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Seasonal variation in the aggregate stability of downland soils
Author(s) -
Blackman J. D.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
soil use and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.709
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1475-2743
pISSN - 0266-0032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-2743.1992.tb00912.x
Subject(s) - total organic carbon , soil water , aggregate (composite) , carbon fibers , seasonality , environmental science , soil carbon , soil science , environmental chemistry , chemistry , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , ecology , materials science , geotechnical engineering , composite number , composite material , biology
. Seasonal variation in the aggregate stability of chalk downland soils on the South Downs, East Sussex, UK, was studied using two measures of aggregate stability: water stable aggregation by wet sieving and dispersibility by a turbidimetric determination. Aggregate stability and organic carbon content were assessed on a monthly basis at 20 sites over a 19‐month period. Results indicated considerable variation in water stable aggregation over the time period studied but little variation in dispersibility. There were differences between sites mainly reflecting differences in organic carbon content. Soils with more organic carbon showed less seasonal variation in aggregate stability than soils with small amounts of organic carbon. This suggests that in less organic soils organic materials, mainly microbial in origin, play an important role in forming stable aggregates, though their effect is transient.