Disturbance, Risk and Management of Soil Carbon Pool

As more than 1500 Pg carbon is stored in the global soil carbon pool, soils store more carbon than the atmosphere and vegetation. Maintaining the stability of soil carbon and increasing the soil carbon sink function are widely known as the most important nature-based solutions for achieving the goal of carbon neutrality (net zero) globally. Climate change and human activities in recent years have caused the soil carbon pool to be threatened by many natural and anthropogenic disturbance factors, such as temperature increases, permafrost degradation, agricultural management, land use change, drainage, pollution, etc. These disturbances cause serious effects on the soil carbon dynamics which not only include the direct effect on the carbon storage environment but also alter the carbon sources and chemical properties through the changes of surface vegetation communities. The risks to the soil carbon pool and the response of soil carbon dynamics to these disturbances should be fully considered in soil management strategies. However, the lack of clear disturbances and limited data for soil carbon pool quantification poses challenges to management, also in the context of climate change and regional human activities increasing.

Thus, our purpose is to compile the latest research on soil carbon biogeochemistry under climate change and human activities to better understand the dynamics of the soil carbon pool. We would like to address these issues in an interdisciplinary manner, to encourage a wide discussion about the past, current, and future of the soil carbon pool under global change. We also hope to contribute to a better interaction of research on paleoecology, current, and prediction approaches of soil carbon dynamics, using our understanding of soil carbon pool past and current evolution to better understand its future.

We welcome the submission of original research or review articles related to the soil carbon pool and its response to environmental disturbances at different spatial and temporal scales based on laboratory simulation experiments, field observation, paleoecological approaches, and modeling, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Soil degradation and restoration in different ecosystems
• Soil carbon risk assessment at regional and global scales
• Anthropogenic disturbance effects on soil carbon dynamics or soil carbon pool stability
• Soil carbon responses to environmental disturbances
• Soil biological and ecological responses to environmental disturbances