Warming Enhances CO 2 Flux from Saline–Alkali Soils by Intensifying Moisture–Temperature Interactions in the Critical Zone

Yihan Liu, Fan Yang, Xinchun Liu, Ping Yang, Huiying Ma (), Xinqian Zheng, Xinghua Yang, Silalan Abudukad, Jiacheng Gao and Fapeng Zhang
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Yihan Liu: College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Fan Yang: Institute of Desert Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration/National Observation and Research Station of Desert Meteorology, Taklimakan Desert of Xinjiang/Taklimakan Desert Meteorology Field Experiment Station of China Meteorological Administration/Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Meteorology and Sandstorm/Key Laboratory of Tree-Ring Physical and Chemical Research, China Meteorological Administration, Urumqi 830002, China
Xinchun Liu: Institute of Desert Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration/National Observation and Research Station of Desert Meteorology, Taklimakan Desert of Xinjiang/Taklimakan Desert Meteorology Field Experiment Station of China Meteorological Administration/Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Meteorology and Sandstorm/Key Laboratory of Tree-Ring Physical and Chemical Research, China Meteorological Administration, Urumqi 830002, China
Ping Yang: Institute of Desert Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration/National Observation and Research Station of Desert Meteorology, Taklimakan Desert of Xinjiang/Taklimakan Desert Meteorology Field Experiment Station of China Meteorological Administration/Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Meteorology and Sandstorm/Key Laboratory of Tree-Ring Physical and Chemical Research, China Meteorological Administration, Urumqi 830002, China
Huiying Ma: College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Xinqian Zheng: Xinjiang Agro-Meteorological Observatory, Urumqi 830002, China
Xinghua Yang: School of Geographical Sciences, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030031, China
Silalan Abudukad: Institute of Desert Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration/National Observation and Research Station of Desert Meteorology, Taklimakan Desert of Xinjiang/Taklimakan Desert Meteorology Field Experiment Station of China Meteorological Administration/Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Meteorology and Sandstorm/Key Laboratory of Tree-Ring Physical and Chemical Research, China Meteorological Administration, Urumqi 830002, China
Jiacheng Gao: Institute of Desert Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration/National Observation and Research Station of Desert Meteorology, Taklimakan Desert of Xinjiang/Taklimakan Desert Meteorology Field Experiment Station of China Meteorological Administration/Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Meteorology and Sandstorm/Key Laboratory of Tree-Ring Physical and Chemical Research, China Meteorological Administration, Urumqi 830002, China
Fapeng Zhang: Institute of Desert Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration/National Observation and Research Station of Desert Meteorology, Taklimakan Desert of Xinjiang/Taklimakan Desert Meteorology Field Experiment Station of China Meteorological Administration/Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Meteorology and Sandstorm/Key Laboratory of Tree-Ring Physical and Chemical Research, China Meteorological Administration, Urumqi 830002, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-15

Abstract: Saline–alkali soils in arid regions are increasingly recognized as critical yet underrepresented components of the global carbon cycle. However, their CO 2 flux dynamics under warming remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted controlled growth-chamber experiments using typical saline–alkali soils from the Taklamakan Desert, where temperature, soil moisture, and atmospheric CO 2 concentrations were systematically manipulated. We quantified how warming reshaped moisture–temperature interactions regulating soil CO 2 fluxes. The results revealed a pronounced diurnal variation pattern, characterized by daytime CO 2 release and nighttime uptake. Temperature was identified as the dominant driver (R 2 > 0.93, p < 0.001), whereas soil moisture primarily modulated flux intensity; at 0.8 cm 3 cm −3 , fluxes declined by up to 61% compared with the baseline. Warming enhanced the temperature–moisture synergy (−43%, p < 0.01) and simultaneously reduced baseline fluxes (−56%, p < 0.01). These shifts fundamentally altered the regulation of CO 2 flux dynamics. Our findings highlight the necessity of integrating salt dynamics and carbonate equilibria into multiphase reactive transport models to improve regional carbon sink assessments. Ultimately, this study refines estimates of the contribution of saline–alkali soils to the global “missing carbon sink” (~1.7 Pg C a −1 ) and emphasizes their overlooked role in the Earth’s carbon budget under a warming climate.

Keywords: saline–alkaline soil; simulated climate-warming condition; carbon budget; estimation scheme; inorganic carbon sequestration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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