Carbon Dioxide Fluxes and Their Relationship to Forest Soil Properties.

Fluxes of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the soil are a link to how the carbon cycle mediates the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere. Forest soils play a very important role in being a source and a sink of CO₂. The ability of a soil to store C depends on various factors. The objective of this study is to discuss how soil CO₂ fluxes relate to soil properties. The location of the study is the Citronelle Oil Field in Mobile County, south Alabama. Data collected include soil surface fluxes of CO₂, total soil C, total N, soil moisture, soil temperature, and various macro-and micro soil nutrients which may impact C sequestration. Soil CO₂ fluxes around the oil wells were highest in August, with values ranging from 0.53 to 2.28 mg CO₂ m^-2 min^-1. The soil CO₂ fluxes around the oil wells were significantly lower in the months of September, October, November, and March. The relatively high values of soil surface CO₂ fluxes around the oil wells in August can be related to higher soil temperatures which generally, are associated with increased soil micro-biological activity. On the other hand, lower soil temperatures in the fall and winter times are typically associated with a decline in soil biological activity and hence resulting in less soil CO₂ fluxes.