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Rapid Assessment and Trajectory Modeling of Changes in Soil Carbon across
a Southeastern Landscape (Florida)
This is a Core Project of the North American Carbon Program
- Continental Carbon Budgets, Dynamics, Processes, and Management
http://www.nacarbon.org
Research
Team
PI:
Sabine Grunwald,
Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida
Co-PIs:
Nick B. Comerford,
Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida
Willie G.
Harris, Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida
Greg L. Bruland,
Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management, University
of Hawaii at Manoa
Collaborators / Post-Docs:
Brent D.
Myers, Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida
Deoyani V.
Sarkhot, Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida
Graduate
students:
Gustavo M.
Vasques (Ph.D.), Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida
Elena I.
Azuaje (M.S.), Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida
Technical /
Lab Support:
Aja Stoppe,
Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida
Lisa
Stanley, Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida
Time
09/2007 to
09/2010
Funding Source
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - National
Research Initiative (NRI) - CSREES
Summary
The goal of
this research is to assess the effects of land cover/land use (LC/LU) change
on carbon stocks giving special attention to translating site-specific carbon
pools (labile, recalcitrant and total carbon) to landscape scales. Our objectives
are to: (i) Determine soil carbon pools in various ecosystem types across
a large southeastern landscape (Florida) cutting across soil nutrient, LC/LU
and climatic/hydrologic gradients; (ii) Investigate the strength and magnitude
of relationships between environmental landscape properties and corresponding
carbon pools within a GIS; (iii) Derive functional models relating measured
soil carbon fractions to soil spectra in the visible/near-infrared (VNIR)
range to develop rapid and cost-effective soil carbon prediction models;
(iv) Model change trajectories, i.e. assess historic and actual soil carbon
stocks and turnover rates in various ecotypes; and (v) Upscale site-specific
VNIR-derived and laboratory-measured soil carbon pools to the landscape
scale by modeling spatial autocorrelations and covariations with environmental
landscape properties; and validate the derived geospatial soil carbon models
using an independent dataset. Our methodology
is based on comprehensive historic (~1,300 soil samples) and reconnaissance
(~1,000) soil samples representing various ecotypes identified using a a
stratified-random
sampling design (strata: land use-suborder combinations). Various hypotheses will be tested to investigate relationships
between soil carbon pools and environmental landscape properties using analysis
of variance, multivariate regression methods and Canonical Correlation Analysis. Chemometric modeling will be used to relate spectra to analytical measures.
Hybrid geospatial methods will be used to develop soil carbon models for
Florida. This proposal addresses USDA's priority research areas including
spatially-explicit soil carbon modeling.
Handout -
project overview.
Results
[in progress]
Vasques G.M. and S. Grunwald. 2007.
Florida soil carbon inventory. Soil and Water Science Research Forum,
Gainesville, FL, Sept. 14, 2007. (poster
- pdf)
Grunwald S., N.B. Comerford, W.G. Harris, G.L. Bruland, G.M. Vasaques, D.B. Myers, D. Sarkhot,
A. Stoppe and E. Azuaje. 2009. Rapid assessment and modeling of soil carbon pools across Florida.
North American Carbon Investigator Meeting, San Diego, CA, Feb. 16-20, 2009 (poster - pdf)
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