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Covariates importance of the top ten variables for soil organic carbon (SOC) stock (0-30 cm depth) prediction based on the Random Forest model. Acronyms are defined in Appendix 2
Source publication
The nationally determined contribution (NDC) presented by Argentina within the framework of the Paris Agreement is aligned with the decisions made in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on the reduction of emissions derived from deforestation and forest degradation, as well as forest carbon conservation...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... as follows: day land surface temperature, temperature seasonality (standard deviation × 100), surface reflectance of blue band, mean annual precipitation, maximum temperature of warmest month, monthly maximum temperature, precipitation of warmest quarter, night land surface temperature, soil water erosion rate, and monthly minimum temperature (Fig. 2). Thus, climate variables alone explained most of the variation in SOC ...
Citations
... Soil is a key component of the global carbon cycle and accounts for approximately 80% of the organic carbon in the biosphere. It is estimated that Earth's soil cover contains three times more organic carbon than vegetation cover and twice as much organic carbon as the atmosphere [6]. According to another group of researchers [7], soil contains three times more organic carbon than the atmosphere does. ...
This study aims to calculate and assess organic carbon levels at various landscape levels of the Crimean Peninsula using the Carbon Storage and Sequestration model of the InVEST software. It outlines the stages of working with this model and highlights limitations such as the quality of input data, temporal coverage, and spatial resolution, which can significantly influence the results. Assessment of organic carbon stocks in soils, aboveground and belowground biomass, and vegetation types revealed that the highest carbon concentration was in the low-altitude landscape level of the southern macroslope. From 2017 to 2023, an annual decrease in organic carbon stocks of 0.062 t/ha was recorded, which is likely linked to climate change and shifts in land use. This research provides the first calculations of organic carbon content within the landscape levels of the Crimean Peninsula. As carbon is a significant greenhouse gas, its accumulation or emissions directly affect climate change. Evaluating organic carbon stocks in ecosystems enhances our understanding of their role in mitigating climate change and informing carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction strategies. These findings highlight the need to consider vegetation types and their changes when calculating organic carbon in landscapes and supporting regional environmental policy development. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2025-011-03-018 Full Text: PDF
... Integrating livestock data, such as the vaccination data we used, with satellite time series (Marzo et al 2021) could provide a more comprehensive understanding of livestock grazing impact on woodlands (Nanni et al 2024, Peri et al 2024. Similarly, better data on woodland smallholders could help to consider these actors and their relation to woodlands in sustainability planning (Del Giorgio et al 2021, Levers et al 2021, Pratzer et al 2024. ...
Livestock grazing is a key land use globally, with major environmental impacts, yet the spatial footprint of grazing remains elusive, particularly at broad scales. Here, we combine livestock system indicators based on remote sensing and livestock vaccination data with a biophysical grass growth model to assess forage production, livestock carrying capacity, and grazing pressure on rangelands in the South American Dry Chaco. Specifically, we assess how considering different livestock systems (e.g. fattening in confinement, grazing with supplementary feeding, woodland grazing) changes estimations of grazing pressure. Our results highlight an average carrying capacity of 0.48 animal units equivalents (AUEs) per hectare for the Chaco (0.72 for pastures, 0.43 for natural grasslands, 0.37 for woodlands). Regional livestock requirements ranged between 0.02–6.43 AUE ha⁻¹, with cattle dominating livestock requirements (91.6% of total AUE). Considering livestock systems with different production intensities markedly altered the rangeland carrying capacity and degradation estimations. For example, considering confinements and supplementary feeding drastically reduced the pasture area with potential overgrazing, from about 58 000 km² to <19 000 km² (i.e. 13.5% vs 5.7% of the total rangeland area). Conversely, considering the typically unaccounted-for cattle of woodland smallholders markedly increased the potentially degraded woodland area, from 3.2% (∼1000 km²) to 12.1% (3700 km²) of the total woodland area. Our work shows how ignoring production intensity can bias grazing pressure estimations and, therefore, conclusions about rangeland degradation connected to livestock production. Mapping indicators characterizing the intensity of livestock systems thus provide opportunities to understand better grazing impacts and guide efforts towards more sustainable livestock production.
