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Forest soils in Spain store as much carbon as has been emitted by its population during the last 29 years
According to a new study, forest soils in Spain store around 2,544 million tons of carbon. This amount is equivalent to the anthropogenic emissions of CO2 in Spain during the last 29 years.
This is one of the most remarkable conclusions of what is possibly the most reliable estimation to date of current carbon stocks in forest soils in peninsular Spain.
The study also shows that climate and vegetation cover are the main variables influencing carbon stocks in soils, which has significant ecological consequences for Spanish ecosystems in the current situation of global change. The amount of carbon stored in soils is positively related to precipitation and inversely related to mean annual temperature. This fact leads researchers to conclude that climate change predictions of higher temperatures and decreased precipitations, recognized in the latest IPCC report, may reduce the potential of Spanish soils to store carbon.
These results may help decision makers take further actions related to the conservation of carbon stocks, and the management of forests.
The research has been recently published in the journal Biogeoscience. It was conducted by the Forest Sciences Center of Catalonia (CTFC), the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), and the University Autònoma Barcelona (UAB).
The full article can be downloaded from the following link:
http://www.biogeosciences.net/10/8353/2013/bg-10-8353-2013.html