Freshly fallen leaves contribute less to the levels of carbon in mineral soil than was previously believed, according to the findings of a team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers Mats Froberg and Paul Hanson. In a paper published in the March-April issue of Soil Science Society of America Journal, the researchers explain how they took advantage of a unique local release of carbon-14, which allowed them to track dissolved organic carbon movement from canopy leaves, or litter, sources. By doing so, they were able to quantify the proportion of dissolved organic carbon that originated from decomposing fresh litter. Dissolved organic carbon has an important role in the soil carbon cycle as it represents a key transport pathway for carbon in solution to move from forest floor carbon sources to the mineral soil, where it can contribute to the buildup of carbon stocks. The research, funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Science, provides another step toward predicting the fate of terrestrial carbon.
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