scholarly journals Composition of eroded carbon during its journey through a tropical watershed: a clue to the question whether it is source or sink of CO<sub>2</sub>

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 18175-18192
Author(s):  
C. Rumpel ◽  
V. Chaplot ◽  
P. Ciais ◽  
A. Chabbi ◽  
B. Bouahom ◽  
...  

Abstract. In order to assess whether eroded carbon is a net source or sink of atmospheric CO2, characterisation of the chemical composition and residence time of eroded organic matter (EOM) at the landscape level is needed. This information is crucial to evaluate how fast EOM can be decomposed by soil microbes during its lateral transport. This study considers a continuum of scales to measure the fate of EOM during its transport, across a steep hillslope landscape of the Mekong basin, with intense erosion. Here we show that changes in the chemical composition of EOM (measured by NMR spectroscopy) and in its 13C and 15N isotope composition provide consistent evidence for EOM decomposition during the lateral transport of carbon on time scales of less than 50 yr across distances of 10 km. Between individual soil units (1 m2) to a small watershed (107 m2), the observed 28% decrease of the C/N ratio and the enrichment of 13C and 15N isotopes in EOM is of similar magnitude than the enrichment with depth in soil profiles due to soil organic matter "vertical" decomposition. Radiocarbon measurements indicated that these changes are not related to the slow transformation of soil carbon during pedogenesis, but rather to an acceleration of the SOM stabilisation process during its journey through the watershed.

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3299-3305 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Rumpel ◽  
V. Chaplot ◽  
P. Ciais ◽  
A. Chabbi ◽  
B. Bouahom ◽  
...  

Abstract. In order to assess whether eroded carbon is a net source or sink of atmospheric CO2, characterisation of the chemical composition and residence time of eroded organic matter (EOM) at the landscape level is needed. This information is crucial to evaluate (1) how fast EOM can be decomposed by soil microbes during its lateral transport and (2) its impact at deposition sites. This study considers a continuum of scales to measure the composition of EOM across a steep hillslope landscape of the Mekong basin with intense erosion. We sampled suspended sediments eroded during rainfall events from runoff plots (1 and 2.5 m2) and the outlets of four nested watersheds (0.6 × 104 to 1 × 107 m2). Here we show that changes in the chemical composition of EOM (measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and in its 13C and 15N isotope composition from plot scale through to landscape scale provide consistent evidence for enrichment of more decomposed EOM across distances of 10 km. Between individual soil units (1 m2) to a small watershed (107 m2), the observed 28% decrease of the C/N ratio, the enrichment of 13C and 15N isotopes as well as O-alkyl C in EOM is of similar magnitude as changes recorded with depth in soil profiles due to soil organic matter "vertical" decomposition. Radiocarbon measurements indicated ageing of EOM from the plot to the watershed scale. Therefore transport of EOM may lead to enrichment of stabilised soil organic matter compounds, eventually being subject to export from the watershed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 41-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwona Makuch

Abstract In order to determine the influence of intensive horticulture on the amount of lead and its fraction contents, there were selected soil profiles from following objects to be researched: house gardens and allotment gardens from town areas and arable field on the outskirts of the town. It has not been determined that there is any influence of manner usage on total lead content as well as its distribution in soil profiles. The fractionation composition has created the following series: fraction IV > fraction III > fraction II > fraction I. The manner of usage has influenced the content and distribution the III fraction of lead connected with organic matter. Humus horizons of garden soils is characterized as the highest in its content.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arminda Moreira de Carvalho ◽  
Luana Ramos Passos Ribeiro ◽  
Robélio Leandro Marchão ◽  
Alexsandra Duarte de Oliveira ◽  
Karina Pulrolnik ◽  
...  

1961 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 286 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Wild

Chemical analysis of 12 soil profiles on granite showed that all except two had lost phosphate by leaching. The loss of phosphorus from each profile is calculated in grams per sq centimetre of profile surface, and as a percentage of the amount originally present. Three methods of calculation are used, each being based on one of the following assumptions as to the changes which take place on rock weathering: that there is (a) no change in weight, (b) no change in volume, (c) no loss of zirconium. The three methods are generally consistent in showing which soils are the most leached and which are the least leached. The estimated loss of phosphorus from each profile depends on which assumption is made. There is no simple correlation between the loss of phosphorus and the present rainfall. Reasons which are suggested are that the soils differ in age, in level of organic matter, and possibly in the rates of weathering of the parent rocks. Up to two-thirds of the phosphorus retained in the soil is chemically bound by the free oxides of iron and aluminium.


