The amount of carbon dioxide released by soil organisms per unit area over a given period of time.
Used to calculate:photosynthesis and respiration
Varies by: ecosystem
| Used | ecosystem | Reference | Location: Ecosystem (study period) |
Value | Units | Notes |
|---|
| * | Agricultural field / vegetable garden | Raich and Schlesinger 1992. The global carbon dioxide flux in soil respiration and its relationship to vegetation and climate. | Global: Croplands and Fields () | 544 | g C / m2 / year | |
| * | Airfield | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | g C / m2 / year | |
| * | Airport terminal | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg C / m2 / yr | |
| * | Alley | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Apartment building | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Beach | Rowland et al. 2000- Effects of beach sand properties, temperature and rainfall on the degradation rates of oil in buried oil/beach sand mixtures | Scotland and Wales: beach (1997-1998) | 163.920647 | g C / m2 / year | This value represents the soil respiration rate density for a beach in Largo, Scotland. |
| * | Bike lane | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Bioswale | Lloyd 2006- Annual carbon balance of a managed wetland meadow in the Somerset Levels, UK | Somerset Levels, UK: managed peat wetland (2000-2003) | 3.18 | µmol / m2 / s | This value refers to the soil respiration rate density for late July and early August. We assume the same soil respiration rate density as that of a freshwater marsh. |
| * | Boulevard (arterial) | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Bridge | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg C / m2 / yr | |
| * | Camp | Baker et al. 2007 Effect of consumption choices on fluxes of CNP through households | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: Household (Early 2000s) | 100 | g C / m2 / year | We assume the same soil respiration rate density as that of a lawn. This value represents the heterotrophic respiration of a lawn with no management. |
| * | Cemetery | Baker et al. 2007 Effect of consumption choices on fluxes of CNP through households | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: Household (Early 2000s) | 146 | g C / m2 / year | This value refers to the heterotrophic respiration rate of a moderately fertilized lawn with clippings removed. |
| * | Cistern / rain barrels | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Cliffs and rock outcrops | Yuan 2006 Soil and vegetation on cliffs of abandoned quarries | Southern China: Quarries (2003-2006) | 10.1 | µmol / m2 / s | Yuan (2006) reports that soils collected from cliff faces resemble the soil type present at the top of each cliff. For this parameter we assume the same soil respiration rate density as that of shrub land. |
| * | Cogeneration plant | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Compost bin | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | g C / m2 / year | |
| * | Computer data center | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Cottages / Mobile home | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Deep water estuary | Luo & Xing 2010 - Comparative Study on Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Soil Respiration | Yellow River Estuary, China: Estuary (November 2009) | 0.24 | µmol / m2 / s | |
| * | Derelict structures | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Diesel power plant | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Disturbed Land | ORNL 2012- Global Database of Soil Respiration Data | Missouri: agricultural field (1984-1986) | 1466.636364 | g C / m2 / year | This value refers to an average of eleven studies compiled by Oak Ridge National Laboratory on soil respiration of aggrading disturbed lands in the United States. |
| * | Eelgrass meadow | Luo & Xing 2010 - Comparative Study on Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Soil Respiration | Yellow River Estuary, China: Estuary (May 2009) | 1.06 | µmol / m2 / s | We have assumed same soil respiration rate density of an estuary for eelgrass meadows. This value is the average soil respiration for the measuring period in May 2009. |
| Eelgrass meadow | Luo & Xing 2010 - Comparative Study on Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Soil Respiration | Liaohe River Estuary, China: Estuary (May 2009) | 0.065 | µmol / m2 / s | We have assumed same soil respiration rate density of an estuary for eelgrass meadows. This value is the average of the range of soil respiration rates during the measuring period in May. | |
| Eelgrass meadow | Luo & Xing 2010 - Comparative Study on Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Soil Respiration | Liaohe River Estuary, China: Estuary (November 2009) | 0.11 | µmol / m2 / s | We have assumed same soil respiration rate density of an estuary for eelgrass meadows. This value is the average soil respiration rate during the measuring period in November. | |
| Eelgrass meadow | Luo & Xing 2010 - Comparative Study on Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Soil Respiration | Yellow River Estuary, China: Estuary (November 2009) | 0.24 | µmol / m2 / s | We have assumed same soil respiration rate density of an estuary for eelgrass meadows. This value is the average soil respiration rate during the measuring period in November. | |
| * | Elevated train | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Estuary | Luo & Xing 2010 - Comparative Study on Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Soil Respiration | Yellow River Estuary, China: Estuary (November 2009) | 0.24 | µmol / m2 / s | This value is the average soil respiration rate during the measuring period in November. |
| Estuary | Luo & Xing 2010 - Comparative Study on Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Soil Respiration | Yellow River Estuary, China: Estuary (May 2009) | 1.06 | µmol / m2 / s | This value is the average soil respiration for the measuring period in May 2009. | |
| Estuary | Luo & Xing 2010 - Comparative Study on Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Soil Respiration | Liaohe River Estuary, China: Estuary (May 2009) | 0.065 | µmol / m2 / s | This value is the average of the range of soil respiration rates during the measuring period in May. | |
