Evaluating timescales of carbon turnover in temperate forest soils with radiocarbon data

Timescales of soil organic carbon (SOC) turnover in forests were investigated with soil radiocarbon data. The 12 C/ 14 C ratios were measured by accelerated mass spectroscopy on soil sampled from a deciduous temperate forest in Switzerland during 1969–1995. The resulting Δ 14 C values (125–174‰) were in line with previously published 14 C soil data. We applied FORCLIM–D, a model of nonliving organic matter decomposition including nine litter and...