Soil Organic Matter Stabilization by Polyvalent Cations in a Buried Alkaline Soil

Dolui, Manisha; Nel, Teneille; Chacon, Stephanie; Phillips, Laura M.; McMurtry, Abbygail R.; Moreland, Kimber; McFarlane, Karis; Mason, Joseph A.; Marin‐Spiotta, Erika; de Graaff, Marie‐Anne; Ghezzehei, Teamrat; Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw

doi:10.1029/2025jg009241

Soil Organic Matter Stabilization by Polyvalent Cations in a Buried Alkaline Soil

Journal Article · Sat Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 2026 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2025jg009241· OSTI ID:3020871

Dolui, Manisha ^[1]; ^[2]; Chacon, Stephanie ^[2]; Phillips, Laura M. ^[3]; McMurtry, Abbygail R. ^[4]; ^[5]; ^[5]; ^[4]; ^[4]; de Graaff, Marie‐Anne ^[3]; ^[2]; ^[2]

Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States)
Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
Boise State Univ., ID (United States)
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Buried paleosols can store large quantities of organic carbon (C), much of which persists for millennia due to isolation from surface processes that promote decomposition. Subsoil organic matter (SOM) persistence is often enhanced by mineral associations and ionic conditions—particularly high clay content and polyvalent cations—that limit microbial degradation and leaching. However, the vulnerability of these deep C stocks under erosion or environmental change remains poorly understood. This study investigates controls on SOM stabilization in the Brady paleosol and overlying modern soils across contrasting geomorphic settings in the Great Plains of Nebraska where Late Quaternary loess deposition and erosion created a sequence of buried and exposed paleosols. We sampled soils along burial and erosional toposequences and analyzed their physicochemical properties and radiocarbon‐based persistence of occluded particulate organic matter (oPOM) and mineral fractions (MF). Brady paleosol showed greater persistence (lower Fm) of oPOM and MF than modern soils, particularly under burial. This was linked to higher silt and clay content, elevated electrical conductivity, and increased exchangeable calcium and magnesium content, supporting roles for organo‐mineral interactions, flocculation, and carbonate cementation. In modern soils, SOM persistence and C content were more strongly tied to pH and cation exchange capacity. Erosional exposure reduced SOM stability and promoted geochemical convergence toward modern surface soils. These findings show that burial enhances SOM persistence via multiple stabilization mechanisms, while erosion increases subsoil C vulnerability. Our results underscore the importance of geomorphic and geochemical context in predicting soil C stability under environmental change.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344

Other Award/Contract Number:: EAR1623810
EAR1623812
EAR1623814

OSTI ID:: 3020871

Report Number(s):: LLNL--JRNL-2016056

Journal Information:: Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 131; ISSN 2169-8953; ISSN 2169-8961

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (55)

