Abstract
Carbon sources were estimated by measuring carbon isotope ratios (δ13C and Δ14C) with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) in forest soils of different lithology. Six locations were selected in temperate deciduous and coniferous stands in Slovenia (Žirovski vrh, Idrija, Kočevski Rog, Pohorje, Gorišnica, and Rakitna), where carbonate rocks consisting of limestone and dolomite are abundant as underlying bedrock. Carbon isotope fractionation would not have occurred in two carbonaceous soils, since the values of both δ13C and Δ14C changed consistently in these soils after thermal (550°C, 2 h) or chemical (1 M HCl, 24 h) treatments. Organic components were found to be predominant carbon sources (70–100%) in the uppermost portions (0–2 cm in depth). In deeper portions at a depth of about 30–35 cm, soil carbon may be derived completely from underlying carbonate minerals in Idria, western part of Slovenia. The Combination of heat and chemical treatments with AMS provides practical information on soil carbon sources in carbonaceous soils.
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Acknowledgments
This work was partially supported by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) for measuring carbon isotopes by AMS (2009A-F09, 2010A-F05), and by the Joint Research Program between Japan and Slovenia (JSPS) from 2010 to 2011. We would like to thank Dr. Primož Simončič of Slovenian Forestry Institute for helping with location settings in a protected forest site (Kočevski Rog) in Slovenia, and the staff members of the Mutsu AMS facility of JAEA (Aomori Prefecture, Japan) for providing isotope data of excellent quality.
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Fujiyoshi, R., Amano, H., Sakuta, Y. et al. Practical evaluation of carbon sources of forest soils in Slovenia from stable and radio-carbon isotope measurements. Environ Earth Sci 67, 133–140 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1486-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1486-x