Carbon cycling in terrestrial environments: Chapter 17

Yang Wang; Thomas G. Huntington; Laurie J. Osher; Leonard I Wassenaar; Susan E. Trumbore; Ronald Amundson; Jennifer W. Harden; Diane M. McKnight; Sherry L. Schiff; George R. Aiken; W. Berry Lyons; Ramon O. Aravena; Jill Baron

doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-81546-0.50024-0

Carbon cycling in terrestrial environments: Chapter 17

By: Yang Wang, Thomas G. Huntington, Laurie J. Osher, Leonard I Wassenaar, Susan E. Trumbore, Ronald Amundson, Jennifer W. Harden, Diane M. McKnight, Sherry L. Schiff, George R. Aiken, W. Berry Lyons, Ramon O. Aravena, and Jill Baron

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-81546-0.50024-0

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Abstract

This chapter reviews a number of applications of isotopic techniques for the investigation of carbon cycling processes. Carbon dioxide (C0₂) is an important greenhouse gas. Its concentration in the atmosphere has increased from an estimated 270 ppm at the beginning of the industrial revolution to ∼ 360 ppm at present. Climatic conditions and atmospheric C0₂ concentration also influence isotopic discrimination during photosynthesis. Natural and anthropogenically induced variations in the carbon isotopic abundance can be exploited to investigate carbon transformations between pools on various time scales. It also discusses one of the isotopes of carbon, the ¹⁴C, that is produced in the atmosphere by interactions of cosmic-ray produced neutrons with stable isotopes of nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), and carbon (C), and has a natural abundance in the atmosphere of ∼1 atom ¹⁴ C per 10¹² atoms ¹²C. The most important factor affecting the measured ¹⁴C ages of soil organic matter is the rate of organic carbon cycling in soils. Differences in the dynamics of soil carbon among different soils or soil horizons will result in different soil organic ¹⁴C signatures. As a result, the deviation of the measured ¹⁴C age from the true age could differ significantly among different soils or soil horizons.

Additional publication details
Publication type	Book chapter
Publication Subtype	Book Chapter
Title	Carbon cycling in terrestrial environments: Chapter 17
DOI	10.1016/B978-0-444-81546-0.50024-0
Year Published	1998
Language	English
Publisher	Elsevier
Contributing office(s)	Fort Collins Science Center
Description	34 p.
Larger Work Type	Book
Larger Work Subtype	Monograph
Larger Work Title	Isotope tracers in catchment hydrology
First page	577
Last page	610
Online Only (Y/N)	N
Additional Online Files (Y/N)	N
Google Analytic Metrics	Metrics page