Progress 05/01/08 to 04/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Target audiences include all scientists who require information about soil carbon quantity and quality, beyond those interested in black carbon. The mid-infrared analyses that have being conducted establishing a data base on soil carbon quality across the United States. This is also relevant to land users, and can be developed into a soil data base. The collaboration with the International Soil Carbon Network provided the linkage and web platform for world-wide data and knowledge dissemination. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project provided opportunities for one PhD student and three postdoctoral associates to advance their skills and knowledge. One of the postdocs has become a senior research associate, one advanced to a faculty position as Lecturer in the UK, and one is currently interviewing for faculty positions. The participation at the conferences of the North American Carbon program afforded high visibility and excellent exposure to the postdoctoral associates. The PhD student has tremendously advanced her skills in spatial statistics and insights into landscape-scale carbon dynamics. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The project has published the results in peer-reviewed literature and made full use of the opportunity to publicize ancillary material to enhance the dissemination of the model and data. The outcome that black carbon is much more prominent than previously thought and indeed is a near-ubiquitous component of soil organic matter has been publicized at dozens of scientific meetings and workshops including stakeholders such as farmers, policy makers and journalists. We also reported on project results at UNFCCC and UNCDD conventions in Poznan, Copenhagen, Cancun, and Buenos Aires. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Major Activities Completed Enabling platforms for permanently archiving and sharing project information have been developed and implemented to leverage discovery in the future. Two different types of project information have been made available to the academic community, policy makers and the public: first, the project results of black carbon stocks in various soils for the north-eastern United States and the Great Plains States (using a 40-km grid sampling effort conducted by USGS) and along transects that determine black carbon stocks (using Long-Term Ecological Research sites, www.lternet.edu/). Second, the primary data of mid-infrared data that will enable future research in related areas or quantification of changes over the long term. This platform is being built through the International Soil Carbon Network (http://www.fluxdata.org/nscn/SitePages/ISCN.aspx). The metadata and the first MIR results have been uploaded to the NSCN website. Objectives Objective 1: Quantify black C stocks in soils of the U.S. across a range of ecosystems and climates. We measured black carbon in for the states of Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming, New York, and the New England States, as well as for catenas at six sites of the Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) network. Objective 2: Determine the contribution of subsoils to total black C stocks. We determined full-profile distribution of black carbon at all LTER sites. Objective 3: Assess the distribution of black C across the landscape. Both the grid sampling across entire states as well as the catenas allow us to conclude on the distribution of black carbon in the landscape. Objective 4: Evaluate the impact of agricultural activities on black C stocks and distribution. We quantified black carbon contents across entire states and have ancillary information about cropping systems. In addition, we relate topography, climate, biomass production, fire regime and soil properties to black carbon contents to understand the most important landscape controls. Significant Results Black carbon was studied at different scales which allowed a deeper understanding of processes. For 650 stratified-sampling locations covering 1,051,029 km2 throughout Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming, we used geospatial climatic, terrain, fire return frequency, soil texture, land cover, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data to predict and map black carbon in comparison to other soil fractions. Total organic carbon was highest in forests and valleys. Black carbon varied from 0.2 to 26.9 mg C g-1 soil with a median of 35% of total organic carbon. Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that elevation, slope gradient, mean monthly temperature, mean monthly precipitation, NDVI and soil texture were significant (p<0.001) predictors explaining 53% of the variation in normal-score transformed total organic carbon. For black carbon, significant predictors were elevation, topographic position index, precipitation, NDVI and soil texture explaining 26% of the variation. Adding three categorical variables (land cover, fire regime, and slope position) significantly increased R2 as follows: total organic carbon from 53 to 56%, and black carbon from 26 to 32%. From simulated maps, in 6% of the study area total organic carbon is dominated (>50%) by black carbon. To our knowledge these are the first results to characterize black carbon occurrence geospatially using stratified sampling at the scale of 1000000 km2, and the methods proved scalable to other regions. On a catena scale, we found systematic differences in black carbon contents. Sample locations in the Pacific Northwest included different forest types as well as sites under agricultural use. While black carbon was most prevalent in the first 0.2 m with 15-45% of total organic carbon, it could be found in the subsoil of all locations without a clear pattern of decreasing or increasing proportions of total organic carbon with depth. Stock sizes were lowest at a Turkey Farm (0.7 kg m-2; 8% of SOC) and an Organic Growers Farm (1.1 kg m-2; 11% of SOC) sites, presumably due to the pervasive combustion of grass and cereals. Among the forested sites, lower stocks were observed at sites with higher mean annual temperature and lower precipitation (2 kg m-2; 13-28% of SOC). In contrast, the highest black carbon stocks were found under cooler and moister conditions at (5-6 kg m-2; 16% of SOC). Black carbon was poorly related to non-black organic carbon (r2=0.49 and 0.41 for concentrations and stocks, respectively), suggesting largely independent processes influencing production and disappearance. For individual plots, we found high variability of black carbon stocks and its generation through fire. We quantified black carbon in O and A horizons before and after a prescribed burn at four sites in the New Jersey Pine Barrens forest in the North-Eastern US. Total black carbon stocks did not increase during the studied fire suggesting that either black carbon production in fires may be small compared to the variability, or that equivalent amounts of black carbon may be consumed. The amounts of black carbon ranged between 2 and 22% of total organic carbon, and has similar concentrations in the O and A horizons. Modeling fate of black carbon highlighted the importance of erosion for its landscape dynamics. We developed a model for black carbon movement and decomposition in soils based on the assumption that black carbon consists of two fractions with different turnover time, and that black carbon can move in the environment as well as decompose. Decomposition rate was mainly calibrated against laboratory data, whilst a recent field experiment in the Colombian Llanaos was used to calibrate losses from downward movement through the soil profile. Losses by erosion are still poorly quantified, but mass balance indicates that they may be one of the most important fluxes. The model was able to acceptably predict CO2 production from black carbon as well as black carbon left in the soil at the end of the experiment, although black carbon in the subsoil was underestimated. The model was sensitive to erosion rate (varied ±50%), moisture and temperature response function on a 100-year time scale. The model was not sensitive to the decomposition rate of the stable pool on a 100 year time scale, but it was very sensitive to that on a millennial time scale. Key Accomplishments Key outcomes have been generated from the conceptual work on how black carbon affects predictions of global climate change under a warming climate and have been published in Nature Geoscience in 2008. This work generated significant discussion both in the academic as well as in the popular press. The modeling work on soil systems has generated an empirically-driven model that has been published in Plant and Soil in 2011. The model is fully available online as supplementary material to the peer-reviewed publication, and has been frequently cited. The black carbon quantification along toposequences clearly and for entire regions showed relationships with relief and fire frequency and severity. The methodological work on interpolation methods will provide an important tool for mapping soil carbon vulnerability. A major outcome to which this project has contributed is the recognition that black carbon is much more ubiquitous in soils than previously thought. This is not only of importance to soil carbon scientists that investigate soil carbon properties, but also for climate modeling as it affects the feedback from a warming climate and for those evaluating soil fertility, as the vulnerability of soil organic carbon to losses and opportunities for soil organic matter increases are greatly affected. This recognition will be implemented in projects on soil carbon accounting and to estimate effects of land use change on soil health.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Bente Foereid, Johannes Lehmann, Christopher Wurster, Michael Bird; Black carbon in soil as a result of a forest fire in the New Jersey Pine Barrens
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2011
Citation:
Foereid B, Lehmann J, Major J 2011 Modeling black carbon degradation and movement in soil. Plant and Soil 345: 223-236.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2008
Citation:
Lehmann J, Skjemstad JO, Sohi S, Carter J, Barson M, Falloon P, Coleman K, Woodbury P and Krull E 2008 Australian climate-carbon cycle feedback reduced by soil black carbon. Nature Geoscience 1: 832835.
