Experimental work of Yasso

The research team of Yasso carries out experimental work in field and laboratory to support the development of the model.

Current topics of the experimental work include

  • Temperature and moisture effects on the decompositon of different soil organic carbon fractions

  • Soil mineral material role in stabilizing organic carbon in soil

  • Priming effects' importance on the decomposition of soil organic carbon

  • Carbon isotopes 13C and 14C

Publications of the experimental work are collected under a specific "Experimental work" category on the Yasso publications page.

Fig. 1. Taking soil samples from a Norway spruce forest for 14C measurements.

Fig. 2. Soil organic carbon that is some decades old is highly sensitive to climate warming according to 14C measurements. This carbon fraction is found, for example, in the lower layers of the organic soil horizon near the surface of mineral soil.

Fig. 3. Special equipment is used to collect carbon dioxide from soil samples for measuring the 14C activity of soil respiration. The carbon dioxide is trapped to a molecular sieve (the white tube in front of the bottle). The special tubing and the valves are needed to flush the system and keep it free of outside air while collecting the carbon dioxide for the 14C measurements.