Soil organic carbon dynamics in Xilingol grassland of northern China induced by the Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Control Program

doi:10.1007/s11707-016-0589-9

Front. Earth Sci.

2017, Vol. 11

Issue (2) : 407-415 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-016-0589-9

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Soil organic carbon dynamics in Xilingol grassland of northern China induced by the Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Control Program

Liangxia ZHANG^1,², Wei CAO²(

), Jiangwen FAN²(

)

¹. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, and College of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
². Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

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Abstract

To mitigate impacts of sandstorms on northern China, the Chinese government launched the Beijing–Tianjin Sand Source Control Program (BTSSCP) in 2000. The associated practices (i.e., cultivation, enclosure, and aerial seeding) were expected to greatly enhance grassland carbon sequestration. However, the BTSSCP-induced soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics remain elusive at a regional level. Using the Xilingol League in Inner Mongolia for a case study, we examined the impacts from 2000 to 2006 of the BTSSCP on SOC stocks using the IPCC carbon budget inventory method. Results indicated that over all practices SOC storage increased by 1.7%, but there were large differences between practices. SOC increased most rapidly at the rate of 0.3 Mg C·ha⁻¹·yr⁻¹ under cultivation, but decreased significantly under aerial seeding with moderate or heavy grazing (0.3 vs.0.6 Mg C·ha⁻¹·yr⁻¹). SOC increases varied slightly for grassland types, ranging from 0.10 Mg C·ha⁻¹·yr⁻¹ for temperate desert steppe to 0.16 Mg C·ha⁻¹·yr⁻¹ for temperate meadow steppe and lowland meadow. The overall economic benefits of the SOC sink were estimated to be 4.0 million CNY. Aerial seeding with no grazing was found to be the most cost-effective practice. Finally, we indicated that at least 55.5 years (shortest for cultivation) were needed for the grasslands to reach their potential carbon stocks. Our findings highlight the importance and effectiveness of BTSSCP in promoting terrestrial carbon sequestration which may help mitigate climate change, and further stress the need for more attention to the effectiveness of specific practices.

Keywords grassland carbon sequestration ecological restoration Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Control Program (BTSSCP) IPCC carbon budget inventory method

Corresponding Author(s): Jiangwen FAN

Online First Date: 28 September 2016 Issue Date: 19 May 2017

Cite this article:

Liangxia ZHANG,Wei CAO,Jiangwen FAN. Soil organic carbon dynamics in Xilingol grassland of northern China induced by the Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Control Program[J]. Front. Earth Sci., 2017, 11(2): 407-415.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-016-0589-9
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2017/V11/I2/407

Fig.1 Location of the study area with background indicating the grassland types.

Tab.1 Areas (×10³ ha) covered by different management practices from 2000 to 2006 in Xilingol

Tab.2 SOC stock change factors for different management practices and grazing intensities

Tab.3 Changes of grassland SOC stock and density under different management practices in the BTSSCP region from 2000 to 2006. AS: aerial seeding; LG, light grazing; MG, moderate grazing; HG, heavy grazing

Tab.4 Changes of SOC stock and density for different grassland types in the BTSSCP region from 2000 to 2006

Fig.2 The economic value of SOC sequestration (V_c), cost of management (C_p), economic benefits of SOC sequestration (B_c), and cost of carbon sequestration (C_s) for grassland management in the BTSSCP region.

Fig.3 Time needed to reach the potential SOC density for different grassland management practices in the BTSSCP region. Scenario1 represents no grazing under aerial seeding while scenario 2 represents grazing at 2000 to 2006 intensity under aerial seeding.

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