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Background and aims <p>The Tibetan Plateau (TP), a vast alpine region rich in soil organic carbon (SOC),plays a crucial role in the regional carbon cycle and climate mitigation. This study aimed to quantify the spatial distribution and environmental drivers of SOC density (SOCD) across the TP.</p> Methods <p>Using 1,561 soil samples, we mapped SOCD at 1 km resolution across 0–200 cm depth with validated Random Forest (RF) models. Twenty-six environmental variables were analyzed, with correlation analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) used to identify their influence on SOCD.</p> Results <p>SOCD decreased from east to west and south to north, ranging from 14.96 kg C m⁻<sup>2</sup> in western steppes to 29.54 kg C m⁻<sup>2</sup> in eastern forests (0–200 cm). SOCD exhibited a nonlinear vertical distribution, increasing in topsoil (0–20 cm) and decreasing with depth in subsoil (20–200 cm). SOCD was highest in wetlands, followed by forests, meadows, shrublands, and steppes. SOCD was influenced by multiple interacting environmental factors, primarily through their effects on plant productivity and soil respiration.</p> Conclusions <p>This study highlights the ecosystem-specific mechanisms regulating SOCD. Forests are characterized by carbon loss through respiration, while grasslands and other ecosystems are characterized by greater reliance on plant-derived carbon inputs. These divergent processes show how ecosystem type shapes carbon dynamics, highlighting the need for differentiated approaches in modeling soil carbon–climate feedbacks, supporting accurate carbon modeling and ecosystem-specific carbon management strategies under climate change.</p>

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Distributions and drivers of soil organic carbon on the Tibetan Plateau: divergent controls across ecosystems

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月2日

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  • Zhigang Hu,
  • Jens-Christian Svenning,
  • Jiwang Tang,
  • Yue Cheng,
  • Fangfang Ma,
  • Wanben Wu,
  • Ming Ni,
  • Yingbo Yang,
  • Xianzhou Zhang,
  • Ben Niu

摘要

Background and aims

The Tibetan Plateau (TP), a vast alpine region rich in soil organic carbon (SOC),plays a crucial role in the regional carbon cycle and climate mitigation. This study aimed to quantify the spatial distribution and environmental drivers of SOC density (SOCD) across the TP.

Methods

Using 1,561 soil samples, we mapped SOCD at 1 km resolution across 0–200 cm depth with validated Random Forest (RF) models. Twenty-six environmental variables were analyzed, with correlation analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) used to identify their influence on SOCD.

Results

SOCD decreased from east to west and south to north, ranging from 14.96 kg C m⁻2 in western steppes to 29.54 kg C m⁻2 in eastern forests (0–200 cm). SOCD exhibited a nonlinear vertical distribution, increasing in topsoil (0–20 cm) and decreasing with depth in subsoil (20–200 cm). SOCD was highest in wetlands, followed by forests, meadows, shrublands, and steppes. SOCD was influenced by multiple interacting environmental factors, primarily through their effects on plant productivity and soil respiration.

Conclusions

This study highlights the ecosystem-specific mechanisms regulating SOCD. Forests are characterized by carbon loss through respiration, while grasslands and other ecosystems are characterized by greater reliance on plant-derived carbon inputs. These divergent processes show how ecosystem type shapes carbon dynamics, highlighting the need for differentiated approaches in modeling soil carbon–climate feedbacks, supporting accurate carbon modeling and ecosystem-specific carbon management strategies under climate change.