Modelled soil carbon and nitrogen pools and soil respiration, under control and drought conditions, related to the climate change experimental fieldsite in Clocaenog forest, UK, using ECOSSE

Soil organic carbon pools, soil water content, and soil respiration were modelled throughout the soil profile under both control and drought conditions, as well as various drought scenarios, utilizing the ECOSSE model (Estimate Carbon in Organic Soils - Sequestration and Emissions). Data collected from climate change experimental plots (control and drought) at Clocaenog forest in North Wales (UK) were employed to parameterize the model. Information from the experimental site spanning from 2009 to 2014 was used to calibrate the process-based model, which simulated four drought scenarios with durations of 12, 24, 48, and 96 years of drought and subsequent recoveries. The ECOSSE model facilitates the modelling of carbon pools, including: 1) decomposable plant material (DPM), 2) resistant plant material (RPM), 3) microbial biomass (BIO), and 4) humified organic matter (HUM). These pools were analysed for their responses to drought conditions, particularly in relation to soil water availability. Both carbon and nitrogen pools were modelled, along with respiration rates. By integrating field observations with process-based modelling, the study used these data to investigate how the frequency of drought influences the ability of organo-mineral soils to sequester carbon.