Seasonal variation of carbon exchange from a revegetation area in a Chinese desert

Revegetation is a common method to combat desertification and to reduce soil carbon loss in arid and semi-arid areas worldwide. Revegetated areas in the temperate arid Shapotou area of Northern China were established to stabilize sand dunes in an area subject to wind erosion. The objective of this study was to characterize the carbon flux of a 20-year old revegetated area. During the measurement period from May 2008 to December 2010 carbon flux was measured by the eddy covariance technique, and rainfall, temperature, and soil water content were monitored simultaneously with the aim of understanding the relationship between carbon flux and meteorological factors. We found that the revegetated ecosystem is a carbon sink during the growing season when most of the annual precipitation falls. The revegetated area changed from being a carbon source to a sink in the 1 or 2 days following an effective rainfall event. In the non-growing season the ecosystem was a carbon source. The soil water content (SWC) affected the relationship between ecosystem respiration and temperature. The nighttime respiration rate increased with soil temperature. When the SWC was ≥3% the correlation between respiration rate and soil temperature was stronger (R2 = 0.23) than when SWC was <3% (R2 = 0.08). Although the net ecosystem carbon flux (NEE) in temperate arid desert areas is relatively small compared to that of humid areas, it represents huge carbon fixation potential because of the very large area of desert in northern China. Further research is required to clarify the effects of climatic factors on the various components of temperate arid ecosystems, especially the roles of cryptogam and biological soil crusts in the carbon exchange processes.

► We studied the carbon flux of revegetation area in the Tengger Desert.
► The revegetation system is a carbon sink in the growing season.
► The revegetation system turned to be a carbon source in the non-growing season.
► Both the distribution and frequency of the rainfall control carbon cycle.
► Soil water affects the relationship between ecosystem respiration and temperature.