Abstract

Controls on the decomposition rate of soil organic carbon (SOC), especially the more stable fraction of Schmidt et al., 2011). While the age of most soil organic C (SOC), including that found in the top 20 cm of the mineral soil, extends into centuries (Trumbore et al., 1996; Fissore et al., 2009), the very large size of this reservoir means that even small increases in the a large influence on atmospheric [CO2]. Global temperatures are n is strongly tem-transfer of C from se in atmospheric ng (Holland et al., temperature re-e, the realized e as of SOC decompo-ted future rates of SOC decomposition in a warmer world are uncertain (Cox et al., 2000; Giardina and Ryan, 2000; Davidson and Jannssens, 2006;