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Ultrahigh resolution spectroscopy and imaging of soil carbon dynamics and interactions with minerals and microbes


EMSL Project ID
47570

Abstract

Global climate models conceptualize belowground soil organic matter (SOM) or carbon (C) as a large source of uncertainty because of the heterogeneity of various C sources with poorly defined chemical compositions and structural characteristics. We propose to use combined spectroscopic and nano-scale imaging techniques at EMSL to: (1) obtain high-resolution measurements and dynamic changes of the chemical composition, molecular structure and size of various soil C pools during soil warming experiments under the DOE-BER funded Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiment in the Arctic (NGEE-Arctic); (2) determine spatial nano-scale composition of SOM and its association and assemblage with minerals and microbes within soil aggregates; and (3) determine temporal changes in SOM structure and its assemblage with minerals during warming experiments both in laboratory and in field. Information obtained in this study is critical to our understanding of the mechanisms of soil C turnover in response to climate warming.

Project Details

Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2012-10-01
End Date
2013-09-30
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Baohua Gu
Institution
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Team Members

Benjamin Mann
Institution
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Liyuan Liang
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Related Publications

Geochemical characterization of Arctic tundra and implications for organic matter degradation
High-resolution profiling of permafrost soil organic carbon composition, characteristics, and relations to carbon turnover rates