We present an overview of geochemical data from pore waters and solid phases that clarify earliest diagenetic processes affecting modern, shallow marine carbonate sediments. Acids produced by organic matter decomposition react rapidly with metastable carbonate minerals in pore waters to produce extensive syndepositional dissolution and recrystallization. Stoichiometric relations among pore water solutes suggest that dissolution is related to oxidation of H 2 S which can accumulate in these low-Fe sediments. Sulphide oxidation likely occurs by enhanced diffusion of O 2 mediated by sulphide-oxidizing bacteria which colonize oxic/anoxic interfaces invaginating these intensely bioturbated sediments. Buffering of pore water stable isotopic compositions towards values of bulk sediment and rapid 45 Ca exchange rates during sediment incubations demonstrate that carbonate recrystallization is a significant process. Comparison of average biogenic carbonate production rates with estimated rates of dissolution and recrystallization suggests that over half the gross production is dissolved and/or recrystallized. Thus isotopic and elemental composition of carbonate minerals can experience significant alteration during earliest burial driven by chemical exchange among carbonate minerals and decomposing organic matter. Temporal shifts in palaeo-ocean carbon isotope composition inferred from bulk-rocks may be seriously compromised by facies-dependent differences in dissolution and recrystallization rates.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moritz Mohrlok ◽  
Victoria Martin ◽  
Alberto Canarini ◽  
Wolfgang Wanek ◽  
Michael Bahn ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;Soil organic matter (SOM) is composed of many pools with different properties (e.g. turnover times) which are generally used in biogeochemical models to predict carbon (C) dynamics. Physical fractionation methods are applied to isolate soil fractions that correspond to these pools. This allows the characterisation of chemical composition and C content of these fractions. There is still a lack of knowledge on how these individual fractions are affected by different climate change drivers, and therefore the fate of SOM remains elusive. We sampled soils from a multifactorial climate change experiment in a managed grassland in Austria four years after starting the experiment to investigate the response of SOM in physical soil fractions to temperature (eT: ambient and elevated by +3&amp;#176;C), atmospheric CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;-concentration (eCO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;: ambient and elevated by +300 ppm) and to a future climate treatment (eT x eCO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;: +3&amp;#176;C and + 300 ppm). A combination of slaking and wet sieving was used to obtain three size classes: macro-aggregates (maA, &gt; 250 &amp;#181;m), micro-aggregates (miA, 63 &amp;#181;m &amp;#8211; 250 &amp;#181;m) and free silt &amp; clay (sc, &lt; 63 &amp;#181;m). In both maA and miA, four different physical OM fractions were then isolated by density fractionation (using sodium polytungstate of &amp;#961; = 1.6 g*cm&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt;, ultrasonication and sieving): Free POM (fPOM), intra-aggregate POM (iPOM), silt &amp; clay associated OM (SCaOM) and sand-associated OM (SaOM). We measured C and N contents and isotopic composition by EA-IRMS in all fractions and size classes and used a Pyrolysis-GC/MS approach to assess their chemical composition. For eCO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; and eT x eCO&lt;sub&gt;2 &lt;/sub&gt;plots, an isotope mixing-model was used to calculate the proportion of recent C derived from the elevated CO&lt;sub&gt;2 &lt;/sub&gt;treatment. Total soil C and N did not significantly change with treatments.&amp;#160; eCO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; decreased the relative proportion of maA-mineral-associated C and increased C in fPOM and iPOM. About 20% of bulk soil C was represented by the recent C derived from the CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; fumigation treatment. This significantly differed between size classes and density fractions (p &lt; 0.001), which indicates inherent differences in OM age and turnover. Warming reduced the amount of new C incorporated into size classes. We found that each size class and fraction possessed a unique chemical fingerprint, but this was not significantly changed by the treatments. Overall, our results show that while climate change effects on total soil C were not significant after 4 years, soil fractions showed specific effects. Chemical composition differed significantly between size classes and fractions but was unaffected by simulated climate change. This highlights the importance to separate SOM into differing pools, while including changes to the molecular composition might not be necessary for improving model predictions.&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;


2018 ◽  
Vol 612 ◽  
pp. 636-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendryk Czech ◽  
Toni Miersch ◽  
Jürgen Orasche ◽  
Gülcin Abbaszade ◽  
Olli Sippula ◽  
...  

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