Quantifying organic carbon stocks using a stereological profile imaging method to account for rock fragments in stony soils

[Display omitted] •A stereological profile imaging method developed for rock fragment volume estimates.•This study quantitatively compared rock fragment effects on SOC stock estimation.•Rock-fragment-estimation method may significantly affect SOC stock estimation.•Stereological profile imaging method accurately estimated SOC stocks of stony soils. Accounting for soil organic carbon (SOC) in stony soils is critical for estimating global SOC stocks. However, accurate and cost-effective assessments of SOC stocks in stony soil profiles remain challenging due to the difficulties in accurately determining the rock fragment volume. The objective of this study was to develop a stereological profile imaging method for rock fragment volume fraction estimation and SOC stock assessment in stony soil profiles. Three soil profiles with different rock fragment lithologies, concentrations, and distributions were imaged and quantitatively sampled. The stereological profile imaging method reproduced consistent estimation of the 3-dimensional rock fragment number density distribution and volume fraction compared to the direct measurement. The SOC stocks of the three stony profiles estimated by visual estimation, profile imaging, and stereological profile imaging methods were also assessed and compared to direct measurement. The average difference in total SOC stock between direct measurement and visual estimation, profile imaging, and stereological profile imaging methods was 0.32, 0.17, and 0.09 kg m−2, respectively. The total profile (0–100 cm) SOC stock for profile 2 differed among the visual estimation and profile imaging methods, but estimated SOC stock from the proposed method did not differ from direct measurement for the three profiles. Results also showed that the differences in SOC stock assessment between rock fragment estimation methods increased with rock fragment concentration. The proposed method was less affected by rock fragment concentration and was more stable compared to the visual and profile imaging methods. The stereological profile imaging method was demonstrated to be a reasonably accurate method for the quantification of rock fragment number density distribution, volume fraction, and SOC stock in stony soil profiles.