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Insights and Approaches for Mapping Soil Organic Carbon as a Dynamic Soil Property
Author(s) -
Stolt Mark H.,
Drohan Patrick J.,
Richardson Matthew J.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj2009.0326n
Subject(s) - soil carbon , digital soil mapping , environmental science , land use, land use change and forestry , land use , soil map , soil science , soil series , soil survey , field (mathematics) , soil water , remote sensing , hydrology (agriculture) , geography , soil classification , geology , ecology , mathematics , geotechnical engineering , biology , pure mathematics
Soil organic C (SOC) content is one of the most dynamic of soil properties. In this study, we examined the effects of land use change on SOC pools for a single soil series and developed a mapping approach to relate SOC dynamics to land use change. Six paired sites, consisting of adjacent agricultural field and forest within a single delineation, were sampled and the SOC pools determined. The average forest SOC pool (157 Mg ha −1 ) was significantly higher ( P < 0.05) than the field pool (103 Mg ha −1 ), supporting the importance of land use on SOC pools. We propose the development of a SOC phase based on land use to map such differences. Master O and A horizon data should be used to establish SOC phases. Data can be obtained from existing soil surveys, updates, or C accounting activities. Land use classes can be identified with digital imagery and SOC phases can be assigned to all mapping units. Mapping units sampled for C accounting can be resampled to detect patterns and rates of change. This approach provides a robust data set to effectively map and model SOC pools and change across the landscape.