| Estuary | Luo & Xing 2010 - Comparative Study on Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Soil Respiration | Liaohe River Estuary, China: Estuary (November 2009) | 0.11 | µmol / m2 / s | This value is the average soil respiration rate during the measuring period in November. | |
| * | Factory | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Freshwater marsh | Lloyd 2006- Annual carbon balance of a managed wetland meadow in the Somerset Levels, UK | Somerset Levels, UK: managed peat wetland (2000-2003) | 3.18 | µmol / m2 / s | This value refers to the soil respiration rate density for late July and early August. |
| * | Fuel storage tank | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg C / m2 / yr | |
| * | Garage | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Gas station | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Geothermal pump | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Graywater recycling | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Greenhouse / vertical farm | Scharenbroch 2011. A microcosm study of the common night crawler earthworm and physical, chemical and biological properties of a designed urban soil | Chicago: Greenhouse () | 12.272134 | g CO2 / m2 / y | |
| * | Green roof | Raich and Schlesinger 1992. The global carbon dioxide flux in soil respiration and its relationship to vegetation and climate. | Global: Croplands and Fields () | 54.4 | g C / m2 / year | We assume the one-tenth the soil respiration rate density as that of an agricultural field. |
| * | Hardwood swamp | Singh and Gupta, 1977. Plant decomposition and soil respiration in terrestrial ecosystems | Quebec: Hardwood Swamp () | 1200 | g CO2 / m2 / y | |
| * | Heavy rail line | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Hemlock – northern hardwood forest | Raich and Schlesinger 1992. The global carbon dioxide flux in soil respiration and its relationship to vegetation and climate. | Global: Temperate Coniferous Forests () | 681 | g C / m2 / year | |
| * | High salt marsh | Wigand, Cathleen et al. 2009 Soil respiration rates in coastal marshes subject to increasing watershed nitrogen loads in southern New England, USA | New England: low/high salt marsh (2009) | 4.39 | µmol / m2 / s | used RUM marsh |
| * | Highway | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Hospital | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Hotel | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Landfill | Baker et al. 2007 Effect of consumption choices on fluxes of CNP through households | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: Household (Early 2000s) | 146 | g C / m2 / year | This value refers to lawns that are fertilized between one and three times per year with clippings removed. |
| * | Lawn | Baker et al. 2007 Effect of consumption choices on fluxes of CNP through households | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: Household (Early 2000s) | 146 | g C / m2 / year | This is the heterotrophic respiration of a lawn treated with moderate fertilizer whose clippings were removed. |
| Lawn | Baker et al. 2007 Effect of consumption choices on fluxes of CNP through households | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: Household (Early 2000s) | 100 | g C / m2 / year | This is the heterotrophic respiration of a lawn with no management. | |
| Lawn | Baker et al. 2007 Effect of consumption choices on fluxes of CNP through households | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: Household (Early 2000s) | 245 | g C / m2 / year | This is the heterotrophic respiration of a lawn treated with moderate fertilizer whose clippings were left on. | |
| Lawn | Baker et al. 2007 Effect of consumption choices on fluxes of CNP through households | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: Household (Early 2000s) | 357 | g C / m2 / year | This is the heterotrophic respiration of a lawn treated with a high amount of fertilizer whose clippings were left on. | |
| Lawn | Baker et al. 2007 Effect of consumption choices on fluxes of CNP through households | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: Household (Early 2000s) | 213 | g C / m2 / year | This is the heterotrophic respiration of a lawn treated with a high amount of fertilizer whose clippings were removed. | |
| * | Light rail line | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Low salt marsh | Wigand, Cathleen et al. 2009 Soil respiration rates in coastal marshes subject to increasing watershed nitrogen loads in southern New England, USA | New England: low/high salt marsh (2009) | 1.92 | µmol / m2 / s | used RUM marsh |
| * | Meadow | Raich and Schlesinger 1992. The global carbon dioxide flux in soil respiration and its relationship to vegetation and climate. | Global: Temperate Grasslands () | 442 | g C / m2 / year | |
| * | Mixed use: office / residential building | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Mixed use: restaurant / office building | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg C / m2 / yr | |
| * | Mixed use: restaurant / residential building | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Mixed use: restaurant / retail building | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg C / m2 / yr | |
| * | Mixed use: retail / office building | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Mixed use: retail / residential building | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Natural gas power plant | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Oak hickory forest | Raich and Schlesinger 1992. The global carbon dioxide flux in soil respiration and its relationship to vegetation and climate. | Global: Temperate Deciduous Forests () | 647 | g C / m2 / year | |
| Oak hickory forest | Hibbard et. al. 2005 - An Analysis of Soil Respiration across Northern Hemisphere Temperate Ecosystems | AmeriFlux and CarboEurope sites: deciduous broadleaf forest () | 2.4 | µmol / m2 / s | This value is the mean soil respiration rate for deciduous broadleaf forest sites. | |
| Oak hickory forest | Singh and Gupta, 1977. Plant decomposition and soil respiration in terrestrial ecosystems | Minnesota, U.S.A.: Oak forest () | 333 | mg CO2 / m2 / hr | This value represents the yearly mean of soil respiration in an oak forest in Minnesota. | |
