Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2666
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2666
15 Nov 2023
 | 15 Nov 2023

Soil carbon-concentration and carbon-climate feedbacks in CMIP6 Earth system models

Rebecca M. Varney, Pierre Friedlingstein, Sarah E. Chadburn, Eleanor J. Burke, and Peter M. Cox

Abstract. Achieving climate targets requires mitigation against climate change, but also understanding of the response of land and ocean carbon systems. In this context, global soil carbon stocks and its response to environmental changes is key. This paper quantifies the global soil carbon feedback to changes in atmospheric CO2, and associated climate changes, for Earth system models (ESMs) in CMIP6. A standard approach is used to calculate carbon cycle feedbacks, defined here as soil specific carbon-concentration (βs) and carbon-climate (γs) feedback parameters. The sensitivity to CO2 is shown to dominate soil carbon changes at least up to a doubling of atmospheric CO2. However, the sensitivity of soil carbon to climate change is found to become an increasingly important source of uncertainty under higher atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

12 Jun 2024
Soil carbon-concentration and carbon-climate feedbacks in CMIP6 Earth system models
Rebecca M. Varney, Pierre Friedlingstein, Sarah E. Chadburn, Eleanor J. Burke, and Peter M. Cox
Biogeosciences, 21, 2759–2776, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2759-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2759-2024, 2024
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

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Soil carbon is the largest store of carbon on the land surface of Earth and is known to be...
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