An Evaluation on Impacts of Different Land Uses and Land Covers on Emission of Carbon Dioxide from the Soil (Case Study: Biabanak, Semnan Province)

Aims The present study aims to monitor and assess CO2 emission from the soil of different land uses and land covers including rangelands, farmlands, mines, gravel lands, and bare lands (lands characterized with no vegetation) in monthly and annual temporal scales. Materials Methods Monthly carbon emission was monitored according to the alkali-trap method in a closed static chamber from mid-March 2015 to mid-February 2016. Data on emissions and land use were analyzed in a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with four replications. To determine the relationship between temperature and humidity factors with changes in carbon emission in each land use, Pearson correlation coefficient was used. Findings The highest (about 3.44g C/m^2/d) and the lowest (0.13g C/m^2/d) emission rate was found in mines (in July 2016) and in gravel lands (in January 2016), respectively. The results also showed a seasonal pattern (high in summer and low in winter) of CO2 emission. It was found that while carbon emission positively correlated with soil moisture, it showed a negative correlation with soil temperature in mines. Conclusion The results depicted that land management should include proper land use selection and improper land use changes should be avoided.