Changes in Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen as a Result of Cultivation

Dataset · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3334/CDIAC/TCM.006· OSTI ID:1389523

Post, W. M. ^[1]; Mann, L. K. ^[2]

---

1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division; OSTI
2. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division

We assembed and analyzed a data base of soil organic carbon and nitrogen information from over 1100 profiles in order to explore factors related to the changes in storage of soil organic matter resulting from land conversion. The relationship between cultivated and uncultivated organic carbon and nitrogen storage in soils can be described by regression lines with uncultivated storage on the abscissa, and cultivated storage on the ordinate. The slope of the regression lines is less than 1 indicating that the amount of carbon or nitrogen lost is an increasing fraction of the intial amount stored in the soil. Average carbon loss for soils with high initial carbon is 23% for 1-meter depth. Average nitrogen loss for the same depth is 6%. In addition, for soils with very low uncultivated carbon or nitrogen storage, cultivation results in increases in storage. In soils with the same uncultivated carbon contents, profiles with higher C:N ratios lost more carbon than those with low C:N ratios, suggesting that decomposition of organic matter may, in general, be more limited by microbial ability to break carbon bonds than by nitrogen deficiency.For access to the data files, click this link to the CDIAC data transition website: http://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/programs/CSEQ/terrestrial/postmann1990/postmann1990.html

• Research Organization: Environmental System Science Data Infrastructure for a Virtual Ecosystem
• Sponsoring Organization: U.S. DOE > Office of Science (SC) > Biological and Environmental Research (BER) (SC-23)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 1389523
• Report Number(s): doi:10.3334/CDIAC/TCM.006; cdiac:doi 10.3334/CDIAC/tcm.006
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Bulk Density (g/cm^3)
CARBON SEQUESTRATION-TERRESTRIAL
Carbon
Carbon Cycle
Carbon Sequestration
Changes
Higher Depth (cm)
Lower Depth (cm)
Nitrogen
Soil C (%)
Soil ID
Soil Nitrogen (%)
Soil Profile Numer
Soil Series Name
Soil carbon
Surface Layer Horizon
Vegitation
cultivation
deforestation
result
soil organic Carbon