Mineralization rate of eroded organic C in Andosols of the Canary Islands.

The aim of this paper is to determine the biological dynamism of the organic C forms bonded to soil particles mobilized by water erosion in Andosols of the Canary Islands, to evaluate their susceptibility towards mineralization processes and the role of sediments as sources or sinks of atmospheric CO(2) in these soils. The study was carried out in Tenerife (Canary Islands) on three 200 m(2) experimental plots of the RESEL Programme on silic Andosols under forest, 3 years after being subjected to clear-cutting. Eroded sediments were collected for analysis from five significant winter rainfall episodes.