|
Progress 05/01/11 to 04/30/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Considerable efforts have been made to developing the enabling platforms for permanently archiving and sharing project information. Two different types of project information are planned to be made available to the academic community, policy makers and the public: first, the project results in terms of black carbon stocks in various soils throughout the United States (using a 40-km grid sampling effort conducted by USGS) and along transects that determine black carbon stocks (using Long-Term Ecological Research sites, www.lternet.edu/). Second, the primary data of mid-infrared data that will enable future research in related areas or quantification of changes over the long term. This platform is being built through the U.S. National Soil Carbon Network (http://forest.mtu.edu/soilcarbon/). The metadata and the first MIR results have now been uploaded to the NSCN website. Soil sampling has now been completed. Samples from these sites have been analysed for black carbon and data are being processed. In a second approach, we have taken splits from the first year of sampling by USGS which covered the New England States in a 40-km grid. The samples have now been analyzed for black carbon. The results have been used make a map of soil black carbon content based on spatial interpolation. We have found that black carbon contents are higher in mountainous areas in the North-Eastern United States. We are now extending that work, and also preparing samples from several other states (Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming) for analysis. This will give us a start for a full map of black carbon for the US, as well as making it possible to see how a moisture gradient affects black carbon on a larger scale. A database of black carbon and other environmental variables has progressed. This will allow us to develop a regression model relating black carbon content to other environmental variables. In addition, work has been completed to develop a first iteration of a dynamic model for black carbon in soil based on the empirical data collected. The work has been accepted in the peer-reviewed journal Plant and Soil (345: 223-236). PARTICIPANTS: Dr Johannes Lehmann, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: PD, coordination of activities, development of science strategy, reporting Dr. Dawit Solomon, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: co-PD, coordination of activities, sampling, development of sampling design, writing of publications Ms Verena Jauss, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: Ph.D. student, conducting field sampling, taking splits, data analysis, writing of publications Dr. Evelyn Krull, CSIRO Land and Water, Adelaide, Australia: collaborator, analysis of soils with MIR and NMR for quantification of black carbon, data interpretation Dr. Peter Woodbury, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: collaborator, advice on modeling design, data interpretation Dr Jennifer Harden, USGS, Menlo Park, CA: collaborator, identification of field sites, data interpretation Dr. Mark Johnson, EPA, Corvallis, OR: collaborator, analysis of samples by FTIR National Soil Carbon Network (NSCN, under http://forest.mtu.edu/soilcarbon/) Dr. Bente Foereid, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University, Postdoctoral Associate, Modeling soil black carbon, writing publications. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences include all scientists who require information about soil carbon quantity and quality, beyond those interested in black carbon. The mid-infrared analyses that are being conducted will help in establishing a data base on soil carbon quality across the United States. This is also relevant to land users, and can be developed into a soil data base. The collaboration with the National Soil Carbon Network will provide the linkage and web platform for wide data and knowledge dissemination. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The project was delayed because of failure to hire a postdoctoral associate at the beginning of the project and because of a switch from analyzing the soil samples in the Nebraska USDA archive to a new archive established by USGS. A graduate student was hired, and sampling did get underway. A postdoctoral associate was hired with over a one-year delay, and the first data products have been generated in 2011. A further delay was experienced when the graduate student had to take an involuntary leave of absence for 8 months starting May 2011. She will not be able to continue her work which is central to the project and financed through the project before mid 2012. The project has been granted a no cost extension until end of April 2013.
Impacts
Outcomes have been generated from the conceptual work on how black carbon affects predictions of global climate change under a warming climate and have been published in Nature Geoscience in 2008. This work generated significant discussion both in the academic as well as in the popular press. The modeling work on soil systems has generated an empirically-driven model that has been published in Plant and Soil in 2011. The model is fully available online as supplementary material to the peer-reviewed publication. The primary data from the first empirical work have been obtained since mid 2010 and are being processed to generate predictors for black carbon contents of U.S. soils. All samples have been collected and processed to predict black carbon using MIR by now. We built a simple model for black carbon decomposition in soils based on the assumption that black carbon consists of two fractions with different turnover time, and that it can move in the environment as well as decompose. The model was able to acceptably predict CO2 production from black carbon as well as black carbon left in the soil at the end of the experiment, although black carbon in the subsoil was underestimated. The model was not sensitive to the decomposition rate of the stable black carbon pool on a 100-year time scale, but it was very sensitive to the stable pool on a 2000-year time scale. However, it was sensitive to moisture and temperature response function and erosion rate on a 100-year time scale. The black carbon quantification along toposequences clearly showed relationships with relief and fire frequency and severity. The regional assessment highlighted the large existing differences in black carbon contents across landscapes with larger stocks in the mountain areas than plains in the north east of the United States. We also studied a fire-prone forest of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, and found high variability of black carbon contents between sites that masked the changes during a prescribed forest fire.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|
