Guocheng Wang

Changes in soil organic carbon in croplands subjected to fertilizer management: a global meta-analysis

Cropland soil organic carbon (SOC) is undergoing substantial alterations due to both environmental and anthropogenic changes. Although numerous case studies have been conducted, there remains a lack of quantification of the consequences of such environmental and anthropogenic changes on the SOC sequestration across global agricultural systems. Here, we conducted a global meta-analysis of SOC changes under different fertilizer managements, namely unbalanced application of chemical fertilizers (UCF), balanced application of chemical fertilizers (CF), chemical fertilizers with straw application (CFS), and chemical fertilizers with manure application (CFM). We show that topsoil organic carbon (C) increased by 0.9 (0.7–1.0, 95% confidence interval (CI))u2009gu2009kg−1 (10.0%, relative change, hereafter the same), 1.7 (1.2–2.3)u2009gu2009kg−1 (15.4%), 2.0 (1.9–2.2)u2009gu2009kg−1 (19.5%) and 3.5 (3.2–3.8)u2009gu2009kg−1 (36.2%) under UCF, CF, CFS and CFM, respectively. The C sequestration durations were estimated as 28–73 years under CFS and 26–117 years under CFM but with high variability across climatic regions. At least 2.0u2009Mg ha−1 yr−1 C input is needed to maintain the SOC in ~85% cases. We highlight a great C sequestration potential of applying CF, and adopting CFS and CFM is highly important for either improving or maintaining current SOC stocks across all agro–ecosystems.

Modeling Soil Organic Carbon Change across Australian Wheat Growing Areas, 1960–2010

Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in Australian wheat-growing areas were simulated from 1960 to 2010 using Agro-C, a calibrated and validated biogeophysical model. Previously published data from field measurements were used to parameterize the Agro-C model. Model simulations show a decreasing trend in SOC over the last 50 years, mainly attributable to relatively low organic carbon (C) inputs. The rate of decrease in SOC tended to slow in the last two decades due primarily to an increase in wheat yields, which resulted in an increase in C input. Overall, we estimate that Australian wheat-growing areas, covering an area of 15.09 million hectares (Mha), lost 156 (86–222, 95% confidence interval) Tg C in the topsoil (to 30 cm depth) from 1960 to 2010. Approximately 80% of the SOC loss occurred in the period between the 1960s and the 1980s. Spatially, the SOC loss in areas with relatively high temperature and low precipitation, such as Queensland, the northern part of New South Wales and Western Australia, was more significant than that in other areas. We suggest that the loss of SOC could be halted, or even reversed, with an additional input of organic C into the soil at a minimum rate of 0.4 Mg ha–1 yr–1.

Impacts of Agricultural Management and Climate Change on Future Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics in North China Plain

Dynamics of cropland soil organic carbon (SOC) in response to different management practices and environmental conditions across North China Plain (NCP) were studied using a modeling approach. We identified the key variables driving SOC changes at a high spatial resolution (10 km×10 km) and long time scale (90 years). The model used future climatic data from the FGOALS model based on four future greenhouse gas (GHG) concentration scenarios. Agricultural practices included different rates of nitrogen (N) fertilization, manure application, and stubble retention. We found that SOC change was significantly influenced by the management practices of stubble retention (linearly positive), manure application (linearly positive) and nitrogen fertilization (nonlinearly positive) – and the edaphic variable of initial SOC content (linearly negative). Temperature had weakly positive effects, while precipitation had negligible impacts on SOC dynamics under current irrigation management. The effects of increased N fertilization on SOC changes were most significant between the rates of 0 and 300 kg ha−1 yr−1. With a moderate rate of manure application (i.e., 2000 kg ha−1 yr−1), stubble retention (i.e., 50%), and an optimal rate of nitrogen fertilization (i.e., 300 kg ha−1 yr−1), more than 60% of the study area showed an increase in SOC, and the average SOC density across NCP was relatively steady during the study period. If the rates of manure application and stubble retention doubled (i.e., manure application rate of 4000 kg ha−1 yr−1 and stubble retention rate of 100%), soils across more than 90% of the study area would act as a net C sink, and the average SOC density kept increasing from 40 Mg ha−1 during 2010s to the current worldwide average of ∼55 Mg ha−1 during 2060s. The results can help target agricultural management practices for effectively mitigating climate change through soil C sequestration.

Critical carbon input to maintain current soil organic carbon stocks in global wheat systems.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in croplands is a crucial component of global carbon (C) cycle. Depending on local environmental conditions and management practices, typical C input is generally required to reduce or reverse C loss in agricultural soils. No studies have quantified the critical C input for maintaining SOC at global scale with high resolution. Such information will provide a baseline map for assessing soil C dynamics under potential changes in management practices and climate, and thus enable development of management strategies to reduce C footprint from farm to regional scales. We used the soil C model RothC to simulate the critical C input rates needed to maintain existing soil C level at 0.1°u2009×u20090.1° resolution in global wheat systems. On average, the critical C input was estimated to be 2.0u2009Mg C ha−1 yr−1, with large spatial variability depending on local soil and climatic conditions. Higher C inputs are required in wheat system of central United States and western Europe, mainly due to the higher current soil C stocks present in these regions. The critical C input could be effectively estimated using a summary model driven by current SOC level, mean annual temperature, precipitation, and soil clay content.