... We already know that forests are crucial for SOC storage (FAO and ITPS, 2018;Sha et al., 2022), and Patagonia is a region with high SOC stocks (FAO, 2023;Peri et al., 2024a). Recent advancements in SOC calculations for this region have been published (e.g., Toro Manríquez et al., 2019; Chaves et al., 2023;Pérez-Quezada et al., 2023;Peri et al., 2024a), highlighting the increasing relevance of Patagonia as a natural laboratory for advancing scientific knowledge focused on sustainable development in the world´s southernmost region (Martínez-Harms et al., 2022;Huertas Herrera et al., 2023). ...
... We already know that forests are crucial for SOC storage (FAO and ITPS, 2018;Sha et al., 2022), and Patagonia is a region with high SOC stocks (FAO, 2023;Peri et al., 2024a). Recent advancements in SOC calculations for this region have been published (e.g., Toro Manríquez et al., 2019; Chaves et al., 2023;Pérez-Quezada et al., 2023;Peri et al., 2024a), highlighting the increasing relevance of Patagonia as a natural laboratory for advancing scientific knowledge focused on sustainable development in the world´s southernmost region (Martínez-Harms et al., 2022;Huertas Herrera et al., 2023). Our study further contributes to understanding the factors influencing SOC stocks along a broad latitudinal gradient, including deciduous and evergreen forest types growing in different soil orders and SOC stocks in unmanaged, managed, and impacted forests. ...
... averaging values for each pixel) within polygonal regions to effectively capture spatial patterns [55]. We implemented a hexagonal binning process that involved one spatial matrix dividing Tierra del Fuego Island into hexagonal areas of 5000 ha each [56]. Then, average values of each hexagonal grid were computed, excluding hexagons with < 10% of native forest cover [9]. ...
Traditional approaches of forest classifications were based on tree species composition, but recently combine phe-nology and climate to characterise functional (cyclic and seasonal greenness) rather than structural or compositional components (phenoclusters). The objective was to compare the conservation value (capacity to support more native biodiversity) and provision of ecosystem services (ES) in different phenocluster categories of Nothofagus antarctica forests in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina). We used available models (ES, potential biodiversity) and ground-truth data of 145 stands, comparing phenocluster values using uni-and multivariate analyses. Conservation value and capacity to supply ES significantly varied among phenocluster categories: (i) cultural, regulating, and provisioning ES and potential biodiversity at landscape level, (ii) soil carbon and nitrogen, (iii) dominant height, crown cover, basal area, total volume, and domestic animal stock, and (iv) understory plant richness and cover at stand level. These differences are linked to the forest capacity to support more native biodiversity and ES. Besides, multivariate analyses supporting the split of this forest type into four phenocluster subtypes (coast, highland, ecotone with other types, and degraded or secondary forests). Our findings suggest the needs of specific management and conservation proposals, based on phenoclusters rather than forest types defined by tree canopy-cover composition.
... In contrast, in areas with a low Lang index, indicating drier conditions, decomposition is accelerated and carbon storage decreases [45,46]. In a study conducted in native forests in Argentina, SOC stocks were modelled and climatic variables such as annual precipitation and temperature were found to directly influence soil carbon accumulation [47]. ...
