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Unpublished MSc.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
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