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Buried black soils on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro as a regional carbon storage hotspot

Title data

Zech, Michael ; Hörold, Claudia ; Leiber, Katharina ; Kühnel, Anna ; Hemp, Andreas ; Zech, Wolfgang:
Buried black soils on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro as a regional carbon storage hotspot.
In: Catena. Vol. 112 (2014) . - pp. 125-130.
ISSN 0341-8162
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2013.05.015

Abstract in another language

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2013.05.015Mt. Kilimanjaro attracts much scientific and public attention due to its dramatically shrinking ice caps, still known as “the white top” of Africa. In this mountain system forming a type of island within the surrounding savannah, a new phenomenon has recently been discovered. On the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Late Quaternary paleosol sequences, composed of dark or black buried soils, are widespread in the montane rainforest zone (1800–3000 m a.s.l.). In this study we investigated in detail the soil organic carbon (SOC) content and SOC stocks in soil profiles (mostly Andosols) along two altitudinal transects, situated on both the humid southern slopes and on the drier northern slopes of the mountain.In the montane forest zone, up to 3 m thick paleosol sequences are frequently found. SOC content is remarkably high, reaching values of up to more than 10%. This testifies to good preservation of soil organic matter (SOM) which may be due to such factors as rapid burial by dust, low temperatures alongside more resistant litter during glacial periods, formation of stable organo-mineral complexes and high black carbon (BC) content. The buried black soils are estimated to contain ~ 82 kg m− 2 mean SOC stocks in the montane rainforest. As compared to the SOC storage in the surrounding savannah soils of the Maasai Steppe, the buried black soils constitute a distinctive regional carbon storage hotspot.

Further data

Item Type: Article in a journal
Refereed: Yes
Additional notes: BAYCEER116493
Institutions of the University: Faculties
Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences
Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Biology > Chair Plant Physiology
Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Earth Sciences
Research Institutions
Research Institutions > Research Centres
Research Institutions > Research Centres > Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research- BayCEER
Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Biology
Result of work at the UBT: Yes
DDC Subjects: 500 Science
Date Deposited: 29 Jun 2015 06:09
Last Modified: 19 Oct 2022 12:47
URI: https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/15459