Carbon Cycling and Soil Remediation Quiz

Carbon Cycling Study and Soil Remediation Research

• The study was conducted by Bryant Sharon Brock and Bob Fahey in the Urban Soil Science Lab and Forest Ecology, respectively, at the Morton Arboretum.
• The focus of the study was on carbon storage in urban systems based on different land use types and soil depths.
• Urban soils are the largest terrestrial sink of carbon, with up to 64% of all carbon in urban systems.
• Different land types, such as shrubland and forest, have varying distributions of carbon in soil depths.
• The study aimed to examine both organic and inorganic carbon in urban systems and their vulnerability to disturbances.
• Factors affecting carbon cycling in soils, such as organic carbon turnover rates and inorganic carbon sources, are sensitive to human management and land use.
• The study utilized data from the Morton Arboretum's tree census in the Chicagoland region, which included information on land use types, tree cover, and species.
• The researchers took soil samples from different land use types in the Chicagoland region, including deep samples down to a meter in depth and shallow samples down to 20 centimeters.
• The soil samples were characterized based on color, pH, texture, bulk density, and soil moisture, and carbon was analyzed using elemental analysis and gas chromatography.
• The study also included tests for particular organic matter, which helps assess microbial biomass and nitrogen mineralization, and active carbon, sensitive to changes in soil management techniques.
• The research at Cornell University focused on the "scoop and dump" technique of soil remediation, involving the addition of compost to impacted or compacted soils, followed by physical fracturing with a backhoe.
• The "scoop and dump" technique was developed based on previous studies that showed a decrease in soil bulk density and increase in soil porosity with the addition of organic matter.