Dr. Wang Yugang Gained the Excellent Thesis Award for Youth Issued by Chinese Ecosystem Research Network

The 18th Work Meeting of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN), as well as the Workshop of Mechanism, Velocity and Potential of Ecosystem Carbon Fixation were held successfully in Urumqi, on June 19, 2011. Ten excellent theses for youth were awarded by CERN in the meeting, and the article “Profile storage of organic/inorganic carbon in soil: from forest to desert” written by Dr. Wang Yugang, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese of Academy of Sciences, won the prize. The result had been published on the Science of the Total Environment, 2010, 408: 1925-1931.

In the article the soil organic and inorganic carbon storage in soil profiles at different natural landscape from forest to desert was studied. The results showed that soil organic carbon content and soil inorganic carbon content is crucial when effort is made to assess current regional, continental and global soil carbon storage and to optimize strategies of mitigating the accumulation of CO₂ in the atmosphere. And the results offer some important parameters to scholars estimate the carbon storage and develop model researches.

The experts pointed out, that the authors’ method is particular to measure the carbon storage in soil profiles of 0–3 m in different ecosystems. The article analyzed the distribution of soil organic and inorganic carbon storage in soil profiles at different natural landscape from forest to desert, its result has an important guidance to research the soil carbon cycle and carbon storage in the context of global change.