The organic carbon pool of permafrost regions on the Qinghai–Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau

Abstract. Presently, Northern Circumpolar Soil Carbon Database was not involved permafrost organic carbon storage on the Qinghai–Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau (QXP). Here we reported a new estimation of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools of the permafrost regions on the QXP at different layers from the top 1 to 25 m depth using a total of 706 soil profiles. The SOC pools were estimated to be 15.29 Pg for the 0–1 m, 4.84 Pg for the 1–2 m, 3.89 Pg for the 2–3 m and 43.19 Pg for the layer of 3–25 m. The percentage (64.3%) of SOC storage in deep layer (3–25 m) on the QXP was larger than that (38.8%) in the northern circumpolar permafrost region. In total, permafrost region on the QXP contains approximately 67.2 Pg SOC, of which approximately 47.08 Pg (70.1%) stores in perennially frozen soils and deposits. The present study suggested that the permafrost organic carbon pools of Northern Hemisphere should be updated from 1672 to 1739 Pg.