The knowledge of carbon (C) stock and its dynamics is crucial for understanding the role of grassland ecosystems in Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) terrestrial C cycle. To date, a comprehensive assessment on C balance in HKH’s grasslands is still lacking. By reviewing published literature, this study aims to evaluate soil organic carbon (SOC) stock in HKH’s grasslands. Our results are summarized as follows: (1) SOC density varied greatly between 1.6 and 11.7 kg C m-2. (2) The magnitude of SOC in Grassland ecosystems in different countries of HKH region differed greatly. (3) Spatial patterns of grassland SOC were closely correlated with climate and topography. Human activities, such as livestock grazing and fencing could also affect soil C dynamics in HKH’s grasslands.

Jianguo Qi, Xinze Li. Soil Organic Carbon Stock in Hindu Kush Himalayn' s Grasslands. Academic Journal of Environment & Earth Science (2022) Vol. 4 Issue 1: 32-37. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJEE.2022.040107.

[1] Ahmad, M., Raza, F. A., Masud, J., & Ali, I. (2006). Ecological Assessment of Production Potential for Rangeland Vegetation in Southern Attock, Pakistan. J. Agri. Soc. Sci, 2(4), 212-215.

[2] Åström, M., Dynesius, M., Hylander, K., & Nilsson, C. (2007). Slope aspect modifies community responses to clear‐cutting in boreal forests. Ecology, 88(3), 749-758.

[3] Chen, Q., Wang, S. Q., & Yu, G. (2003). Spatial characteristics of soil organic carbon and nitrogen in Inner Mongolia. The journal of applied ecology, 14(5), 699-704.

[4] Chen, S., & Arrouays, D. (2018). Soil carbon stocks are underestimated in mountainous regions. Geoderma, 320, 146-148.

[5] Dad, J. M. (2019). Organic carbon stocks in mountain grassland soils of northwestern Kashmir Himalaya: spatial distribution and effects of altitude, plant diversity and land use. Carbon Management, 10(2), 149-162.

[6] Davidson, E. A., & Janssens, I. A. (2006). Temperature sensitivity of soil carbon decomposition and feedbacks to climate change. Nature, 440(7081), 165-173.

[7] Ghimire, C. P., Bonell, M., Bruijnzeel, L. A., Coles, N. A., & Lubczynski, M. W. (2013). Reforesting severely degraded grassland in the Lesser Himalaya of Nepal: Effects on soil hydraulic conductivity and overland flow production. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 118(4), 2528-2545.

[8] Gupta, M. K., & Sharma, S. D. (2013). Sequestered organic carbon status in the soils under grassland in Uttarakhand State, India. Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 1(1), 7-9.

[9] Fang, J., Liu, G., & Xu, S. (1996). Soil carbon pool in China and its global significance. J Environ Sci (China), 2.

[10] Fang, J., Yu, G., Liu, L., Hu, S., & Chapin, F. S. (2018). Climate change, human impacts, and carbon sequestration in China. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(16), 4015-4020.

[11] Feng, X., Simpson, A. J., Wilson, K. P., Williams, D. D., & Simpson, M. J. (2008). Increased cuticular carbon sequestration and lignin oxidation in response to soil warming. Nature Geoscience, 1(12), 836-839.

[12] Jangra, R., Bhalla, E., Gaur, A., & Gupta, S. R. (2010). Carbon sequestration in sodic grassland ecosystems in north-western India. American-Eurasian Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Science, 9(1), 27-35.

[13] Jangra, R., & Gupta, S. R. (2015). Singh Neeraj. Plant Biomass, Productivity, and Carbon Storage in an Ecologically Restored Grassland on a sodic soil in North-Western India. History, 20(70), 85-96.

[14] Joshi, L., Shrestha, R. M., Jasra, A. W., Joshi, S., Gilani, H., & Ismail, M. (2013). Rangeland ecosystem services in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. High-altitude rangelands and their interfaces in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, 157.

[15] Li, Y., Wang, X., Niu, Y., Lian, J., Luo, Y., Chen, Y., ... & Yu, P. (2018). Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon in the ecologically fragile Horqin Grassland of northeastern China. Geoderma, 325, 102-109.

[16] Liubu, D, K., Koirala, M., & Shang, Z. (2013). Total Carbon Storage in Himalaya Rangeland of Milke-Jaljale Area, Eastern Nepal. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology. A, 3(10A), 775.

[17] Pathak, P. S., & Dagar, J. C. (2015). Indian grasslands and their management. Grassland: A Global Resource perspective, edited by: Goosh, PK, Mahanta, SK, Singh, JB, and Pathak, PS, Range management Society of India, Jhansi, India, 336.