Soil organic carbon is essential for ecosystem health, influencing water retention, soil fertility and biodiversity. However, climate change and deforestation are reducing SOC globally. This study models and projects changes in the SOC of Mexican forest soils under different climate scenarios. Over 100 models were developed relating SOC to the Lang index (precipitation and temperature), altitude, slope, bulk density, texture and soil depth. The results indicate that SOC can be effectively modelled to assess scenarios for decision making. The highest SOC levels were found in tropical rainforests and mesophyll forests and the lowest in broadleaved forests of the Sonoran plain. Climate change is projected to reduce SOC in forest ecosystems by up to 11%, especially in temperate forests. Conversely, mesophyll forests are expected to experience a slight increase in SOC of 3% due to rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns. This decline could lead to increased HGH and reduced carbon storage capacity. This study highlights the need for sustainable management practices and multidisciplinary research to mitigate these impacts and emphasises the importance of comprehensive strategies for long-term environmental sustainability.
... To build the SOC database, we used (i) data compiled and published by Peri et al. (2024), (ii) data we had previously collected but not published and (iii) new soil sampling. The new soil sampling was intended to cover regions and land uses that were not fully covered by (i) and (ii) above. ...
Native forests host important pools of soil organic carbon (SOC). This is a key element not only for ecosystem functioning, but also for the global carbon cycle. Globally, and particularly in Argentina, native forests are being rapidly replaced by other land uses, raising questions about the impact of these transformations on SOC and its environmental controls. Based on the construction of the largest SOC database in Argentina to date, we investigated the patterns and controls of changes in SOC stocks associated with the replacement of native forests by other land uses. We constructed the database with a total of 818 sites with SOC data (0-30 cm depth), covering the main ecoregions, to which we added environmental information (e.g. satellite data, soil database, climate database), in order to study the environmental controls on SOC change after deforestation and on the original SOC content of native forests. Considering all ecoregions and all land use alternatives together, we found an average decrease in SOC stock of 18.2 Mg C ha-1, which represents a loss of more than a quarter of the original SOC stock of the native forest sites. A boosted regression tree explained 89% of the variation in SOC stock change and indicated that the initial forest SOC stock and the post-deforestation land use were the most important variables explaining this variation (relative influence of 30.9% and 18.2%, respectively). The replacement of native forests by rainfed annual crops resulted in the largest decrease in SOC (-28 Mg C ha-1), which was twice as large as the decrease observed in rangelands (-14 Mg C ha-1). On the contrary, neither irrigated croplands nor tree plantations of fast-growing species caused a decrease in SOC stocks (p>0.10). Climate and soil texture had an indirect effect on SOC changes through a strong influence on the initial SOC stocks in native forests (p < 0.01). Our study highlighted the significant impact of land use change on SOC stocks, overshadowing other relevant environmental controls. Understanding how the SOC pool responds to land use change, environmental conditions, and management practices is essential to increase the effectiveness of practices implemented to improve soil properties and mitigate climate change.
... Our soil analyses gave with 100 to 130 Mg.ha −1 relatively high SOC amounts, given that we investigated only the soil organic layer and the upper 20 cm of mineral soil. These C densities are slightly lower than values reported for Patagonian native forests (144 Mg.ha −1 up to 30 cm depth) in a recent country-wide assessment (Peri et al., 2024). Our results are similar to values reported by Lal and Lorenz (2012) for temperate forests, where 50-128 Mg C ha −1 were measured to a depth of 30 cm in forests with a cool humid climate, with particularly high contents (128 ± 55 Mg.ha −1 ) found in volcanic soils. ...
Introduction
Forests are a crucial part of the global carbon cycle and their proper management is of high relevance for mitigating climate change. There is an urgent need to compile for each region reference data on the carbon (C) stock density and C sequestration rate of its principal forest types to support evidence-based conservation and management decisions in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation. In the Andean Mountains of northern Patagonia, extensive areas of temperate forest have developed after massive anthropogenic fires since the beginning of the last century.
Methods
We used a plot design along belt transects to determine reference values of carbon storage and annual C sequestration in total live (above- and belowground biomass) and deadwood mass, as well as in the soil organic layer and mineral soil (to 20 cm depth) in different forest types dominated by Nothofagus spp. and Austrocedrus chilensis .
