Evaluation of carbon stocks in the soils of Lena River Delta on the basis of application of “dry combustion” and Tyurin’s methods of carbon determination

Abstract

The aim of this paper is evaluation of carbon stocks in the soils of the Lena River Delta by two methods: “dry combustion” and Tyurin’s methods, as well as their comparison. This work presents methodical aspect and data on the estimation of organic carbon stocks in the soils of the Lena River Delta. Here we show that the data on the content of organic carbon based on dichromate oxidation by Tyurin’s method differed significantly from the actual carbon content of organic substances, derived from application of “dry combustion” method based on direct accounting of emitted CO2 from soils it uses of chromatography techniques. Due to this difference, the application of Tyurin’s method can lead to incorrect estimate of carbon stocks in the soil. This knowledge is very important for correct estimation of soil ecological functions related to stabilization of organic matter.