Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Carbon cycle

A warm response by soils

Nature volume 464, pages 499–500 (2010)Cite this article

Subjects

The flux of carbon from soils to the atmosphere has apparently increased with climate warming. But does this reflect a net loss of carbon to the atmosphere that could exacerbate climate change?

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Possible mechanisms driving increased soil respiration (RS) in a warming climate.

References

  1. Batjes, N. H. Eur. J. Soil. Sci. 47, 151–163 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Smith, P., Fang, C., Dawson, J. J. C. & Moncrieff, J. B. Adv. Agron. 97, 1–43 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Cox, P. M., Betts, R. A., Jones, C. D., Spall, S. A. & Totterdell, I. J. Nature 408, 184–187 (2000).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Bond-Lamberty, B. & Thomson, A. Nature 464, 579–582 (2010).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. PCC Working Group I Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2007).

  6. Shaver, G. R. et al. J. Ecol. 94, 740–753 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Tarnocai, C. Glob. Planet. Change 53, 222–232 (2006).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ström, L. & Christensen, T. R. Soil Biol. Biochem. 39, 1689–1698 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Zimov, S. A., Schuur, E. A. G. & Chapin, F. S. Science 312, 1612–1613 (2006).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Dorrepaal, E. et al. Nature 460, 616–619 (2009).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Gorham, E. Ecol. Appl. 1, 182–195 (1991).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Friedlingstein, P. et al. J. Clim. 19, 3337–3353 (2006).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Ostle, N. J. et al. J. Ecol. 97, 851–863 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pete Smith is at the Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, UK. pete.smith@abdn.ac.uk ,

    Pete Smith

  2. Changming Fang is at the Coastal Ecosystems Research Station of Yangtze River Estuary, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 20043, China. cmfang@fudan.edu.cn ,

    Changming Fang

Authors
  1. Pete Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Changming Fang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Smith, P., Fang, C. A warm response by soils. Nature 464, 499–500 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/464499a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/464499a

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing Microbiology

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Microbiology newsletter — what matters in microbiology research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Microbiology