Modified method for estimating the organic carbon density of discontinuous soils in peak-karst regions in southwest China

Precise estimation of soil organic carbon storage is essential to assess carbon sequestration in soils at a regional scale. However, there is great uncertainty regarding such estimations for discontinuous soils, especially in peak-karst regions where soil is distributed between horizontal cracks and vertical fissures. In this study, a modified method was developed to estimate the soil organic carbon density (SOCD) in peak-karst regions in southwest China, and four typical sites were selected to evaluate this methodology. Compared with the conventional method, additional soil distribution characters, such as the average depth and the proportions of the ground surface area represented by continuous soil, soil in cracks and fissures, soil on rocks, and rocky soil, were considered in the estimation. The SOCD under each vegetation type was calculated by totaling the SOCD values for the various types of soil surfaces, and the SOCD for a site was then totaled using the weighted mean method based on vegetation. Using the modified method, the SOCD values were estimated for the four typical sites selected. The estimation results demonstrated that the SOCD values for the karst sites (6.39, 7.52, and 9.22 kg m−2) were lower than that for the red soil site (10.01 kg m−2). The SOCD values estimated for the karst sites using the proposed method ranged from 24.3 to 89.6% of the estimates obtained using the conventional method, reflecting previous overestimations. The differences in the estimated SOCD values were mainly due to soil distribution characters.