| * | Office building | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Orchard | Wu et. al. 2012 - Carbon Sequestration by Fruit Trees | China: Apple Orchard () | 1.3 | kg C / m2 / yr | This value is the annual soil respiration rate of a 5-year-old orchard. |
| Orchard | Wu et. al. 2012 - Carbon Sequestration by Fruit Trees | China: Apple Orchard () | 1.6 | kg C / m2 / yr | This value is the annual soil respiration rate of an 18-year-old orchard. | |
| Orchard | Wu et. al. 2012 - Carbon Sequestration by Fruit Trees | China: Apple Orchard () | 1.2 | kg C / m2 / yr | This value is the annual soil respiration rate of a 22-year-old orchard. | |
| * | Ornamental garden | Baker et al. 2007 Effect of consumption choices on fluxes of CNP through households | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: Household (Early 2000s) | 100 | g C / m2 / year | Assumed to be the same (or similar to) the heterotrophic respiration of a lawn with no management. |
| Ornamental garden | Raich and Schlesinger 1992. The global carbon dioxide flux in soil respiration and its relationship to vegetation and climate. | Global: Croplands and Fields () | 544 | g C / m2 / year | ||
| * | Parking lot | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Park savanna | Bond-Lamberty, B. and Thomson, A. 2010 A global database of soil respiration data | Denmark: park savanna (2010) | 1048 | g C / m2 / year | |
| * | Paved ball field/court | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Pedestrian bridge | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg C / m2 / yr | |
| * | Pedestrian street / plaza | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Permeable pavers | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | g C / m2 / year | |
| * | Photovoltaic panels | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Pier | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Pond | Fisher 1977 - Organic Matter Processing by a Stream-Segment Ecosystem | Fort River, Massachusetts, U.S.A.: Stream-Segment Ecosystem () | 164.3589 | g / m2 / year | value for a stream |
| * | Public assembly hall | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| Puddles on hardtops | NULL REFERENCE | NULL REFERENCE LOCATON: NULL ECOSYSTEM (NULL STUDY PERIOD) | None | DUMMY UNIT | ||
| * | Restaurant | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg C / m2 / yr | |
| * | Retail building | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | School or university | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Sewage treatment plant | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Shrub land | Hibbard et. al. 2005 - An Analysis of Soil Respiration across Northern Hemisphere Temperate Ecosystems | AmeriFlux and CarboEurope sites: Grassland/shrublands () | 1.7 | µmol / m2 / s | This value is the biome average soil respiration rate of grasslands. |
| Shrub land | Hibbard et. al. 2005 - An Analysis of Soil Respiration across Northern Hemisphere Temperate Ecosystems | AmeriFlux and CarboEurope sites: Grassland/shrublands () | 1.2 | µmol / m2 / s | This value is the biome average soil respiration during the growing season of woodland/savannas. | |
| Shrub land | Hibbard et. al. 2005 - An Analysis of Soil Respiration across Northern Hemisphere Temperate Ecosystems | AmeriFlux and CarboEurope sites: Grassland/shrublands () | 10.1 | µmol / m2 / s | This value is the average of the two reported standardized soil respiration rates for pooled values from grassland/shrublands. | |
| * | Sidewalk | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Single family home | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Solar energy facility | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Solar heating panels | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Solid waste transfer plant | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Stadium | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Stream | Fisher 1977 - Organic Matter Processing by a Stream-Segment Ecosystem | Fort River, Massachusetts, U.S.A.: Stream-Segment Ecosystem () | 164.3589 | g / m2 / year | This value represents the respiration output from coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) in a stream-segmented ecosystem. CPOMs are defined as fragments retained by a 1.0 mm mesh drift net. We converted the value reported from g/m2/day to g/m2/year in order to calculate an annual value. |
| * | Streetcar line | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Street (collector) | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Street trees | ORNL 1984- Worldwide Organic Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Data | global: all (1952-1984) | 1466.636364 | g C / m2 / year | We assumed the same value as disturbed land. This value refers to an average of eleven studies compiled by Oak Ridge National Laboratory on soil respiration of aggrading disturbed lands in the United States. |
| * | Subway | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Swimming pool | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Tidal energy facility | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Traffic slowed street | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Trail | Rochette et al. 1991- Spatial and temporal variability of soil respiration in agricultural fields | Ottawa, Canada: agricultural field (1988-1989) | 5.1 | µmol / m2 / s | This value refers to the soil respiration rate density of soil that is repeatedly mechanically compacted in an agricultural field. |
| * | Tunnel | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg C / m2 / yr | |
| * | Utility yard | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Warehouse | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Waste energy power plant | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Water treatment plant | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg / m2 / yr | |
| * | Water/wastewater storage tank | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | kg C / m2 / yr | |
| * | Wind farm | Assumed | New York City: Urban Area () | 0 | g C / m2 / year |