Uncertainties of soil organic carbon stock estimation caused by paleoclimate and human footprint on the Qinghai Plateau

Table 3 Comparison of the estimated SOC stock values from the different models for various soil depths across the Qinghai Plateau

SOC stock (kg C m⁻²)	Model	0–30 (cm)	30–50 (cm)	50–100 (cm)	100–200 (cm)	0–100 (cm)	0–200 (cm)
Mean	Model_Ori	5.46	2.32	3.51	4.00	11.29	15.29
	Model_PC	5.76	2.38	3.69	4.49	11.82	16.31
	Model_H	5.58	2.30	3.39	4.13	11.27	15.40
Relative change (%)	Model_PC	5.49	2.59	5.13	12.25	4.69	6.67
Relative change (%)	Model_H	2.20	− 0.86	− 3.42	3.25	− 0.18	0.72

Model_Ori represents the SOC stock estimated without considering the paleoclimate or the human footprint factors; Model_PC represents the SOC stock estimated considering the paleoclimate factors; Model_H represents the SOC stock estimated considering the human footprint factors. The relative changes (%) were based on the comparison of the SOC stock estimated by Model_PC or Model_H and the SOC stock estimated by Model_Ori. SOC represents soil organic carbon

ISSN: 1750-0680