Title: Soil organic carbon change relating to the prevention and control of rocky desertification in Guizhou Province, SW China

Authors: Xianfei Huang; Shijie Wang; Yunchao Zhou

Addresses: Institute for Forest Resources and Environment of Guizhou, Guizhou University, 550025, Guiyang, China; Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Environment, Guizhou Normal University, 550001, Guiyang, China; College of Forestry, Guizhou University, 550025, Guiyang, China ' State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Science, 550002, Guiyang, China; Puding Karst Ecosystem Research Station of Guizhou Province, 561000, Anshun, China ' Institute for Forest Resources and Environment of Guizhou, Guizhou University, 550025, Guiyang, China; College of Forestry, Guizhou University, 550025, Guiyang, China; Puding Karst Ecosystem Research Station of Guizhou Province, 561000, Anshun, China

Abstract: This article reports on the relationship between the prevention and control of rocky desertification and potential change to soil organic carbon storage (SOC) in Guizhou Province, in Southwestern China. Three strategic measures including the return of cultivated land to forestlands (RCLF), construction of artificial pasture (CAP) and artificial afforestation (AA) will be employed and more than approximately 20,923.22 km2 lands will be improved in Guizhou Province. The SOC density of these areas will change significantly at different calculated depths. At calculated depths of 0.000.10 m, 0.00-0.20 m, 0.00-0.0.30 m and 0.001.00 m, the total SOC sequestration will reach up to 1.99 × 1013 g, 3.37 × 1013 g, 4.45 × 1013 g and 6.29 × 1013 g, respectively, over the next several decades. In the 0.00-1.00 m soil horizon, the potential increase in SOC storage related to rocky desertification prevention and the control project would reach 3.19% of the total present SOC storage in Guizhou province.

Keywords: rocky desertification; soil organic carbon; carbon sequestration; land use; global warming; soil thickness; environmental policy; karst mountainous area; Guizhou Province; China.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2018.093123

International Journal of Global Warming, 2018 Vol.15 No.3, pp.315 - 332

Received: 20 Mar 2017
Accepted: 25 May 2017

Published online: 10 Jul 2018 *

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