The effects of land use changes on soil carbon in the Russian
steppe
Andrew Ratigliano 2006
A thesis presented to the Faculty of the University at Albany, State
University of New York in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for
the
degree of Master of Science
College of Arts & Sciences, Department of Earth and Atmospheric
Sciences
Advisor: A. Lapenas and J.G. Arnason
Increasing atmospheric CO2 levels within the past few centuries have
led to many studies about the global carbon cycle. An important
aspect
in balancing the modern global carbon budget revolves around a
missing
sink of carbon. It is thought
that the carbon accumulation in soil may be a significant component
in
this loss. As changes in land use under natural conditions have
increased over the years, it is not well
understood how these changes may affect the soil carbon. A useful
technique in determining these changes are with the use of archived
samples. Within a Russian steppe
preserve that has been protected since 1885, modern samples from
three
different land use plots (meadow steppe, planted forest, and tilled
field) were compared to a
100-year-old archived sample of initial conditions in addition to
archived samples from these some plots throughout the past 100
years.
It was hypothesized that there would be both increases
and decreases in soil carbon in addition to physical changes in the
soil. Compared to the initial conditions of the pristine plot,
organic
carbon concentration decreased in the
meadow steppe, remained about the same in the planted forest, and
decreased in the tilled field. The conversion to tilling showed the
greatest amount of change in organic
carbon concentration. The organic carbon stock in the meadow steppe
showed little change compared to the pristine stock. The planted
forest
and tilled field
showed a significant decrease in carbon stocks. The bulk density in
each land use plot increased in the upper half of the profile and
decreased in the lower half compared to the
pristine plot. Weathering has increased in each of the land use
plots.
Overall, the change in land use had varying effects on Russian
steppe
soil, which was determined by
using archived samples starting from initial conditions 100 years
ago
and at various points throughout that time.
Ratigliano, Andrew M., 2006. The effects of land use changes on
soil
carbon in the Russian steppe.
Unpublished MSc. thesis, State University of New York at
Albany.
92 pp., + viii
University at Albany Science Library call number: SCIENCE
Oversize
(*) QE 40 Z899 2006 R38
MS thesis text
pdf 0.9MB
Return to MS Theses completed in the
Geological
Sciences Program, University at Albany