Soil characteristics and Carbon fluxes

Carbon fluxes between soil, vegetation and atmosphere are only partially known for mountain grasslands, also owing to the complex geological matrix, to the wide variations in soil depth and sub-soil characteristics (e.g., solid rock, fractured rocks, coarse moraine material, etc…), and to the unknown response of the fluxes to extreme impact events and climate variability. Soil samples were collected in 2016 in Noaschetta from grassland plots in different sites at different depth (5-15 cm) for physical-chemical analyses (organic carbon, nitrogen, inorganic carbon, pH, conductivity, grain size). CO2 fluxes in Noaschetta have been measured since 2016 in two sites (Piangirot and Piansengio) in grazed and ungrazed plots. Since 2017, flux measurements have been started at Piani del Nivolet (2700 m a.s.l.) in 4 plots, each having an average area of about 250 square meters, characterized by different geological substrata. For each plot a soil pit were digged and soil samples at different depth collected for chemistry and C-stable isotopes characterization. Measurements are available during the summer period monthly, together with soil temperature and volumetric water content, air temperature and humidity, radiance. Since August 2019, CO2 and H2O fluxes data are acquired every 30 minutes using eddy covariance methods.