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Interactive Effect of Erosion and Fire History on Stability of Soil Organic Matter


EMSL Project ID
42301

Abstract

The proposed research aims to use 13C-NMR spectroscopy to determine the amount of black carbon (BC) present in soil and to study the biochemical composition of soil organic matter (SOM) to answer three specific, critical questions regarding SOM dynamics: 1. How does the interaction between fire and erosion affect the BC content and SOM composition? 2. How do geomorphic (watershed size) and climatic (rainfall intensity) factors affect rate of BC redistribution in eroding watersheds? 3. How does decomposability (quality) of SOM and its stability (physical or chemical protection or molecular architecture) change during erosional transport in fire-affected ecosystems? These questions will be answered using the soil and sediment samples from the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded experimental watersheds in Southern Sierra Critical Zone observatory.

Project Details

Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2011-06-13
End Date
2012-06-17
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Asmeret Berhe
Institution
University of California, Merced

Team Members

Deoyani Sarkhot
Institution
University of California, Merced

Sarah Burton
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Related Publications

Holden SR, AA Berhe, and KK Treseder. 2015. "Decreases in Soil Moisture and Organic Matter Quality Suppress Microbial Decomposition Following a Boreal Forest Fire." Soil Biology and Biochemistry 87:1-9. doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.04.005