Progress 05/01/10 to 04/30/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Considerable efforts have been made to developing the enabling platforms for permanently archiving and sharing project information. Two different types of project information are planned to be made available to the academic community, policy makers and the public: first, the project results in terms of black carbon stocks in various soils throughout the United States (using a 40-km grid sampling effort conducted by USGS) and along transects that determine black carbon stocks (using Long-Term Ecological Research sites, www.lternet.edu/). Second, the primary data of mid-infrared data that will enable future research in related areas or quantification of changes over the long term. This platform is being built through the U.S. National Soil Carbon Network (http://forest.mtu.edu/soilcarbon/). Results are just now starting to come in and are being processed to get them into a format where they can be archived and published. Soil sampling has continued on LTER sites and most of the planned sites have now been visited, and samples collected. Sites visited since the last report are: Andrews, Oregon, Konza, Kansas, Coweeta, North Carolina and Jornada, New Mexico. Samples from these sites have been analysed for black carbon and are data are being processed. The first transect from the LTER Bonanza site in Alaska was measured. We have identified a moisture gradient from hill tops to valley bottoms that may provide predicting capabilities for soil black carbon. In a second approach, we have taken splits from the first year of sampling by USGS which covered the New England States in a 40-km grid. The samples have now been analyzed for black carbon. The results have been used make a map of soil black carbon content based on spatial interpolation. We have found that black carbon contents are higher in mountainous areas in the North-Eastern United States. We are now extending that work, and also preparing samples from several other states (Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming) for analysis. This will give us a start for a full map of black carbon for the US, as well as making it possible to see how a moisture gradient affects black carbon on a larger scale. A database of black carbon and other environmental variables is being built. This will allow us to develop a regression model relating black carbon content to other environmental variables. In addition, work has been completed to develop a first iteration of a dynamic model for black carbon in soil based on the empirical data collected. The work has been accepted in the peer-reviewed journal Plant and Soil (345: 223-236). PARTICIPANTS: Dr Johannes Lehmann, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: PD, coordination of activities, development of science strategy, reporting Dr. Dawit Solomon, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: co-PD, coordination of activities, sampling, development of sampling design, writing of publications Ms Verena Jauss, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: Ph.D. student, conducting field sampling, taking splits, data analysis, writing of publications Dr. Evelyn Krull, CSIRO Land and Water, Adelaide, Australia: collaborator, analysis of soils with MIR and NMR for quantification of black carbon, data interpretation Dr. Peter Woodbury, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: collaborator, advice on modeling design, data interpretation Dr Jennifer Harden, USGS, Menlo Park, CA: collaborator, identification of field sites, data interpretation Dr. Mark Johnson, EPA, Corvallis, OR: collaborator, analysis of samples by FTIR National Soil Carbon Network (NSCN, under http://forest.mtu.edu/soilcarbon/) Dr. Bente Foereid, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University, Postdoctoral Associate, Modeling soil black carbon, writing publications. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences include all scientists who require information about soil carbon quantity and quality, beyond those interested in black carbon. The mid-infrared analyses that are being conducted will help in establishing a data base on soil carbon quality across the United States. This is also relevant to land users, and can be developed into a soil data base. The collaboration with the National Soil Carbon Network will provide the linkage and web platform for wide data and knowledge dissemination. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The project was delayed because of failure to hire a postdoctoral associate at the beginning of the project and because of a switch from analyzing the soil samples in the Nebraska USDA archive to a new archive established by USGS. A graduate student was hired, and sampling did get underway. A postdoctoral associate was hired with a over a one-year delay, and the first data products have been ingenerated in 2011. A further delay was experienced when the graduate student had to take an involuntary leave of absence for 8 months starting May 2011. She will not be able to finish her work which is central to the project and financed through the project before mid 2012. The project has been granted a no cost extension until end of April 2012.
