Changes in chemical and thermal indices of soil organic matter stability with time – method validation using a controlled incubation study
Dr Adam Gillespie1, Dr Amanda Diochon2, Dr Omid Haeri-Ardakani3, Dr Ed Gregorich4
1University Of Guelph, Guelph, Canada, 2Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Canada, 3Geological Survey of Canada, Calgary, Canada, 4Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Canada
Soil organic matter stability is thought to be influenced by a combination of physical and chemical constraints. We have seen relationships between thermal analysis and the carbon mineralization potential of a microbial community1,2,3. In addition, chemical information obtained using spectroscopic methods (synchrotron-based XANES) can also be used to learn how C is stabilized in soils. This study shows results of a controlled incubation study4 to track, over time, the changes in thermal stability using Rock-eval pyrolysis and XANES measurements of a soil incubated for the equivalent of 21 months of accumulated crop heat units in the Ottawa area.
Biography:
Adam Gillespie is a new faculty member at the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Sciences in Canada. He is a soil chemist with a research focus on soil organic matter characterization, mapping and modelling. He has a strong interest in using innovative research and instrumentation to link land management with soil health and sustainable land use.