The Aqueous Ca ²⁺ System, in Comparison with Zn ²⁺ , Fe ^{3 +} , and Al ^{3 +} : An Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Study Bogatko, Stuart; Cauët, Emilie; Bylaska, Eric Chemistry - A European Journal, Vol. 19, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201202821	journal	January 2013
Carbon burial in soil sediments from Holocene agricultural erosion, Central Europe Hoffmann, Thomas; Schlummer, Manuela; Notebaert, Bastiaan Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 27, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1002/gbc.20071	journal	August 2013
Modern Applied Statistics with S Venables, W. N.; Ripley, B. D. Statistics and Computing https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-21706-2	book	August 2002
Abiotic interactions of natural dissolved organic matter and carbonate aquifer rock Jin, Jin; Zimmerman, Andrew R. Applied Geochemistry, Vol. 25, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2009.12.012	journal	March 2010
Pedogenic carbonates: Forms and formation processes Zamanian, Kazem; Pustovoytov, Konstantin; Kuzyakov, Yakov Earth-Science Reviews, Vol. 157 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2016.03.003	journal	June 2016
Global impact of climate change on soil erosion and potential for adaptation through soil conservation Eekhout, Joris P. C.; de Vente, Joris Earth-Science Reviews, Vol. 226 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.103921	journal	March 2022
Soil structure and management: a review Bronick, C. J.; Lal, R. Geoderma, Vol. 124, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2004.03.005	journal	January 2005
Impact of Holocene dust aggradation on A horizon characteristics and carbon storage in loess-derived Mollisols of the Great Plains, USA Jacobs, Peter M.; Mason, Joseph A. Geoderma, Vol. 125, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2004.07.002	journal	March 2005
Evaluation of aggregate stability methods for soil health Rieke, Elizabeth L.; Bagnall, Dianna K.; Morgan, Cristine L. S. Geoderma, Vol. 428 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2022.116156	journal	December 2022
Inorganic carbon is overlooked in global soil carbon research: A bibliometric analysis Raza, Sajjad; Irshad, Annie; Margenot, Andrew Geoderma, Vol. 443 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116831	journal	March 2024
Composition and persistence of soil organic matter along eroding and depositional transects in buried vs. modern soil layers: A case of the Brady paleosol at Wauneta, Nebraska Dolui, Manisha; Nel, Teneille; Phillips, Laura M. Geoderma, Vol. 465 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117660	journal	January 2026
Conversion of the LLNL/CAMS 1 MV biomedical AMS system to a semi-automated natural abundance 14C spectrometer: system optimization and performance evaluation Broek, Taylor A. B.; Ognibene, Ted J.; McFarlane, Karis J. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 499 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2021.01.022	journal	July 2021
Loess record of the Pleistocene–Holocene transition on the northern and central Great Plains, USA Mason, Joseph A.; Miao, Xiaodong; Hanson, Paul R. Quaternary Science Reviews, Vol. 27, Issue 17-18 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.07.004	journal	September 2008
Microbial respiration activities related to sequentially separated, particulate and water-soluble organic matter fractions from arable and forest topsoils Kaiser, M.; Wirth, S.; Ellerbrock, R. H. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 42, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2009.11.018	journal	March 2010
Aggregate-associated soil organic matter as an ecosystem property and a measurement tool Six, Johan; Paustian, Keith Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 68 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.06.014	journal	January 2014
Soil burial contributes to deep soil organic carbon storage Chaopricha, Nina T.; Marín-Spiotta, Erika Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 69 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.11.011	journal	February 2014
Isolating organic carbon fractions with varying turnover rates in temperate agricultural soils – A comprehensive method comparison Poeplau, Christopher; Don, Axel; Six, Johan Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 125 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.06.025	journal	October 2018
Coarse mineral-associated organic matter is a pivotal fraction for SOM formation and is sensitive to the quality of organic inputs Samson, Marie-Élise; Chantigny, Martin H.; Vanasse, Anne Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 149 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107935	journal	October 2020
Plant- or microbial-derived? A review on the molecular composition of stabilized soil organic matter Angst, Gerrit; Mueller, Kevin E.; Nierop, Klaas G. J. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 156 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108189	journal	May 2021
