Soil organic carbon stocks in the high mountain permafrost zone of the semi-arid Central Andes (Cordillera Frontal, Argentina)

This study presents the first detailed soil organic carbon (SOC) inventory for a high mountain permafrost zone in the semi-arid Central Andes of South America. We describe plant cover and soil profiles at 31 sites representing the main land cover and landform types in the Veguitas catchment (Cordillera Frontal, Argentina), which ranges in elevation from c. 3000 to 5500 m. The vegetated area with soil development is largely confined to altitudes of < 3650 m and represents only 8.2% of the total catchment area. Mean SOC 0–100 cm storage for the vegetated portion of the catchment is 3.62 kg C m−2, which is reduced to 0.33 kg C m−2 if we consider negligible SOC stocks in the extensive bare ground and glaciated areas at higher elevations. Hotspots of SOC storage are wet meadow areas, with peat deposits up to 102 cm deep and a maximum observed total SOC storage of 53.07 kg C m−2. These wet meadow areas, however, occupy only 0.11% of the total catchment area and their contribution to mean SOC storage is limited. Among soils at well-drained sites, highest mean SOC 0–100 cm storage is found on backslope positions of moraines that predate the Last Glacial Maximum (6.87 kg C m−2). Only 2% of all SOC stocks in the catchment are found in permafrost terrain and none are located in the permafrost layer itself. The main ecoclimatic control on SOC storage is plant cover, with vegetation limits being sensitive to ambient temperature. Projected increases in temperatures will not remobilize any frozen SOC stocks but will likely result in an upward shift of the upper vegetation belt with soil development creating new areas of phytomass carbon and SOC storage. The area is expected to represent a net C sink and thus a negative feedback on future global warming.