbon sequestration by aquatic plants are two effective ways to increase the carbon sink in karst area.It is estimated that the rate of carbon sink is at least 381000 t CO_(2)/a with vegetation restoration and afforestation in southwest China karst area,while the annual organic carbon sink generated by aquatic photosynthesis is about 84200 t C in the Pearl River Basin.The development of a soil CO_(2) based model for assessment of regional dissolution intensity will help to improve the estimation accuracy of carbon sink increase and potential,thus provide a more clear and efficient karst sink increase scheme and pathway to achieve the goals of“double carbon”.With the deep investigation on karst carbon cycle,mechanism and carbon sink effect,and the improvement of watershed carbon sink measurement methods and regional sink increase evaluation approaches.Karst carbon sink is expected to be included in the list of atmospheric CO_(2) sources/sinks of the global carbon budget in the near future.

Evolutionof Sustainable Carbon Cycling Processes in China

This report summarizes the surveys on carbon inventories and initiatives on sustainable carbon cycling taken by RCEES. The first part of this report deals with the concept of sustainable carbon cycling, the historical evolution of carbon cycling processes in China, carbon pool enhancement, value addition, carbon sequestration and carbon balance. The second part covers the modeling of carbon dynamics, emission inventories of various carbon containing greenhouse gases and their potential abatement measures.

Carbon cycle in the Arctic terrestrial ecosystems in relation to the global warming

The relationship between the global warming and carbon cycle in the Arctic terrestrial ecosystem was discussed based on a literature survey. As a result, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2) and methane (CH 4) concentrations increased markedly during the past few centuries. The increase in concentration of these greenhouse gases was coupled with the global warming. Summer temperature in the Arctic regions showed a rapid rising. The Arctic soil is a huge organic carbon pool, with a mean estimate of 355×10 9 tC, being 23.7% 32.3% of global soil carbon pool. At present the Arctic terretrial ecosystem is functioning as a sink of atmospheric CO 2. The rising global temperature resulting from an increase in atmospheric CO 2 would influence markedly the Arctic soil carbon and CO 2 source/sink relation of the Arctic ecosystems.

Impacts of Rice Field Winter Planting on Soil Organic Carbon and Carbon Management Index

To tackle with the problem of prevailing farmland abandonment in winter,5 treatments includes Chinese milk vetch-double cropping rice(CRR),rape-double cropping rice(RRR),garlic-double cropping rice(GRR),winter crop multiple cropping rotation(ROT),winter fallow control(WRR)were set up.By measuring soil total organic carbon,active organic carbon and its components and calculating the soil carbon pool management index in 0~15 cm and 15~30 cm soil layers in the early and late rice ripening stage.The effects of different winter planting patterns on the changes of soil organic carbon and carbon pool management index were discussed.In order to provide theoretical basis for the optimization and adjustment of winter planting pattern of double cropping rice field in the middle reaches of Yangtze River.The results showed that soil total organic carbon,active organic carbon and its components in different winter cropping patterns were increased,and ROT and CRR treatments were more beneficial to the accumulation of soil total organic carbon,active organic carbon and its components as well as the improvement of soil carbon pool management index,which should be preferred in the adjustment of cropping patterns.

Climate Change Impacts on Agroecosystems in China:Processes,Mechanisms and Prospects

Building a more resilient response system to climate change for sustainable development and reducing uncertainty in China’s food markets,requires access to historical research gaps and mapping future research progress for decision making.However,the lack of quantitative and objective analyses to ensure the stability and development of agroecosystems increases the complexity of agro-climatic mechanisms,which leads to uncertainty and undesirable consequences.In this paper,we review the characteristics of climate change in China(1951–2020),reveal the mechanisms of agroecosystem structure in response to climate,and identify challenges and opportunities for future efforts in the context of research progress.The aim is to improve the scientific validity and relevance of future research by clarifying agro-climatic response mechanisms.The results show that surface temperature,precipitation,and frequency of extreme weather events have increased to varying degrees in major agricultural regions of China in 1951–2020.And they have strong geographic variation,which has resulted in droughts in the north and floods in the south.Moreover,climate change has complicated the mechanisms of soil moisture,Net Primary Productivity(NPP),soil carbon pool,and crop pest structure in agroecosystems.This lends to a reduction in soil water holding capacity,NPP,soil carbon content,and the number of natural enemies of diseases and insects,which in turn affects crop yields.However,human interventions can mitigate the deterioration of these factors.We have also realized that the methodology and theory of historical research poses a great challenge to future agroecosystem.Historical and projected climate trends identified current gaps in interdisciplinary integration and multidisciplinary research required to manage diverse spatio-temporal climate change impacts on agroecosystems.Future efforts should highlight integrated management and decision making,multidisciplinary big data coupling,and numerical simulations to ensure sustainable agricultural development,ecological security,and food security in China.

Multi-scale processes influencing global carbon storage and land-carbon-climate nexus:A critical review

Carbon(C)is a key constitutive element in living organisms(plants,microbes,animals,and humans).Carbon is also a basic component of agriculture because it plays a dynamic role in crop growth,development,nutrient cycling,soil fertility,and other agricultural features.The presence of C enhances soil physical,chemical,and biological properties.The C cycle supports all life on the Earth by transferring C between living organisms and the environment.The global climate is changing,and this change is attributable to the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from human activities.Owing to the global climate change,agriculture is expected to be majorly affected.Agricultural production is directly linked to the climate.The five main global C pools are the oceanic,geologic,pedologic,atmospheric,and biotic pools,with specific reservoirs and inter-pool fluxes.The soil organic matter has various organic C pools(active,slow,and passive pools),containing various C-based fractions and specific liability pools.Climate,geology,land use,and management techniques are some of the variables that affect organic C and its reservoirs.The dynamics of each of these variables must be understood for a thorough knowledge of how they impact the soil C pools and storage capacity under the changing climate conditions.This review provides a comprehensive overview of the various factors that affect soil C pools/fractions and their C sequestration capacity.