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Distribution and Factors Controlling Soil Organic Carbon in the Chicago Region, Illinois, USA
Author(s) -
Scharenbroch Bryant C.,
Bialecki Margaret B.,
Fahey Robert T.
Publication year - 2017
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/sssaj2017.03.0087
Subject(s) - soil carbon , impervious surface , environmental science , land use , ecosystem , urban ecosystem , land cover , total organic carbon , soil water , soil organic matter , metropolitan area , hydrology (agriculture) , geography , soil science , urban planning , ecology , geology , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , biology
Core Ideas The majority (>75%) of soil organic carbon was found at depths greater than 25 cm. Compared to other soils, soil organic carbon in Chicago is relatively high (25–75 kg m ‐2 ). Anthropogenic factors were the most important predictors of Chicago soil organic carbon. Information on soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and dynamics in urban ecosystems will improve the accuracy of global and regional C budgets, sink and source projections of urban SOC with disturbance and climate change, and soil management for maximization of ecosystem services. Soil organic C (0–100 cm) was measured on 190 (0.04 ha) plots in the seven‐county Chicago metropolitan region (14,625 km 2 ) to understand and model SOC distribution across an urban landscape. Most SOC (>75%) was at depths greater than 25 cm and these data suggest that 100 cm may not be deep enough to fully capture SOC in urban ecosystems. Compared to other terrestrial ecosystems (e.g., forests, prairies), SOC across the Chicago region is relatively high (25–75 kg m −2 ). Chicago region SOC was comparable to other urban ecosystems. Chicago region SOC was highest in the most urbanized areas (e.g., commercial, industrial, utility, transportation land use categories) and lowest in agriculture lands. A state‐factor model was used to predict SOC storage. Soil forming factors such as climate, parent material, relief, and tree cover were not important predictors of SOC density. Important predictors of SOC across the Chicago region were land‐use and other anthropogenic factors (e.g., impervious surface area; distance to the city center, nearest building, highway and street) as well as surface (0–25 cm) soil properties (e.g., SOC, pH, K, microbial biomass, electrical conductivity). These results suggest that urban soils store considerable amounts of SOC, and this storage should be considered in global and regionals C budgets.