Impacts
Outcomes have been generated from the conceptual work on how black carbon affects predictions of global climate change under a warming climate and have been published in Plant Nature Geoscience in 2008. This work generated significant discussion both in the academic as well as in the popular press. The modeling work on soil systems has generated an empirically-driven model that has been published in Plant and Soil in 2011. The model is fully available online as supplementary material to the peer-reviewed publication. The primary data from the first empirical work have been obtained since mid 2010 and are being processed to generate predictors for black carbon contents of U.S. soils. All samples have been collected and processed to predict black carbon using MIR by now. We built a simple model for black carbon decomposition in soils based on the assumption that black carbon consists of two fractions with different turnover time, and that it can move in the environment as well as decompose. The model was able to acceptably predict CO2 production from black carbon as well as black carbon left in the soil at the end of the experiment, although black carbon in the subsoil was underestimated. The model was not sensitive to the decomposition rate of the stable black carbon pool on a 100-year time scale, but it was very sensitive to the stable pool on a 2000-year time scale. However, it was sensitive to moisture and temperature response function and erosion rate on a 100-year time scale. The black carbon quantification along toposequences clearly showed relationships with relief and fire frequency and severity. The regional assessment highlighted the large existing differences in black carbon contents across landscapes with larger stocks in the mountain areas than plains in the north east of the United States.
Publications
- Foereid B, Lehmann J, Major J 2011 Modeling black carbon degradation and movement in soil. Plant and Soil 345: 223-236.
|
Progress 05/01/09 to 04/30/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Considerable efforts have been made to developing the enabling platforms for permanently archiving and sharing project information. Two different types of project information are planned to be made available to the academic community, policy makers and the public: first, the project results in terms of black carbon stocks in various soils throughout the United States (using a 40-km grid sampling effort conducted by USGS) and along transects that determine black carbon stocks (using Long-Term Ecological Research sites, www.lternet.edu/). Second, the primary data of mid-infrared data that will enable future research in related areas or quantification of changes over the long term. This platform is being built through the U.S. National Soil Carbon Network (http://forest.mtu.edu/soilcarbon/). Results are just now starting to come in and are being processed to get them into a format where they can be published. Soil sampling has continued on LTER sites and most of the planned sites have now been visited, and samples collected. Sites visited since the last report are: Andrews, Oregon, Konza, Kansas, Coweeta, North Carolina and Jornada, New Mexico. Samples from these sites are now being processed and prepared for black carbon analysis. The first transect from the LTER Bonanza site in Alaska was measured. We have identified a moisture gradient from hill tops to valley bottoms that may provide predicting capabilities for soil black carbon. In a second approach, we have taken splits from the first year of sampling by USGS which covered the New England States in a 40-km grid. The samples have now been analyzed for black carbon. The results have been used make a map of soil black carbon content based on spatial interpolation. We have found that black carbon contents are higher in mountainous areas in the North-Eastern United States. We are now extending that work, and also preparing samples from several other states (Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming) for analysis. This will give us a start for a full map of black carbon for the US, as well as making it possible to see how a moisture gradient affects black carbon on a larger scale. A database of black carbon and other environmental variables is being built. This will allow us to develop a regression model relating black carbon content to other environmental variables. In addition, work has started to develop a dynamic model for black carbon in soil based on the empirical data collected. A poster about the project was presented at a conference: "Computational Sustainability" on June 9th, 2009 at Cornell University. PARTICIPANTS: Dr Johannes Lehmann, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: PD, coordination of activities, development of science strategy, reporting Dr. Dawit Solomon, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: co-PD, coordination of activities, sampling, development of sampling design, writing of publications Ms Verena Jauss, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: Ph.D. student, conducting field sampling, taking splits, data analysis, writing of publications Dr. Evelyn Krull, CSIRO Land and Water, Adelaide, Australia: collaborator, analysis of soils with MIR and NMR for quantification of black carbon, data interpretation Dr. Peter Woodbury, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: collaborator, advice on modeling design, data interpretation Dr Jennifer Harden, USGS, Menlo Park, CA: collaborator, identification of field sites, data interpretation Dr. Mark Johnson, EPA, Corvallis, OR: collaborator, analysis of samples by FTIR National Soil Carbon Network (NSCN, under http://forest.mtu.edu/soilcarbon/) Dr. Bente Foereid, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University, Postdoctoral Associate, Modeling soil black carbon, writing publications. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences include all scientists who require information about soil carbon quantity and quality, beyond those interested in black carbon. The mid-infrared analyses that are being conducted will help in establishing a data base on soil carbon quality across the United States. This is also relevant to land users, and can be developed into a soil data base. The collaboration with the National Soil Carbon Network will provide the linkage and web platform for wide data and knowledge dissemination. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The project was delayed because of failure to hire a postdoctoral associate at the beginning of the project and because of a switch from analyzing the soil samples in the Nebraska USDA archive to a new archive established by USGS. A graduate student was hired, and sampling did get underway. A postdoctoral associate has now been hired and sample analysis is well underway. The project has been granted a no cost extension until end of April 2011, and it is now well underway to be finalized within the new timeline.
