Carbon pools of semi-arid Picea crassifolia forests in the Qilian Mountains (north-eastern Tibetan Plateau)

The vast alpine grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau are lined by a belt of oroboreal coniferous forests in the transition zone to the Central Asian semi-deserts and deserts which may play important roles in the hydrology and biogeochemistry of the region. Many of these forests exist under semi-arid climates, are exposed to rapid climate warming and suffer from intensive human impact. We investigated the carbon stocks in biomass and soil in the...