Correlation of potential carbon and carbon storage in several forest ecosystems and agricultural lands of Aceh Besar, Indonesia

Abstract

The study aims to establish a correlation model between potential carbon and soil carbon storage. It examined soil carbon distribution, potential, and storage within a 0–100 cm soil profile across forest ecosystems and agricultural land in Aceh Besar, Indonesia. A total of 252 soil samples were collected from seven different depths, ranging from the surface to 100 cm1 , across 12 forest ecosystems and agricultural areas. These ecosystems included primary forests, secondary forests, pine woodlands, eucalyptus woodlands, teak woodlands, bush forests, shrublands, grasslands, mixed gardens, moorlands, rainfed rice fields, and barren lands. The Walkley & Black method was used to analyze soil carbon intensity. The results indicated that soil carbon intensity was highest at the surface level (0–30 cm) and decreased with increasing depth. The distribution pattern of soil carbon varied among the forest ecosystems, with primary forests showing the highest carbon storage and potential compared to other land uses. Potential and soil carbon storage have a significant positive linear relationship. The regression equation represents this: y = 2.1381X2 − 12.494X + 106.35, with an R2 value of 0.7608∗∗.

Keywords

• Agricultural land
• Forest ecosystem
• Soil carbon
• Carbon storage
• Distribution