Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41689693›Full record

ArticleCarbon balance and management2026

Organic carbon stocks in aboveground biomass and soils in hyper-arid AlUla County, Saudi Arabia.

Steven McGregor, Ruan van Mazijk, Robbert Duker, Abdul-Lateef Ismail, William Liversage, Anthony J Mills, Carly Butynski, Maurice Schutgens, Miren Schleicher, Max D Graham and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Carbon balance and management, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Steven McGregorDepartment of Zoology, Nelson Mandela University, Summerstrand Campus South, Gqeberha, 6031, South Africa. steven.mcgregor@mandela.ac.za.
Ruan van MazijkSpace for Giants, PO Box 174, Nanyuki, Kenya.
Robbert DukerSpace for Giants, PO Box 174, Nanyuki, Kenya.
Abdul-Lateef IsmailSpace for Giants, PO Box 174, Nanyuki, Kenya.
William LiversageSpace for Giants, PO Box 174, Nanyuki, Kenya.
Anthony J MillsSpace for Giants, PO Box 174, Nanyuki, Kenya.
Carly ButynskiSpace for Giants, PO Box 174, Nanyuki, Kenya.
Maurice SchutgensSpace for Giants, PO Box 174, Nanyuki, Kenya.
Miren SchleicherSpace for Giants, PO Box 174, Nanyuki, Kenya.
Max D GrahamSpace for Giants, PO Box 174, Nanyuki, Kenya.
Shauna K ReesWildlife and Natural Heritage, Royal Commission for AlUla, 43544, AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
Abdelsamad EldabaaWildlife and Natural Heritage, Royal Commission for AlUla, 43544, AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed H MohamedWildlife and Natural Heritage, Royal Commission for AlUla, 43544, AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
Sami D AlmalkiWildlife and Natural Heritage, Royal Commission for AlUla, 43544, AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
Benjamin P Y-H LeeWildlife and Natural Heritage, Royal Commission for AlUla, 43544, AlUla, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDryland ecosystems, which cover nearly half of the Earth's terrestrial surface, play a considerable role in global carbon dynamics yet remain underrepresented in carbon stock assessments. This study evaluates organic carbon stocks in six protected areas within the hyper-arid AlUla County, Saudi Arabia, focusing on aboveground biomass (AGB) of herbaceous plants, trees and shrubs, as well as soil organic carbon (SOC).

resultsAcross six protected areas, 172 plots were sampled using species- and growth form-specific allometric equations and soil cores (to 30 cm depth) to estimate organic carbon stocks for eight distinct habitat types. Mean total organic carbon (TOC) stocks ranged from 2.054 ± 0.379 t.ha−1 in basaltic rock or ‘harrats’ habitat, to 12.831 ± 1.921 t.ha−1 in abandoned agricultural lands. SOC accounted for more than 95% of average TOC stocks across all habitat types, except in arid thorn woodlands where SOC contributed 53.71% to the TOC stocks. Arid thorn woodlands also had the highest AGB carbon stocks (1.755 ± 0.564 t.ha⁻1), with trees comprising 54.61% of the AGB carbon pool.

conclusionsOrganic carbon stocks in hyper-arid AlUla are predominantly soil-based, while AGB contributes little to the TOC stocks except in habitats with persistent woody vegetation. These patterns align with the lower end of reported ranges for other hyper-arid systems and establish an empirical foundation for future research on carbon storage in hyper-arid ecosystems of the Arabian Peninsula.

Indexed as

Carbon sequestrationDesert ecologyEcosystem restorationSharaan national parkThe hejazWadi

Identifiers

PMID41689693
PMCPMC12917972

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.