Impacts
The primary data from the first empirical work have been obtained in mid 2010 and are being processed to generate predictors for black carbon contents of U.S. soils. Outputs have been generated from the conceptual work on how black carbon affects predictions of global climate change under a warming climate. This work generated significant discussion both in the academic as well as in the popular press.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|
Progress 05/01/08 to 04/30/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Considerable efforts have been made to developing the enabling platforms for permanently archiving and sharing project information. Two different types of project information are planned to be made available to the academic community, policy makers and the public: first, the project results in terms of black carbon stocks in various soils throughout the United States (using a 40-km grid sampling effort conducted by USGS) and along transects that determine black carbon stocks (using Long-Term Ecological Research sites, www.lternet.edu/). Second, the primary data of mid-infrared data that will enable future research in related areas or quantification of changes over the long term. This platform is being built through the U.S. National Soil Carbon Network (http://forest.mtu.edu/soilcarbon/). Soil sampling has started on LTER sites and will be continue throughout 2009. The first transect from the LTER Bonanza site in Alaska as well as the first five North-eastern States of the U.S. are being analyzed for black carbon. We have identified a moisture gradient from hill tops to valley bottoms that may provide predicting capabilities for soil black carbon. In a second approach, we have taken splits from the first year of sampling by USGS which covered the New England States in a 40-km grid. The samples are being analyzed for black carbon. The first presentation of the project progress was given at the February meeting of the North American Carbon Program in San Diego, CA. PARTICIPANTS: Dr Johannes Lehmann, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: PD, coordination of activities, development of science strategy, reporting Dr. Dawit Solomon, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: co-PD, coordination of activities, sampling, development of sampling design, writing of publications Ms Verena Jauss, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: MS student, conducting field sampling, taking splits, data analysis, writing of publications Dr. Evelyn Krull, CSIRO Land and Water, Adelaide, Australia: collaborator, analysis of soils with MIR and NMR for quantification of black carbon, data interpretation Dr. Peter Woodbury, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University: collaborator, advice on modeling design, data interpretation Dr Jennifer Harden, USGS, Menlo Park, CA: collaborator, identification of field sites, data interpretation Dr. Mark Johnson, EPA, Corvallis, OR: collaborator, analysis of samples by FTIR National Soil Carbon Network (NSCN, under http://forest.mtu.edu/soilcarbon/) TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences include all scientists who require information about soil carbon quantity and quality, beyond those interested in black carbon. The mid-infrared analyses that are being conducted will help in establishing a data base on soil carbon quality across the United States. This is also relevant to land users, and can be developed into a soil data base. The collaboration with the National Soil Carbon Network will provide the linkage and web platform for wide data and knowledge dissemination. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Two failed searches for a suitable candidate have delayed the hiring of the postdoctoral associate. Fortunately, we were able to attract a graduate student initially supported by external funds to move the soil sampling forward without an unacceptable delay. We plan to hire a postdoctoral student in the coming months. A further delay presented a switch from analyzing the soil samples in the Nebraska USDA archive to a new archive established by USGS. This new archive has the unparalleled advantage that all data points are fully geo-referenced and are systematically obtained using a 40-km grid across the entire United States. The USDA archive does not allow a full grid sampling. Another advantage includes that the samples are contemporary and fully characterized according to modern standards. Since field sampling only commenced in 2007, the samples are available only successively over the coming years. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages in our opinion. For these two reasons, the project experiences a delay of several months in its progress.
Impacts
Outputs have been generated from the conceptual work on how black carbon affects predictions of global climate change under a warming climate. This work was published in a high-ranking journal and generated significant discussion both in the academic but also in the popular press. The project has not yet generated the data necessary to have an outcome from its empirical work.
Publications
- Lehmann J, Skjemstad JO, Sohi S, Carter J, Barson M, Falloon P, Coleman K, Woodbury P and Krull E 2008 Australian climate-carbon cycle feedback reduced by soil black carbon. Nature Geoscience 1: 832-835.
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