Abstract: An Automated Soil CO₂ Exchange Station was applied to study the soil CO₂ emission and the main environmental factors of five desert shrubberies so as to get a more exact estimation of soil carbon emission and a clearer understanding of its affecting factors in the west Ordos Plateau. The results showed that the curve of daily variation of soil carbon emission rate was unimodal, and the maximum rate occurred during the period from 11:30 to 13:30 o’clock. The monthly soil carbon emission rate of the five desert shrubberies in growing season (from May to July) was much higher than that in non-growing season (October), and that of Helianthemum songaricum shrubbery was the highest and 0.76-1.67 times higher than that of other shrubberies. The annual average soil carbon emission rates under the shrubberies of Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, Zygophyllum xanthoxylum, Tetraena mongolica, H. songaricum and Reaumuria songarica were 8 090.63, 7 287.40, 7 868.16, 8 375.69 and 7 618.47 kg·hm^-2·a^-1 respectively. In the three future climate scenarios (low emission scenario B1, moderate emission scenario A1B and high emission scenario A2), the average soil carbon emission of five desert shrubberies would be increased by 8.30% compared with that in the baseline scenario, especially in the Z. xanthoxylum shrubbery. The response of soil carbon emission of different shrubberies to temperature change was different, but the difference was not significant. The research results could be referred in estimating carbon balance in arid and semiarid regions in the northwest China under global environmental change.

Key words: soil, desert shrubbery, carbon emission rate, climate scenario, west Ordos Plateau