Quantifying carbon input for targeted soil organic carbon sequestration in China’s croplands

Background and aimsIncreasing the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool in croplands can not only promote crop production but also mitigate climate change. The objective of this work was to quantify the needed C input rates for both maintaining China’s cropland SOC and improving it to global average level.MethodsBy using a biogeophysical model (Agro-C), we performed simulations with a high spatial resolution (10u2009×u200910xa0km) across China’s croplands to quantify the C input rate under given scenarios.ResultsThe model simulations showed that an average C input of 2.1xa0Mg C ha−1xa0year−1 is required to stop soil C loss and that SOC density could approach the global mean of 55xa0Mg C ha−1 by 2050 when 5.1xa0Mg C ha−1xa0year−1 is incorporated into the soils.ConclusionsThe quantified C inputs showed a large spatial disparity, depending on the existing SOC level, mean annual temperature and precipitation. The existing SOC level in Heilongjiang Province, where the cropland area accounts for 9.2xa0% of the national total, is much higher but the current C input is much lower than it is elsewhere. Increasing the organic C input should be given priority in this province.

Impacts of climate and reclamation on temporal variations in CH4 emissions from different wetlands in China: from 1950 to 2010

Natural wetlands are among the most important sources of atmospheric methane and thus important for bet- ter understanding the long-term temporal variations in the at- mospheric methane concentration. During the last 60 years, wetlands have experienced extensive conversion and impacts from climate warming which might result in complicated temporal and spatial variations in the changes of the wet- land methane emissions. In this paper, we present a model- ing framework, integrating CH4MODwetland, TOPMODEL, and TEM models, to analyze the temporal and spatial varia- tions in CH4 emissions from natural wetlands (including in- land marshes/swamps, coastal wetlands, lakes, and rivers) in China. Our analysis revealed a total increase of 25.5 %, av- eraging 0.52 g m 2 per decade, in the national CH4 fluxes from 1950 to 2010, which was mainly induced by climate warming. Larger CH4 flux increases occurred in northeast- ern, northern, and northwestern China, where there have been higher temperature rises. However, decreases in precipita- tion due to climate warming offset the increment of CH4 fluxes in these regions. The CH4 fluxes from the wetland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau exhibited the lowest CH4 increase (0.17 g m 2 per decade). Although climate warming has ac- celerated CH4 fluxes, the total amount of national CH4 emis- sions decreased by approximately 2.35 Tg (1.91-2.81 Tg), i.e., from 4.50 Tg in the early 1950s to 2.15 Tg in the late 2000s, due to the wetland loss totalling 17.0 million ha. Of this reduction, 0.26 Tg (0.24-0.28 Tg) was derived from lakes and rivers, 0.16 Tg (0.13-0.20 Tg) from coastal wet- lands, and 1.92 Tg (1.54-2.33 Tg) from inland wetlands. Spatially, northeastern China contributed the most to the total reduction, with a loss of 1.68 Tg. The wetland CH4 emissions reduced by more than half in most regions in China except for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where the CH4 decrease was only 23.3 %.

Projective analysis of staple food crop productivity in adaptation to future climate change in China

Climate change continually affects our capabilities to feed the increasing population. Rising temperatures have the potential to shorten the crop growth duration and therefore reduce crop yields. In the past decades, China has successfully improved crop cultivars to stabilize, and even lengthen, the crop growth duration to make use of increasing heat resources. However, because of the complex cropping systems in the different regions of China, the possibility and the effectiveness of regulating crop growth duration to reduce the negative impacts of future climate change remain questionable. Here, we performed a projective analysis of the staple food crop productivity in double-rice, wheat-rice, wheat-maize, single-rice, and single-maize cropping systems in China using modeling approaches. The results indicated that from the present to the 2040s, the warming climate would shorten the growth duration of the current rice, wheat, and maize cultivars by 2–24, 11–13, and 9–29xa0days, respectively. The most significant shortening of the crop growth duration would be in Northeast China, where single-rice and single-maize cropping dominates the croplands. The shortened crop growth duration would consequently reduce crop productivity. The most significant decreases would be 27–31, 6–20, and 7–22% for the late crop in the double-rice rotation, wheat in the winter wheat-rice rotation, and single maize, respectively. However, our projection analysis also showed that the negative effects of the warming climate could be compensated for by stabilizing the growth duration of the crops via improvement in crop cultivars. In this case, the productivity of rice, wheat, and maize in the 2040s would increase by 4–16, 31–38, and 11–12%, respectively. Our modeling results implied that the possibility of securing future food production exists by adopting proper adaptation options in China.

