Chronological dataset of soil respiration fluxes from a seasonally dry forest in Northwest México

Abstract

Soil respiration (CO₂ emission to the atmosphere from soils) is an important component of the global carbon cycle. In highly seasonal ecosystems the magnitudes and the underlying mechanisms that control soil respiration (R_S) are still poorly understood and measurements are underrepresented in the global flux community. In this dataset, systematic and monthly measurements of R_S were conducted with an infrared gas analyzer coupled to a static chamber during 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 in a tropical dry forest with a land use history from Northwestern México. These data is useful to assess the intra-annual and seasonal variations of R_S at a highly seasonal dry forests and serves as a base line to benchmark soil carbon models in regional and global contexts. The data presented supports the research manuscript: "Soil respiration is influenced by seasonality, forest succession and contrasting biophysical controls in a tropical dry forest in Northwestern Mexico" from Vargas-Terminel et al. [1].

Keywords: Biogeosciences; Infrarred gas analyser; MexFlux; Soil CO2 emission; Static chambers; Tropical dry forest.