Abstract: We examined the spatiotemporal distribution of soil organic carbon storage in Gannan alpine meadow. According to the monthly meteorological data and soil type data from 1971 to 2020 in Gannan and its surrounding meteorological stations, we parameterized the CENTURY model to simulate soil organic carbon storage and its dynamics. The simulation results were used to model the spatial and temporal variations of soil organic carbon (0-20 cm). The results showed that soil organic carbon storage decreased from southwest to northeast in the past 50 years. A similar trend was observed from west to east. The variation of total soil organic carbon storage and was in quite consistent with that of slow fraction. In 1971-2020, the average soil organic carbon storage in Gannan was 8444.40 g·m^-2. The soil organic carbon storage was 270.12, 4516.70, and 3478.77 g·m^-2 in the active, slow, passive fractions, respectively. Luqu and Maqu counties were the main areas with high soil organic carbon storage, while Hezuo City had low soil organic carbon storage. Altitude, temperature, and precipitation were the main factors affecting soil organic carbon storage. Spatially, soil organic carbon storage was positively correlated with altitude and precipitation, but negatively correlated with temperature.

Key words: soil organic carbon storage, spatiotemporal distribution, CENTURY model, alpine meadow.