Organic carbon stocks in the soils of Serbia

Abstract

Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and SOC sequestration potentials were investigated in the soils of Republic of Serbia. Organic carbon stocks were estimated for soil layers 0-30 cm and 0-100 cm based on the results from a database and using soil and land use maps. The database included a total of 1,140 soil profiles which corresponded to 4335 soil horizons. To establish the relationship between organic carbon content and soil type, a soil map of Serbia was adapted to the WRB classification and divided into 15,437 polygons (map units). We calculated the SOC stock values for each reference soil group based on mean values of SOC at 0-30 and 0-100 cm and their areas. The largest SOC stocks for the soil layers 0-30 cm were found in Cambisol 194.76 × 1012g and Leptosol 186.43 × 1012g, and for the soil layers 0-100 cm in Cambisol 274.87 × 1012g and Chermozem 230.43 × 1012 g. Based on the size of the reference groups, total area of Republic of Serbia, and the mean SOC values for each reference group, we calculated the total SOC stocks. The obtained values for the soil layers 0-30 cm and 0-100 cm amounted to 695.31 × 1012g and 1142.42 × 1012g, respectively. The analysis of SOC stocks according to land use showed that SOC stocks were higher in forestland and semi-natural areas than in agricultural soil by 40.71% and 11.43% at 0-30 cm and 0-100 cm, respectively.