Biogeosciences www.biogeosciences.net 1726-4170 1726-4189 3 4 2006 10.5194/bg-3-515-2006 http://www.biogeosciences.net/3/515/2006/ http://www.biogeosciences.net/3/515/2006/bg-3-515-2006.html http://www.biogeosciences.net/3/515/2006/bg-3-515-2006.pdf 515 519 2006-11-07 Warming mineralises young and old soil carbon equally F. Conen franz.conen@unibas.ch J. Leifeld B. Seth C. Alewell Institute of Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 30, 4056 Basel, Switzerland Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station ART, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046 Zürich, Switzerland The temperature sensitivity of soil organic carbon decomposition is critical for predicting future climate change because soils store 2-3 times the amount of atmospheric carbon. Of particular controversy is the question, whether temperature sensitivity differs between young or labile and old or more stable carbon pools. 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