Soil organic carbon (SOC) underpins agricultural sustainability and the terrestrial carbon cycle, yet its vertical distribution and stabilization across soil depth remain poorly constrained at large spatial scales. Here, we present a nationwide, depth‐resolved dataset of SOC and mineral‐associated organic carbon (MAOC)—the more persistent SOC fraction—from 365 dryland cropland sites across China, sampled to 2 m depth. Contrary...

Aim This study aimed to infer the allocation of belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) to sequential soil depths down to 2 m across the globe at a 1 km resolution and assess underlying environmental drivers. Location Global. Time Period Contemporary (1932–2017). Major Taxa Studied Terrestrial plants. Methods Global datasets including field net primary production (NPP, i.e., the difference between plant assimilated and res...

Soil biogeochemical processes may present depth‐dependent responses to climate change, due to vertical environmental gradients (e.g., thermal and moisture regimes, and the quantity and quality of soil organic matter) along soil profile. However, it is a grand challenge to distinguish such depth dependence under field conditions. Here we present an innovative, cost‐effective and simple approach of field incubation of intact soi...

Soil carbon (C) is comprised of a continuum of organic compounds with distinct ages (i.e., the time a C atom has experienced in soil since the C atom entered soil). The contribution of different age groups to soil C efflux is critical for understanding soil C stability and persistence, but is poorly understood due to the complexity of soil C pool age structure and potential distinct turnover behaviors of age groups. Here, we b...