Soil Carbon Accumulation and CO₂ Flux in Experimental Restoration Plots, Southern Iceland: Comparing Soil Treatment Strategies

Figure 2

Views of control and grass-seeded plots. (a) Typical control plot exhibiting a gravelly surface with isolated tufts of grasses. (b) Detail of (a). Gravel-free haloes of sand surrounding grass tufts are aeolian deposits. (c) Typical view of grass-seeded plot. Surface is ca. 70% vegetated, with 50% grass and 20% nongrass (mostly crowberry). (d) Contrast between rocky, sparsely vegetated untreated surface (C) and the more heavily vegetated grass-seeded surface (G). The baffling effect of the vegetation is evidenced by the significant aeolian accumulation on the grass-seeded plots. (e) Detail of grass-seeded plot illustrating variety of native plants succeeding initial grass seeding and aeolian sediment veneer; mc = moss campion, cb = crowberry. (f) Detail of grass-seeded plot illustrating BSC covering entire surface that is not vegetation or rock.

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