Citation. Bell, J. C.; Grigal, D. F.; Bates, P. C.; Butler, C. A. 1996. Spatial patterns in carbon storage in a Lake States' landscape. Pages 198-202 in Hom, J., R. Birdsey, and K. O'Brian, eds., Proceedings, 1995 Meeting of the Northern Global Change Program; 1995 March 14-16; Pittsburgh, PA. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report NE-214. 238 p.   [1602  CC]

Abstract. We estimated total organic carbon storage (C--kg m^-2) in biomass, forest floor, and soil for a gently undulating glacial outwash landscape in east-central Minnesota (45° 25'N, 93° 10'W). Abandoned aricultural tracts are common, and nearly 40 percent of the area is wet mineral or organic soil. Quantitative models based on 745 point-observations were used to define empirical relationships between C storage and landscape variables describing forest cover type and terrain characteristics. Exponential regressions for individual cover types explained from 31 to 70 percent (p<0.05) of the variation in soil C and 39 percent (p<0.05) of the variation in peatland depth. Spatial patterns and quantities of C storage were estimated by applying these functions to a digital geographic database of cover type and terrain attributes. Landscape scale (~1:20,000) estimates of soil C followed a bimodal distribution with means at 4 kg m^-2 (mineral soils) and 130 kg m^-2 (peatlands). Biomass carbon for individual cover types ranged from 1 to 13 kg m^-2. Total C storage in all components, based on a 1m soild depth, was 32 kg m^-2, with over 90 percent stored in peatlands.