Soil Carbon Sequestration Potential as Affected by Management Practices in Northern China: A Simulation Study

Abstract Soil has been identified as a possible carbon (C) sink for sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). However, soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in agro-ecosystems is affected by complex interactions of various factors including climate, soil and agricultural management practices, which hinders our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. The objectives of this study were to use the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) model to simulate the long-term SOC dynamics under different management practices at four long-term experimental sites, Zhengzhou and Xuzhou with double cropping systems and Gongzhuling and Urumqi with single cropping systems, located in northern China. Firstly, the model was calibrated using information from the sites and literature, and its performance to predict crop growth and SOC dynamics was examined. The calibrated model was then used to assess the impacts of different management practices, including fertilizer application, irrigation, and residue retention, on C dynamics in the top 30 cm of the soil by scenario modelling. Results indicate a significant SOC sequestration potential through improved management practices of nitrogen (N) fertilizer application, stubble retention, and irrigation. Optimal N fertilization (Nopt) and 100% stubble retention (R100) increased SOC by about 11.2%, 208.29%, and 283.67% under irrigation at Gongzhuling, Zhengzhou, and Xuzhou, respectively. Soil organic carbon decreased rapidly at Urumqi under irrigation, which was due to the enhanced decomposition by increased soil moisture. Under rainfed condition, SOC remained at a higher level. The combination of Nopt and R100 increased SOC by about 0.46% under rainfed condition at Urumqi. Generally, agricultural soils with double cropping systems (Zhengzhou and Xuzhou) showed a greater potential to sequester C than those with single cropping systems (Gongzhuling and Urumqi).

Field-scale simulation of methane emissions from coastal wetlands in China using an improved version of CH4MODwetland

Coastal wetlands are important CH4 sources to the atmosphere. Coastal wetlands account for ~10% of the total area of natural wetlands in China, but the size of this potential CH4 source remains highly uncertain. We introduced the influence of salinity on CH4 production and CH4 diffusion into a biogeophysical model named CH4MODwetland so that it can be used in coastal wetlands. The improved model can generally simulate seasonal CH4 variations from tidal marshes dominated by Phragmites and Scirpus. However, the model underestimated winter CH4 fluxes from tidal marshes in the Yellow River Delta and YanCheng Estuary. It also failed to capture the accurate timing of the CH4 peaks in YanCheng Estuary and ChongMing Island in 2012. The improved model could generally simulate the difference between the annual mean CH4 fluxes from mangrove sites in GuangZhou and HaiKou city under different salinity and water table depth conditions, although fluxes were systematically underestimated in the mangrove site of HaiKou city. Using the improved model, the seasonal CH4 emissions simulated across all of the coastal wetlands ranged from 0.1 to 44.90gm(-2), with an average value of 7.89gm(-2), which is in good agreement with the observed values. The improved model significantly decreased the RMSE and RMD from 424% to 14% and 314% to -2%, respectively, and improved the EF from -18.30 to 0.99. Model sensitivity analysis showed that CH4 emissions were most sensitive to Pox in the tidal marshes and salinity in the mangroves. The results show that previous studies may have overestimated CH4 emissions on a regional or global scale by neglecting the influence of salinity. In general, the CH4MODwetland model can simulate seasonal CH4 emissions from different types of coastal wetlands under various conditions. Further improvements of CH4MODwetland should include the specific characteristics of CH4 processes in mangroves to decrease the uncertainty in estimating regional or global CH4 emissions from natural wetlands.

Importance of vegetation classes in modeling CH4 emissions from boreal and subarctic wetlands in Finland.

Boreal/arctic wetlands are dominated by diverse plant species, which vary in their contribution to CH4 production, oxidation and transport processes. Earlier studies have often lumped the processes all together, which may induce large uncertainties into the results. We present a novel model, which includes three vegetation classes and can be used to simulate CH4 emissions from boreal and arctic treeless wetlands. The model is based on an earlier biogeophysical model, CH4MODwetland. We grouped the vegetation as graminoids, shrubs and Sphagnum and recalibrated the vegetation parameters according to their different CH4 production, oxidation and transport capacities. Then, we used eddy-covariance-based CH4 flux observations from a boreal (Siikaneva) and a subarctic fen (Lompolojänkkä) in Finland to validate the model. The results showed that the recalibrated model could generally simulate the seasonal patterns of the Finnish wetlands with different plant communities. The comparison between the simulated and measured daily CH4 fluxes resulted in a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.82 with a slope of 1.0 and an intercept of -0.1mgm-2h-1 for the Siikaneva site (n=2249, p<0.001) and an R2 of 0.82 with a slope of 1.0 and an intercept of 0.0mgm-2h-1 for the Lompolojänkkä site (n=1826, p<0.001). Compared with the original model, the recalibrated model in this study significantly improved the model efficiency (EF), from -5.5 to 0.8 at the Siikaneva site and from -0.4 to 0.8 at the Lompolojänkkä site. The simulated annual CH4 emissions ranged from 7 to 24gm-2yr-1, which was consistent with the observations (7-22gm-2yr-1). However, there are some discrepancies between the simulated and observed daily CH4 fluxes for the Siikaneva site (RMSE=50.0%) and the Lompolojänkkä site (RMSE=47.9%). Model sensitivity analysis showed that increasing the proportion of the graminoids would significantly increase the CH4 emission levels. Our study demonstrated that the parameterization of the different vegetation processes was important in estimating long-term wetland CH4 emissions.