Results
Average total carbon stock densities and C sequestration rates range from a minimum of 187 Mg.ha ⁻¹ and 0.7 Mg.ha ⁻¹ .year ⁻¹ in pure and mixed N. antarctica shrublands through pure and mixed A. chilensis forests taller than 7 m and pure N. pumilio forests to a maximum in pure N. dombeyi forests with 339 Mg.ha ⁻¹ and 2.2 Mg.ha ⁻¹ .year ⁻¹ , respectively. Deadwood C represents between 20 and 33% of total wood mass C and is related to the amount of live biomass, especially for the coarse woody debris component. The topsoil contains between 33 and 57% of the total estimated ecosystem carbon in the tall forests and more than 65% in the shrublands, equaling C stocks of around 100–130 Mg.ha ⁻¹ in the different forest types.
Conclusion
We conclude that the northern Patagonian temperate forests actually store fairly high carbon stocks, which must be interpreted in relation to their natural post-fire development and relatively low management intensity. However, the current high stand densities of these forests may well affect their future carbon storage capacity in a warming climate, and they represent a growing threat of high-intensity fires with the risk of a further extension of burned areas in the future.
... A layer presented one index (0-100) based on the potential habitat of indicator species by forest region (n = 80 high-profile species of trees, birds, and mammals associated with native forests and representative of each specific forest region) and is available in a GRID of 1 km spatial resolution. (ii) Soil organic carbon stock (SOC, ton·ha −1 in the first 30 cm soil layer) developed by Peri et al. [23] for the different forest regions, which is available in a GRID of 200 m spatial resolution. (iii) Forest ...
... A layer presented one index (0-100) based on the potential habitat of indicator species by forest region (n = 80 high-profile species of trees, birds, and mammals associated with native forests and representative of each specific forest region) and is available in a GRID of 1 km spatial resolution. (ii) Soil organic carbon stock (SOC, ton·ha −1 in the first 30 cm soil layer) developed by Peri et al. [23] for the different forest regions, which is available in a GRID of 200 m spatial resolution. (iii) Forest structure variables modeled by Silveira et al. [21], including BA (m 2 ·ha −1 ), crown cover (CC, %), dominant tree height (DH, m), and total over bark volume (TOBV, m 3 ·ha −1 ) for the different forest regions, which are available in GRIDs of 30 m spatial resolution. ...
... We also evaluated the performance of FT classification based on phenoclusters across Argentina, spanning from complex rainforests like the Yungas and Atlantic forests to temperate monodominant forests in Tierra del Fuego. Our results revealed that these FT classifications effectively identified the diversity of FTs across the landscape, closely aligning with studied proxies like SOC content [23] and species richness [22]. These findings support existing research indicating the close relationship between SOC and biodiversity at the landscape level [73,74], as well as the significant role of SOC in supporting the structure and productivity of native forest ecosystems (e.g., [75,76]). ...
Modern forestry systems rely on typologies of forest types (FTs). In Argentina, several proposals have been developed, but they lack unified criteria. The objective was to compare different approaches, specifically focusing on (i) phenoclusters (functional forests based on vegetation phenology variations and climate variables) and (ii) forest canopy cover composition by tree species. We conducted comparative uni-variate analyses using data from national forest inventories, forest models (biodiversity, carbon, structure), and regional climate. We assessed the performance of phenoclusters in differentiating the variability of native forests (proxy: forest structure), biodiversity (proxy: indicator species), and environmental factors (proxies: soil carbon stock, elevation, climate). Additionally, we proposed a simple FT classification methodology based on species composition, considering the basal area of tree species. Finally, we compared the performance of both proposals. Our findings showed that classifications based on forest canopy cover composition are feasible to implement in regions dominated by mono-specific forests. However, phenoclusters allowed for the increased complexity of categories at the landscape level. Conversely, in regions where multi-specific stands prevailed, classifications based on forest canopy cover composition proved ineffective; however, phenoclusters facilitated a reduction in complexity at the landscape level. These results offer a pathway to harmonize national FT classifications by employing criteria and indicators to achieve sustainable forest management and conservation initiatives.
