Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Flux Considering Water Erosion Using Physically based Model

Código

I-EBHE0126

Autores

Minho Yeon, Giha Lee

Tema

WG 1.12: Development & application of river basin simulators

Resumo

Climate change is becoming more serious worldwide due to global warming caused by greenhouse gases. Thus, soil's carbon storage is increasingly important in mitigating climate change. However, water-induced soil erosion threatens this role by causing the loss of soil organic carbon (SOC), reducing agricultural productivity, and deteriorating water quality. Therefore, this must be considered when managing soil and water resources in the watershed. When estimating soil organic carbon stock (SOCS), the excellent method is to measure organic carbon in the watershed using measuring equipment. Still, this method is challenging because it requires a lot of cost and labor. As an alternative, many models have been developed and used. However, when estimating SOCS, many models do not consider soil erosion, or even if soil erosion is considered, they are simulated based on empirical models. These models do not consider the physical process of soil erosion so that the simulation results may be over- or under-estimated. In this study, we developed the hydrological model coupled with the biogeochemical carbon model and physically based soil erosion model. Moreover, we estimated soil carbon flux and SOCS, including runoff and erosion, using the physically based hydrological model in the watershed. This study showed that runoff, soil erosion, and soil carbon dioxide flux were well simulated. Moreover, the estimate of SOCS was different when considering erosion and when not considering erosion. The results of this study can be used as fundamental data when establishing soil management in this basin.