[18] Peng, G., Bing, W., Guangpo, G., & Guangcan, Z. (2013). Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen based on GIS and geostatistics in a small watershed in a hilly area of northern China. PloS one, 8(12).

[19] Piao, S., Fang, J., Ciais, P., Peylin, P., Huang, Y., Sitch, S., & Wang, T. (2009). The carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems in China. Nature, 458(7241), 1009-1013.

[20] Piao, S., Huang, M., Liu, Z., Wang, X., Ciais, P., Canadell, J. G., ... & Le Quéré, C. (2018). Lower land-use emissions responsible for increased net land carbon sink during the slow warming period. Nature Geoscience, 11(10), 739-743.

[21] Pu, Y. L., Liu, S. Q., Zhang, S. R., Long, G. F., & Lu, C. T. (2008). Slope-directive variation of mountain soil basic attributes in the northern Hengduan Mountains regions. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 22(6), 112-117.

[22] Scurlock, J. M., Johnson, K., & Olson, R. J. (2002). Estimating net primary productivity from grassland biomass dynamics measurements. Global Change Biology, 8(8), 736-753.

[23] Shi, F., Li, Y., Gao, Q., Wan, Y., & Qin, X. (2009). Effects of managements on soil organic carbon of grasslands in China. Pratacultural Science, 26(3), 9-15.

[24] Thokchom, A., & Yadava, P. S. (2016). Carbon dynamics in an Imperata grassland in Northeast India. Tropical Grasslands-Forrajes Tropicales, 4(1), 19-28.

[25] Wang, G. X., Cheng, G. D., & Shen, Y. P. (2002). Soil organic carbon pool of grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau and its global implication. J. Glaciol. Geocryol, 24(6), 693-700.

[26] Wang, S. Q. (2000). Analysis on spatial distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon reservoir in China. Acta Geogr Sin, 55, 533-544.

[27] White, R.P., Murray, S., Rohweder, M., (2000). Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems: Grassland Ecosystems. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC.

[28] Wiesmeier, M., Urbanski, L., Hobley, E., Lang, B., von Lützow, M., Marin-Spiotta, E., ... & Wollschläger, U. (2019). Soil organic carbon storage as a key function of soils-A review of drivers and indicators at various scales. Geoderma, 333, 149-162.

[29] Wu, H., Guo, Z., & Peng, C. (2003). Distribution and storage of soil organic carbon in China. Global biogeochemical cycles, 17(2).

[30] Xie, X. (2004). Organic carbon density and storage in soils of China and spatial analysis. Acta Pedologica Sinica, 41, 35-43.

[31] Xu, L., Yu, G., & He, N. (2019). Increased soil organic carbon storage in Chinese terrestrial ecosystems from the 1980s to the 2010s. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 29(1), 49-66.

[32] Xu, L., Yu, G., He, N., Wang, Q., Gao, Y., Wen, D., ... & Ge, J. (2018). Carbon storage in China’s terrestrial ecosystems: A synthesis. Scientific reports, 8(1), 1-13.

[33] Yuan, Y., A. N. G., Ma, W, H., Mohammat, A., & Jing-Yun, F. A. N. G. (2007). Storage, patterns and controls of soil nitrogen in China. Pedosphere, 17(6), 776-785.

[34] Yang, Y., Fang, J., Tang, Y., Ji, C., Zheng, C., He, J., & Zhu, B. (2008). Storage, patterns and controls of soil organic carbon in the Tibetan grasslands. Global change biology, 14(7), 1592-1599.

[35] Yang, Y., Fang, J., Smith, P., Tang, Y., Chen, A., Ji, C., ... & HE, J. S. (2009). Changes in topsoil carbon stock in the Tibetan grasslands between the 1980s and 2004. Global Change Biology, 15(11), 2723-2729.

[36] Yang, Y., Fang, J., Ma, W., Smith, P., Mohammat, A., Wang, S., & Wang, W. E. I. (2010). Soil carbon stock and its changes in northern China's grasslands from 1980s to 2000s. Global Change Biology, 16(11), 3036-3047.

[37] Zhang, Y., Li, X., & Bai, Y. (2015). An integrated approach to estimate shortwave solar radiation on clear-sky days in rugged terrain using MODIS atmospheric products. Solar Energy, 113, 347-357.

[38] Zhang, Y., Tang, Y., Jiang, J., & Yang, Y. (2007). Characterizing the dynamics of soil organic carbon in grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Science in China Series D: Earth Sciences, 50(1), 113-120.