... With massive changes in land use, there are also changes in terrestrial carbon stored in vegetation and carbon stocks in the soil (Shao et al., 2023;Tsegaye et al., 2023). Various studies explain that changes in land use which cause reduced vegetation cover and decreased forest areas not only cause carbon emissions but also cause land degradation (Peri et al., 2024). Various anthropogenic activities often change vegetation/forest into open land or cultivated land which has implications for increasing erosion and changing the organic carbon content in the soil (Karamesouti et al., 2015;Hosseini et al., 2024). ...
... Various anthropogenic activities often change vegetation/forest into open land or cultivated land which has implications for increasing erosion and changing the organic carbon content in the soil (Karamesouti et al., 2015;Hosseini et al., 2024). Ignoring this condition certainly threatens the sustainability of people's lives and triggers various disasters (Peri et al., 2024). ...
Land use plays an important role in maintaining carbon stock balance, ecosystem sustainability, and the environment. Massive land use changes in forest areas, peatlands, mangroves, and greenways result in an increase in CO2 release. This research aimed to analyze the impact of land use changes on the value of the carbon stock around Yogyakarta International Airport. The data used were Pleiades images in 2014, 2018, and 2022. Image analysis was carried out visually to produce detailed and accurate land use classification. Meanwhile, multitemporal map overlays were carried out to find out land use changes. Changes in carbon stock were obtained from the land use formula multiplied by the value of the Greenhouse Gas Constant (GGC). The results showed that the construction of an airport and its supporting infrastructure triggered land use changes that had implications for the decreasing carbon stock. The decrease in the area of vegetation cover in fields, community plantations, and mixed plantations from 2014 to 2022, amounting to -640.99 ha, increased carbon emissions. The results of the analysis showed that there had been changes in carbon stock. In 2014, the value was 150,286.57 t C/ha; in 2018, it decreased to 136,631.56 t C/ha; and in 2022, it reduced to 133,554.36 t C/ha. Massive economic activity and infrastructure development trigger reduced vegetation cover, resulting in increased carbon and increased carbon being released into the atmosphere. The problem of land conversion that affects changes in carbon stock and impacts climate change requires mitigation, among which is proper land use management and sustainable spatial planning.
... The higher NDVI of the croplands, which would imply higher aboveground primary productivity and, therefore, higher C input to the soil, contrasts with the pattern of lower SOC stocks found in this type of land use. Indeed, recent work has shown a strong relationship between the NDVI in native forests and SOC stocks [51]. This apparent discrepancy observed in our study could be partly explained by the different partitioning of primary productivity between the aboveground and belowground components in the two types of vegetation cover studied here. ...
The high-Andean grasslands of Peru provide a wide range of goods and services, not only locally, but also regionally and globally. However, land-use change and global warming are threatening these ecosystems, of which soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key element affecting their sustainability. In this study, we have analyzed the variation of SOC stocks to a depth of 20 cm in 16 paired cropland and grassland sites located in the Sullccapallcca stream micro-watershed (elevation > 3600 m.a.s.l., Ayacucho, Peru). We have also analyzed the environmental controls on the SOC stocks and their variation with land-use change. We found that the studied high-Andean grasslands store high SOC contents (247 Tn SOC ha−1), whose spatial variability was partially explained by the slope of the terrain (r2 = 0.26, p < 0.05). Despite the higher NDVI, the conversion of these grasslands into croplands decreased the SOC stock by 39 Tn SOC ha−1 on average, a decrease that was more pronounced when the initial SOC content of the grassland was higher (r2 = 0.60, p < 0.05). This study provides the first evidence of the effects of land-use change on the SOC in the region, although the mechanisms involved still need to be investigated.
