Monitoring soil respiration using an automatic operating chamber in a Gwangneung temperate deciduous forest

This study was conducted to quantify soil $CO_2$ efflux using the continuous measurement method and to examine the applicability of an automatic continuous measurement system in a Korean deciduous broad-leaved forest. Soil respiration rate (Rs) was assessed through continuous measurements during the 2004-2005 full growing seasons using an automatic opening/closing chamber system in sections of a Gwangneung temperate deciduous forest, Korea. The study site was an old-growth natural mixed deciduous forest approximately 80 years old. For each full growth season, the annual Rs, which had a gap that was filled with data using an exponential function derived from soil temperature (Ts) at 5-cm depth, and Rs values collected in each season were 2,738.1 g $CO_2$ $m^{-2}y^{-1}$ in 2004 and 3,355.1 g $CO_2$ $m^{-2}y^{-1}$ in 2005. However, the diurnal variation in Rs showed stronger correlations with Ts (r = 0.91, P < 0.001 in 2004, r = 0.87, P < 0.001 in 2005) and air temperature (Ta) (r = 0.84, P < 0.001 in 2004, r = 0.79, P < 0.001 in 2005) than with deep Ts during the spring season. However, the temperature functions derived from the Ts at various depths of 0, -2, -5, -10, and -20 cm revealed that the correlation coefficient decreased with increasing soil depth in the spring season, whereas it increased in the summer. Rs showed a weak correlation with precipitation (r = 0.25, P < 0.01) and soil water content (r = 0.28, P < 0.05). Additionally, the diurnal change in Rs revealed a higher correlation with Ta than that of Ts. The $Q_{10}$ values from spring to winter were calculated from each season's dataset and were 3.2, 1.5, 7.4, and 2.7 in 2004 and 6.0, 3.1, 3.0, and 2.6 in 2005; thus, showing high fluctuation within each season. The applicability of an automatic continuous system was demonstrated for collecting a high resolution soil $CO_2$ efflux dataset under various environmental conditions.