A history of research on the link between (micro)aggregates, soil biota, and soil organic matter dynamics Six, J.; Bossuyt, H.; Degryze, S. Soil and Tillage Research, Vol. 79, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2004.03.008	journal	September 2004
Aggregate stability and size distribution of red soils under different land uses integrally regulated by soil organic matter, and iron and aluminum oxides Zhao, Jinsong; Chen, Shan; Hu, Ronggui Soil and Tillage Research, Vol. 167 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2016.11.007	journal	April 2017
Stratigraphy and environmental reconstruction at the middle Wisconsinan Gilman Canyon formation type locality, Buzzard's Roost, southwestern Nebraska, USA Johnson, William C.; Willey, Karen L.; Mason, Joseph A. Quaternary Research, Vol. 67, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2007.01.011	journal	May 2007
The distribution of soil nutrients with depth: Global patterns and the imprint of plants Jobbágy, Esteban G.; Jackson, Robert B. Biogeochemistry, Vol. 53, Issue 1, p. 51-77 https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010760720215	journal	March 2001
Stabilization mechanisms of soil organic matter: Implications for C-saturation of soils Six, J.; Conant, R. T.; Paul, E. A. Plant and Soil, Vol. 241, Issue 2, p. 155-176 https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1016125726789	journal	January 2002
Persistence of soil organic matter in eroding versus depositional landform positions: EROSION AND SOIL ORGANIC MATTER DYNAMICS Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw; Harden, Jennifer W.; Torn, Margaret S. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 117, Issue G2 https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JG001790	journal	June 2012
Soil Organic Matter Persistence as a Stochastic Process: Age and Transit Time Distributions of Carbon in Soils Sierra, Carlos A.; Hoyt, Alison M.; He, Yujie Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 32, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GB005950	journal	October 2018
The Obscuring Effects of Calcite Dissolution and Formation on Quantifying Soil Respiration Gallagher, Timothy M.; Breecker, Daniel O. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 34, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GB006584	journal	November 2020
Association of Organic Carbon With Reactive Iron Oxides Driven by Soil pH at the Global Scale Ye, Chenglong; Huang, Wenjuan; Hall, Steven J. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 36, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GB007128	journal	January 2022
Persistence of soil organic matter as an ecosystem property Schmidt, Michael W. I.; Torn, Margaret S.; Abiven, Samuel Nature, Vol. 478, Issue 7367 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10386	journal	October 2011
The contentious nature of soil organic matter Lehmann, Johannes; Kleber, Markus Nature, Vol. 528, Issue 7580 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature16069	journal	November 2015
Mineral protection of soil carbon counteracted by root exudates Keiluweit, Marco; Bougoure, Jeremy J.; Nico, Peter S. Nature Climate Change, Vol. 5, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2580	journal	March 2015
Long-term stabilization of deep soil carbon by fire and burial during early Holocene climate change Marin-Spiotta, Erika; Chaopricha, Nina T.; Plante, Alain F. Nature Geoscience, Vol. 7, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2169	journal	May 2014
Physical and chemical protection of soil organic carbon in three agricultural soils with different contents of calcium carbonate Clough, A.; Skjemstad, J. O. Soil Research, Vol. 38, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR99102	journal	January 2000
Moisture-driven divergence in mineral-associated soil carbon persistence Heckman, Katherine A.; Possinger, Angela R.; Badgley, Brian D. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 120, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2210044120	journal	February 2023
Land use and climate change-induced soil erosion mapping in a sub-tropical environment Pal, Subodh Chandra; Chakrabortty, Rabin; Towfiqul Islam, Abu Reza Md. Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk, Vol. 14, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1080/19475705.2023.2270129	journal	October 2023
World salinization with emphasis on Australia Rengasamy, Pichu Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 57, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erj108	journal	March 2006
The Chemistry of Soils Sposito, Garrison https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190630881.001.0001	book	December 2016
Conceptualizing soil organic matter into particulate and mineral‐associated forms to address global change in the 21st century Lavallee, Jocelyn M.; Soong, Jennifer L.; Cotrufo, M. Francesca Global Change Biology, Vol. 26, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14859	journal	November 2019
Inorganic Carbon Should Be Considered for Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Soils Liao, Yang; Deng, Lei; Huang, Yuanyuan Global Change Biology, Vol. 31, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70160	journal	April 2025
