The role of conifer encroachment and soil microclimate on soil carbon storage in aspen ecosystems in Northern Utah
Location
ECC 216
Event Website
http://water.usu.edu/
Start Date
4-5-2007 7:00 PM
End Date
4-5-2007 7:05 PM
Description
Aspen ( Populus Tremuloides) distribution in the Intermountain West is curtailed by forest succession where aspen stand are replaced by conifers, sagebrush and possibly other shrub community etc.Encroachment of aspen by conifers is considered to have a negative impact on soil functions and carbon (C ) storage. Little is known about C storage in aspen soils. The objective of this study, located at the Deseret Land and Livestock in Northeastern Utah, is to estimate soil C storage and evaluate how so it is influenced by soil moisture and temperature. Soil samples were taken at a depth of 40 cm at 10-cm increments at a total of 34 sampling points along N-S, E, and W transects in a subcatchment, and total soil C at each location was calculated from Leco C, bulk density, soil depth and gravel content. ECH20 soil moisture probes and Onset Tidbit temperature dataloggers were installed at a subset of sites along the 4 transects. Total C content between 0-40 cm was on average 110.3 Mg/ha, but was spatially very variable, ranging a low of 96.4 Mg/ha (N-facing) to a high of 140.7 Mg/ha (S-facing) In general, show that soil C content differed among transects as follows S>E> N~W. Soil moisture (SM) and temperature (ST) regime differed among the transects: following snowmelt in early summer, SM was higher in N-facing (546 mV, CV=6%) than in S-facing slopes; by September, SM was not different between transects (400mv, CV 1.4). ST in the N, E and W facing transect was in the range of 16oC (highest) – 4.2 oC (lowest) while in the south facing transect it fluctuated from 35 oC – (- ) 4.13 oC. Preliminary statistical analyses show that there is no correlation between carbon storage and the soil microclimate.
The role of conifer encroachment and soil microclimate on soil carbon storage in aspen ecosystems in Northern Utah
ECC 216
Aspen ( Populus Tremuloides) distribution in the Intermountain West is curtailed by forest succession where aspen stand are replaced by conifers, sagebrush and possibly other shrub community etc.Encroachment of aspen by conifers is considered to have a negative impact on soil functions and carbon (C ) storage. Little is known about C storage in aspen soils. The objective of this study, located at the Deseret Land and Livestock in Northeastern Utah, is to estimate soil C storage and evaluate how so it is influenced by soil moisture and temperature. Soil samples were taken at a depth of 40 cm at 10-cm increments at a total of 34 sampling points along N-S, E, and W transects in a subcatchment, and total soil C at each location was calculated from Leco C, bulk density, soil depth and gravel content. ECH20 soil moisture probes and Onset Tidbit temperature dataloggers were installed at a subset of sites along the 4 transects. Total C content between 0-40 cm was on average 110.3 Mg/ha, but was spatially very variable, ranging a low of 96.4 Mg/ha (N-facing) to a high of 140.7 Mg/ha (S-facing) In general, show that soil C content differed among transects as follows S>E> N~W. Soil moisture (SM) and temperature (ST) regime differed among the transects: following snowmelt in early summer, SM was higher in N-facing (546 mV, CV=6%) than in S-facing slopes; by September, SM was not different between transects (400mv, CV 1.4). ST in the N, E and W facing transect was in the range of 16oC (highest) – 4.2 oC (lowest) while in the south facing transect it fluctuated from 35 oC – (- ) 4.13 oC. Preliminary statistical analyses show that there is no correlation between carbon storage and the soil microclimate.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/runoff/2007/AllPosters/1