Measurement strategies to account for soil respiration temporal heterogeneity across diverse regions

Abstract

Soil respiration (Rs) rates fluctuate daily and seasonally; therefore, the timing of measurements is critical when estimating the daily mean and scaling up to annual Rs rates. Temporal fluctuations also vary with climate and biome, yet the current recommendation for when to measure Rs (e.g., 09:00 to 12:00) has not been evaluated for different climates, biomes, and seasons. To provide more refined recommendations for measuring Rs, we: 1) analyzed the diurnal and seasonal fluctuations of Rs and tested the accuracy of typical measurement practices under different climates and biomes, and 2) identified the measurement frequency necessary for different climates and biomes to achieve certain levels of accuracy in estimating annual Rs. Across biomes, diurnal variation in Rs is considerable in spring and summer, moderate in autumn, and minimal in winter, and closely related with soil temperature. Based on these diurnal patterns, the best measurement time for estimating the daily mean Rs was 10:00 in all climates and biomes, which is within the recommended range of 9:00 and 12:00 previously identified for temperate forests. Measurements made between 20:00 and 23:00 also accurately estimated the daily mean Rs. Regions with high plant coverage over the year have lower seasonal variation and require less measurement frequency. For global scale estimates, Rs needs to be measured once per day to attain an accuracy of ±10% of the Rs population mean with 95% confidence, and once per month to achieve ±30% with a confidence of 80%. Results from this study provide guidelines that reduce measurement frequency while retaining reasonable accuracy for better Rs estimates using manual chamber systems.