Size, distribution, and vulnerability of the global soil inorganic carbon Huang, Yuanyuan; Song, Xiaodong; Wang, Ying-Ping Science, Vol. 384, Issue 6692 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adi7918	journal	April 2024
Soil Aggregate Microbial Communities: Towards Understanding Microbiome Interactions at Biologically Relevant Scales Wilpiszeski, Regina L.; Aufrecht, Jayde A.; Retterer, Scott T. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 85, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00324‐19	journal	July 2019
Late Quaternary climate change, loess sedimentation, and soil profile development in the central Great Plains: A pedosedimentary model Jacobs, P. M.; Mason, J. A. Geological Society of America Bulletin, Vol. 119, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1130/B25868.1	journal	March 2007
Origin and paleoclimatic significance of late Quaternary loess in Nebraska: Evidence from stratigraphy, chronology, sedimentology, and geochemistry Muhs, D. R.; Bettis, E. A.; Aleinikoff, J. N. Geological Society of America Bulletin, Vol. 120, Issue 11-12 https://doi.org/10.1130/B26221.1	journal	November 2008
A 10,000 year record of dune activity, dust storms, and severe drought in the central Great Plains Miao, Xiaodong; Mason, Joseph A.; Swinehart, James B. Geology, Vol. 35, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1130/G23133A.1	journal	January 2007
What’s Soil Got to Do with Climate Change? Longbottom, Todd; Wahab, Leila; Min, Kyungjin GSA Today, Vol. 32, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1130/GSATG519A.1	journal	January 2022
Radiocarbon and Soil Carbon Dynamics Trumbore, Susan Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Vol. 37, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.earth.36.031207.124300	journal	May 2009
Particle-size Analysis Gee, G. W.; Bauder, J. W. Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 1: Physical and Mineralogical Methods https://doi.org/10.2136/sssabookser5.1.2ed.c15	book	September 2018
Soil pH and Soil Acidity Thomas, G. W. SSSA Book Series https://doi.org/10.2136/sssabookser5.3.c16	book	January 1996
Acid fumigation of soils to remove carbonates prior to total organic carbon or CARBON-13 isotopic analysis Harris, David; Horwáth, William R.; van Kessel, Chris Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 65, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2001.1853	journal	January 2001
Soil Mineralogy and Texture Effects on Crust Micromorphology, Infiltration, and Erosion Wakindiki, I. I. C.; Ben-Hur, M. Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 66, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2002.8970	journal	May 2002
Chemical and Biological Characteristics of Physically Uncomplexed Organic Matter Gregorich, E. G.; Beare, M. H.; McKim, U. F. Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 70, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2005.0116	journal	January 2006
Separation of Coarse Organic Particles from Bulk Surface Soil Samples by Electrostatic Attraction Kaiser, M.; Ellerbrock, R. H.; Sommer, M. Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 73, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2009.0046	journal	November 2009
Impacts of Clay Content and Type on Shear Strength and Splash Erosion of Clay–Sand Mixtures Ayoubi, Shamsollah; Milikian, Anashia; Mosaddeghi, Mohammad Reza Minerals, Vol. 12, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.3390/min12111339	journal	October 2022
Biogenic and physicogenic aggregates: formation pathways, assessment techniques, and influence on soil properties Pereira, Marcos Gervasio; Loss, Arcangelo; Batista, Itaynara Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo, Vol. 45 https://doi.org/10.36783/18069657rbcs20210108	journal	November 2021
Effects of Soil and Rock Mineralogy on Soil Erosion Features in the Merek Watershed, Iran Heshmati, Mosayeb; Majid, Nik M.; Jusop, Shamshuddin Journal of Geographic Information System, Vol. 05, Issue 03 https://doi.org/10.4236/jgis.2013.53024	journal	January 2013

Similar Records

Composition and persistence of soil organic matter along eroding and depositional transects in buried vs. modern soil layers: A case of the Brady paleosol at Wauneta, Nebraska

Journal Article · Mon Jan 05 19:00:00 EST 2026 · Geoderma · OSTI ID:3017512

Getting to the root of the problem: Soil carbon and microbial responses to root inputs within a buried paleosol along an eroding hillslope in southwestern Nebraska, USA

Journal Article · Sun Aug 11 20:00:00 EDT 2024 · Soil Biology and Biochemistry · OSTI ID:2473627

Mineral-Organic Interface on Clay Minerals: Imaging and Analytical Approaches

Journal Article · Mon Aug 05 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Microscopy and Microanalysis · OSTI ID:1645099

Related Subjects

Environmental sciences

Soil Organic Matter Stabilization by Polyvalent Cations in a Buried Alkaline Soil

Citation Formats

References (55)

Similar Records

Related Subjects