Summary
This broad-scale radiocarbon and mineralogical study reveals that soil organic carbon persistence in sub-Saharan Africa is controlled by the interaction of climate, soil weathering, and mineral reactivity. Carbon persists longest in moderately weathered soils with reactive clay minerals in seasonal climates (201 ± 130 years topsoil; 645 ± 385 years subsoil), whereas highly weathered humid soils with less reactive minerals store carbon for shorter periods (140 ± 46 years topsoil; 454 ± 247 years subsoil). The authors propose that pedo-climatic groupings may improve predictions of soil carbon dynamics under climate change at regional and continental scales.
UK applicability
The findings are specific to sub-Saharan African soil and climatic conditions and may have limited direct applicability to UK temperate soils with different weathering profiles, clay mineralogy, and climate regimes. However, the methodological framework and process-oriented soil grouping approach could inform modelling efforts for UK soil carbon persistence under future climate scenarios.
Key measures
Radiocarbon age (Δ14C) of soil organic carbon; soil mineralogy (clay mineral reactivity and crystallinity); climate zone classification; soil weathering intensity; mean residence time of organic carbon in topsoil (0–30 cm) and subsoil (30–100 cm) layers
Outcomes reported
The study quantified organic carbon persistence timescales in sub-Saharan African soils using radiocarbon and mineral analysis, stratified by climate zone and soil weathering status. It reported mean residence times for topsoil and subsoil carbon across arid, seasonal, and humid climate zones.
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